Christine (Special Edition) Reviews

• A possessed car becomes a vehicle of revenge for teen

  
  By AQP1VPK16SVWM on 2004-09-05
  "Christine" is about possession. In adapting Steven King's novel to the screen, director John Carpenter and writer Bill Phillips streamline King's narrative to focus on the true star of the book and film--the car itself. "Christine" tells the story about a nerdy high school senior (Keith Gordon in a very strong performance)who can't do anything right but his best friend college jock Dennis(John Stockwell)seems to do everything right. So when Arnie finds the perfect car that he can rebuild and put his love into, the car nicknamed "Christine" by its former deceased owner more than returns that love--she gives Arnie a thug makeover and turns him into a monster as bad as the the kids that used to beat Arnie up. Needless to say, Christine has some special abilities of her own and she becomes--so to speak--the vehicle for Archie's revenge and vice versa.
  
  Dennis tries to intervene but once Arnie becomes possessed by Christine, he and Arnie's new girlfriend Leigh (the lovely Alexandra Paul in her first film role)are unable to reach him. A local police detective (Harry Dean Stanton)becomes suspcious but isn't able to prove that Arnie had anything to do with a mounting body count consisting of high school students from Arnie's school.
  
  The beautiful transfer here manages to skip many of the flaws that have become a Columbia Tristar trademark; the edge enhancement is minimal and the sharp, detailed picture has vivid rich color recalling the original look of the theatrical cut of the film. The high definition transfer is as sharp as a rebuild car after a top notch paint job.
  
  Duplicating the wonderful format that director John Carpenter has used on "The Thing", "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Escape from New York", the audio commentary features both the director and star Keith Gordon (now a director himself) discussing the nuts and bolts of making the film. Gordon provides a unique perspective as both the film's star and also an acclaimed director of small, independent films.
  
  While I also like King's books, I'd like to point out that to make a feature film of a novel would take (as writer Bill Phillips astutely points out in the special features section)20 hours or more so novels have to be streamlined in the hopes of capturing the feel of the film. It's hoped that the visul style brought to the film will make up for the narrative threads that are lost and Carpenter's film does just that. While LeFey the previous owner of Christine played a major role in the book, it seemed as if he was the one driving the action. Carpenter and Phillips decided that Christine was just born bad and that evil spilled out to possess their owners as well. I found Carpenter and Phillips choices in turning the novel into a film to be very good ones.
  
  Laurent Bouzereau's three excellent featurettes focus on the conception of the film all the way through the production and release. Oddly enough, though, Columbia has them listed out of order under the special features section starting with "Christine Fast & Furious", "Christine Finish Line" and "Christine Ignition" presented in that order. You should really watch the last one first, the first one second and the second one last. Of course, you can click on them in any order (they play individually)but it does seem a curious choice to present them this way. We also get 20 deleted/alternate scenes that provide an interesting addition to the original film. While Carpenter wisely chose to cut some of them, a small portion of the deleted scenes would have made a great addition to a "Director's Cut" of this film. Since Carpenter is technically "retired" (as he jokingly points out in his commentary), he certainly could spent the time to reintegrate key scenes. Unfortunately, it's doubtful that this special edition had the budget for such an undertaking. Regardless, I'm happy that Columbia Tristar elected to put out this special edition in the first place.
  
  We also get the usual Columbia Tristar previews as well. This special edition provides a classic Carpenter film a second change on DVD. While the film was critically well received (Time called it "Carpenter's best film since 'Halloween')for the most part (many criticized the foul language. Writer Bill Phillips discusses how Columbia's executives asked him to add more foul language so the film could earn a hard "R" rating. He laughes as he recalls that "Scarface" would soon replace "Christine" with the most foul lanugage in a two hour movie), it only did fair box office business. It's nice to see this classic bit of Carpenter-King-Phillips entertainment finally the way it should be presented.
  
  

• Great, Great, Great DVD. King and Carpenter score big time.

