Maximum Overdrive

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) | Release Date: July 25, 1986

6.4	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Ratings

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adamhui78Jun 12, 2017

This movie deserves at least a 7 just for the AC/DC soundtrack alone! I must have watched this 10+ times in the middle of the night on TBS growing up, and I enjoyed it every time. This story should be taken a bit more seriously now that we'reThis movie deserves at least a 7 just for the AC/DC soundtrack alone! I must have watched this 10+ times in the middle of the night on TBS growing up, and I enjoyed it every time. This story should be taken a bit more seriously now that we're pushing into the era of self-driving cars. I'll be ready!… Expand

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TheQuietGamerJul 16, 2018

Not as incompetent as I was expecting given all the negative reception. King himself thought it was so bad that he vowed to never step behind the camera again, but from a directorial standpoint this isn't put together any worse than the otherNot as incompetent as I was expecting given all the negative reception. King himself thought it was so bad that he vowed to never step behind the camera again, but from a directorial standpoint this isn't put together any worse than the other B-movies that spawned from the author's work. Which, if we're being honest, is what the majority of his adaptations can be classified as. No, the problem is that the movie is too silly and ridiculous for it's own good. Maximum Overdrive is packed to the brim with redneck idioms, immature humor, and crass dialog.

I often hear "The Room" talked about in a sort of positive light as apparently it has a "so bad, it's good" quality to it that can be derived from the film's ability to make one laugh at just how dumb it all is. I can't attest to whether or not that is true of the infamous Tommy Wiseau disasterpiece, but it certainly seems to be the case here. It's hard not to find at least some amusement in all the stupidity happening onscreen. Unlike The Room however, it feels like you're laughing with this movie, as opposed to at it. Maximum Overdrive seems very aware of it's own idiocy and plays everything for laughs. I've read that even Stephen King called it a "wonderful moron movie." I don't know about wonderful, but there is some juvenile fun to be had here. Provided you like that kind of thing and can put up with the bad acting.

You can certainly feel the author's presence throughout. Not only is the entire soundtrack comprised of AC/DC, his favorite band, but a lot of the personality quirks from his writing are front and center. Like his religious intolerance for example. There's a character in this that exemplifies King's tendency to portray all religious people as hypocrites and bigots. As a result out of all his adaptations this is probably the one that feels the most like one of his written stories. Something that will likely increase it's value in the eyes of his more hardcore fans.… Expand