  
  By A2HIBT2MA2AKIS on 2000-04-21
  Great but mean spirited movie about a teenager who is horribly rejected by his fellow classmates, until the day he discovers Christine a 1958 Plymouth Fury, that just happens to have a mind of its own. Based upon Stephen Kings novel of the same name and directed by fellow horror great John Carpenter, Christine really delivers the goods. An incredible score, and great special effects, along with good beliveable acting, and edge of your seat suspence Christine is a movie with very few flaws if any. I personally though that Robert Prosky stood out as the foul mouthed garage owner Will Darnell, his performance echoes R. Lee Ermy in Full Metal Jacket. But the real star of the film is the car itself, using special effects to highlight the cars rebilding itself is deff. a highlight of the movie, and why haven't they made some sort of a sequel? Most of the King movies that have been made into sequels have been pretty lame, over the past ten or so years, but I feel that if King and Carpenter could get togeather again, we would have a story that should continue, due mainly to the ending of the novel, and the movie as well the story really dosen't end. And as a afterthouht! Ever wonder why the audience wanted to see the car win? It was they felt the respect and love shared between Arnie and Christine!
  
  

• Magnificent.

  
  By on 1999-03-16
  I read Christine before I saw it, and all in all I think Carpenter did well adapting the brick-thick novel to a two hour movie. Christine herself is stunningly beautiful and heartwrenchingly dangerous; the use of appropriate 50s rock songs adds a lot of suspense to the film. The sound effects when Christine's duals flick on are deeply chilling. In fact, the car herself and the transformation of Arnie from charming nerd to possessed puppet are the best parts of the movie. Dennis Guilder and Leigh Cabot struck me as uninteresting, whereas Arnie's chemistry with his car sets the mind on fire. See this movie if for no other reason than to watch Christine's mangled body slowly bend itself back into shape, inch by inch. All the major happenings in the novel are there in the film, if a little abridged; there is enough raw power in the car scenes to carry the rest of the film through. See it if you're a car person; don't see it if you are afraid of driving too fast.
  
  

• "It seems like nobody likes my car these days."

  
  By A25ZVI6RH1KA5L on 2005-04-06
  While watching Christine (1983) last night, I couldn't help but think how sweet it would be to have a car like the one in the film...oh, I don't mean all freaky deaky possessed with an evil that will ultimately consume you completely and stuff like that, but having a car that regenerates itself after a fender bender...your old buddy here had a few accidents a long time ago and knows body shops charge an arm, a leg, and your first born...and if you mess up the frame, forget about it...based on a novel by Stephen King, directed by John Carpenter (Halloween), the film stars Keith Gordon (Jaws 2, Back to School), John Stockwell (Losin' It, My Science Project), and Alexandra Paul, whom many may recognize as the comparatively less buxom than the rest of the female cast Stephanie from the Baywatch television series. Also appearing is Robert Prosky (The Great Outdoors), William Ostrander (Mulholland Dr.), Roberts Blossom (Escape from Alcatraz), Kelly Preston (Mischief), and Harry Dean Stanton (Cool Hand Luke, Alien, Repo Man).
  
  As the film begins, we roll into a character establishment sequence as the year is 1957 (the date is displayed on the screen) and we're watching newly built cars coming off an auto assembly line (check out those fins...even if they didn't show us the year, we probably could have guessed it based on the design of the cars). We end up focusing on one in particular, a red beauty, and given this is a John Carpenter film based off a Stephen King novel, you know something nasty bad is going to happen soon, and it does, indicating this car may be more than just the sum of its parts. Anyway, flash forward to 1979 and we meet Arnie Cunningham (Gordon). To say Arnie is a nerd would be an understatement. If you took all the nerdy, gawky, awkward, nebbish, constantly picked on, harangued by their mothers schlubs you can remember from high school and rolled them into one, you'd probably end up with Arnie Cunningham. But for as much as Arnie has going against him, he does have at least one thing going for him in his sincere friendship Dennis (Stockwell), the very cool and popular dude who drives a bitchin' car and happens to be the star of the school football team. Arnie's life isn't ideal by any means, especially since he's just recently run afoul of the school bully Buddy Repperton (Ostrander) and his gang, but what are you gonna do? Well, I guess you could buy a possessed car named Christine...and that's what he does (okay, he doesn't know it's possessed)...the car is a piece of junk, but Arnie sees something in it, and begins working on restoring it, causing his other relationships to suffer, but, as the car comes along, we see Arnie changing as well (he actually develops a sense of confidence and a personality to boot), dropping the nerd routine and even garnering the attentions of the new girl (Paul), but, as with any silver lining, there's always a dark cloud behind it, and the price for Arnie's newfound coolness may be more than he's willing to pay...
  
  All right, you must be thinking `A John Carpenter movie based off a Stephen King book? This movie must be scary as hell!'...well, it's not...it's not very scary at all, at least to me it wasn't, but then I've been desensitized by years frightening cinematic visages. There was one part that makes me jump a little every time I see it, but I'm not going to tell you what it is...what this film lacks in frights, it makes up for in being not only entertaining, but also just really cool. I liked all the characters, and I thought Keith Gordon did really well embodying the complete nerd who finds love in an unlikely place, a love that most of us think we would want (not for the damn car, but the essence represented in the car, in terms of it being an entity like ourselves) until we realize it's not so much love as a crazy, obsessive, all devouring devotion intent on taking us to a place no one should ever have to go...I thought the supporting cast did all right, but I would have liked to seen a little more of Stanton (he played a police detective) and Ostrander's characters as they seemed interesting despite their limited roles. There was one sticking point with me with regards to the characters in that I find it very hard to believe any normal guy would choose Alexandra Paul over Kelly Preston, as John Stockwell's character did...both women are attractive, to be sure, but come on...I've seen Preston in the film Mischief (1985), so I know what she's got going on, and let me tell you, it's a lot. Anyway, I thought the direction was very good as Carpenter did an excellent job in creating not only a living, breathing, tire squealing character in Christine, but maintaining an appropriate atmosphere throughout the film, especially by his choice of music. There are some minor gaffs here and there, but nothing that spoiled the overall experience. I think my favorite scene comes after a gang completely trashes Arnie's car, which then `heals' thy self through whatever bad mojo it's got going on, and then seeks revenge against those offenders (Arnie's uses a different term, one I can't put in the review). There's a scene involving a car, engulfed in flames, speeding down the highway...very cool...
  
  This review is for the `Special Edition', and the widescreen anamorphic picture (2.35:1) looks really sharp. I was a little disappointed in the audio, which I think is available in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, as it was too soft at times. There are some extras including 20 deleted/alternative scenes, 3 featurettes titled Christine: Fast and Furious, Christine: Ignition, and Christine: Finish Line, filmographies, and previews. Again, this review was for the Special Edition, and I know there was a previously released edition, but I don't know if the features I spoke of are available on both editions, so make sure of what you're getting before purchasing, especially since Amazon has a tendancy to cross-reference reviews despite product differences.
  
  Cookieman108
  
  
  

• Anyone ever seen "The Car" 1977? Strangely Similar.

  
  By on 1999-10-02
  The first scary movie I ever saw was "The Car" in the mid 70's. For a year or two it came on TV fairly regularly and then it seemed to dissapear from circulation. I probably sneaked downstairs and watched that movie on 10 different occasions. There is Something deeply sinister about evil controlling an inanimate object. Seeing Christine for the first time in 1985 brought it all back to me. I thought the acting was a little over the top, but that does not prevent the creepiness of this story to seep through. I am a huge Stephen King fan and of course, no movie ever seems as good as the book, but this one comes as close as "The Shining" and "Misery". One thing I really liked about the movie was the use of 1950's tunes to give some of the seens dark and ironic humor. By the way, I just discovered "The Car" is available in DVD on Amazon.com yeterday and I ordered it. I will be watching that one tonight. I can't believe it has been over 20 years since I have seen it.
  
  
• What's Under This Hood Is Purely And Simply EVIL
  By A2D8CUJPOSRPNA on 2002-02-07
  Stephen King's novels have formed the basis for a great many horror films over the last quarter century. Some have been superlative (CARRIE, THE SHINING), others just terrible (PET SEMATARY, MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE). CHRISTINE can be counted among the superlative ones. Under the expert hands of HALLOWEEN director John Carpenter, this film provides the requisite chills and atmosphere minus a lot of unnecessary blood and gore.

  Keith Gordon stars as a geeky high school student named Arnie Cunningham who is always getting picked upon by the local school bullies (sound familiar?). But when he eyes a rusted old 1957 Plymouth Fury, his life really turns around. Over the objections of his best friend (John Stockwell), he fixes it up at a local garage (run by a salty-tongued Robert Prosky) to a point where the car is as good as new. Gordon even starts up a relationship with the high school dream queen (Alexandra Paul). There's just one problem, though. Christine won't let it go that far.

  For this '57 Fury is definitely possessed, and pretty soon it takes possession of Gordon. When the school bullies retaliate against Gordon by trashing Christine, the car repairs itself and goes after the perpetrators one by one. But the car also reacts in a jealous and homicidal way against Paul, who nearly chokes on a hamburger at a drive-in with Gordon. And when Paul and Stockwell come to realize that Gordon is indeed totally over the edge, they plot to destroy the car, using a bulldozer inside Prosky's garage. Unfortunately, Gordon dies in the final melee. And although Christine itself seems to be crushed to a metal cube, in the tag end scene, a metal piece can be seen repairing itself...

  Although the setting of the film is changed from King's novel (there, it was western Pennsylvania; in the film, it's southern California), CHRISTINE for the most part stays true to the basic essentials of the book in its depiction of high school bullies and teenage life during 1978-79, which is the era depicted. There is a certain appropriateness to having Christine's radio play nothing but early rock and roll records, like Little Richard's "Keep A Knockin'", and Thurston Harris' "Little Bitty Pretty One", while most of the other songs are of the late 70s ("Runaway" by Bonnie Raitt, "Bad To The Bone" by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers).

  Carpenter makes sure that the emphasis on the movie is on the situations in Gordon's life that lead him to Christine, and how letting his life get totally dominated by that car eventually scares the living daylights out of Stockwell and Paul. Furthermore, he does this in the same suspenseful fashion that made HALLOWEEN work to such a tee. His and Alan Howarth's synthesizer-dominated music score lends further atmosphere to the proceedings. Some may complain about the slight excess of profanity in the screenplay, but it is typical of King's work and appropriate in the way it depicts teenage behavior.

  CHRISTINE does, as many point out, bear a resemblance to the much underrated (or much maligned) 1977 thriller THE CAR. But it is unique in its own way. And for those seeking something more than mad slashers and buckets of blood, CHRISTINE is well worth watching.
  
  

• Awesome movie.. but..
  By on 2002-01-26
  I use to think this was a *great* movie until I read the book. The way I look at it is, the movie leaves out about 75% of the story. I don't want to ruin the book *or* movie for anyone but here are a few reasons why you should read the book first.

  1. The movie focuses more on the car being "possessed". In the book, you will see a much deeper storyline in which Arnie is "possessed" too.

  2. They slash crucial parts of the original story to pieces. In the movie, LeBay's brother sells Arnie the car and LeBay himself, is already dead.. which does everything but destroy the original plot.

  3. The way Moochie Welch is killed in the movie is just plain *lame* compared to the same scene in the book.

  4. Perhaps the biggest letdown is the utterly lame way that Darnell is killed. It's practically a joke in the movie. In the book.. it's gut wrenching terror.

  5. The "last drive" sequence with Dennis and Arnie is also very boring. The death of the original story's plot earlier in the movie seen to that.

  6. And finally, in the book, there's "ghosts", corpses who drive cars and the many disturbing visions that Dennis has of the car.. including Arnie's "marriage" to it with some interesting guests.

  Altogether, it's not a *bad* movie. But the plot is destroyed and it's only about half as scary as it was intended to be. This is a much deeper story than the film shows, like many books. I hope this review inspires a few people that have watched the movie to read the book.
  
  

• Revenge of the Nerd, Stephen King Style
  By A2AOZQ3WTNVVOK on 2005-04-15
  Take one geeky, gawky, nerd. Add one red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury (what other car has a name as menacing as "Fury?"). Mix well. Let the killing begin.
  
  The movie feels eerie from the beginning. We see a Plymouth Fury rolling down the assembly line in 1957. Soon something interesting happens that lets you know that there is something special about this car. Well, special in the Twilight Zone sort of way. We follow the history of the car in a somewhat abbreviated way, to the point where the car ends up in the hands of Arnie Cunningham.
  
  Keith Gordon plays Arnie Cunningham. Arnie is the kid (kind of like me) that is never cool and often seems to be the one targeted by bullies. There is something about the beat up red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury that speaks to Arnie.
  
  Arnie does have a good friend, Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell). Dennis is much of what Arnie is not. He has a cool car and is the star of the high school football team. However, Arnie's friendship with Dennis does not protect Arnie from high school bully Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) and his cronies.
  
  What happens next is somewhat predictable, but not everything is predictable, unless you know the story. Arnie names the car Christine and begins working on it. However, it is soon evident that Christine has the ability to take care of herself, if she has the right human to help her. As Christine rejuvenates herself, she infuses Arnie with characteristics that may mirror Christine. One of those characteristics is hatred for those who would disrespect, either Christine or Arnie. Those who disrespect Christine or Arnie, most especially Christine, are dealt with harshly. We eventually find out that Christine is a harsh mistress if her partner "cheats" on her.
  
  There are some very good scenes in this movie. The whole scene at the gas station was gruesome and good at the same time. Christine rolling down the highway in flames is a very unique scene. There are even a couple of scary scenes. However, the movie in general is not scary so much as it is disturbing in a creepy crawly sort of way. Those viewers who tend to think too much about a movie could be analyzing this one well into the night, listening for the roar of a Plymouth Fury.
  
  
  
• Underrated Thriller
  By A2GANR9I6XHTU9 on 2006-02-02
  Directed by John Carpenter, A novel by Stephen King, Christine is a pretty suspensful and well done film considering the evil doer is a car. This is one of the Stephen King adaptations worth seeing. I wouldnt say its as good as such classics as Halloween or the Shining but its definetly an entertaining film.
  
  The film is about Arnie Cunningham, ''Keith Gordon'' a high school dork whos best friends with a school jock Dennis ''John Stockwell''. After having a knife pulled on him by bullies after school he comes across a car, an old red 1958 Plymouth Fury being sold by an old man. Arnie decides to buy the car despite his friends disaproval and against his parents wishes. Since his parents dont want anything to do with it and are against him having a car they refuse to let him store it at their house so he stores it at a old garage and begins to restore it. While restoring the vehicle he starts to change. His looks, his personality, noone is understanding what is happening to him. He even manages to get a date with one of the hottest girls in school, Leigh ''Alexander Paul''. During this time Christine starts killing anyone who comes between her and Arnie. The only two left are his best friend Dennis and Leigh. They have to stop the car before its too late.
  
  Its not Carpenter or Kings best but its definetly worth checking out. 3.5-4 stars
  
  
• Christine (1983)
  By A1NSUJJCG73IRF on 2004-06-03
  Director: John Carpenter
  Cast: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton.
  Running Time: 110 minutes.
  Rated R for violence and language; not nearly as graphic as it could be--a Carpenter trait.

  Based on Stephen King's highly popular bestselling novel, "Christine" is perhaps director John Carpenter's second best film (behind "Halloween", obviously) and a sure-fire treat for all those who enjoy King adaptations, Carpenter created films, or just good ol' fashioned suspense. The film centers around a demonically possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury with a strange history--the workers who completed the construction of the car were mysteriously killed and the initial owner of the vehicle took his own life after his wife suddenly died.

  Keith Gordon stars as Archie Cunningham, a classic geek in high school who wears nerdy frames and eats packed yogurt for lunch. He is the butt of many jokes, but jock star Ryan Stockwell is still his best buddy. After school one day, Archie comes across Christine, the devilish car. He fixes her up and proceeds to become obsessed by her. A new-found confidence prompts Arnie to ask the cutest girl in the school (Alexandra Paul) out for a date and they quickly fall in love--but Christine does not approve. The car demands Arnie's complete and unquestioned devotion and when outsiders seek to interfere, they become the victim's of Christine's horrifying wrath.

  A superb performance from Gordon in the lead role, transforming himself from a laughing stock class dork to an arrogant, obscene maniac who gets so comsumed with Christine that will be anything to preserve the safety of the car. Excellent script from Bill Phillips, unraveling the King masterpiece with a quick deliberance that keeps the audience on the edge of their toes and waiting for Christine's next move. Outstanding direction and musical score creation by Carpenter, using specific lighting arrangements and camera angles to add to the suspense, all the while producing a terrifying musical accompanyment. Even though it is not overly terryfying with sudden jolts of scares, "Christine" is horror/suspense at its very best and a hidden gem of the thriller genre. One of the best, most unheralded horror films of the early part of the decade.
  
  

• Finally Christine on DVD done right
  By A20QA0U89IGBTU on 2004-09-28
  I am soooo happy to see this finally released on DVD the right way.It is currently available on DVD and has been for some time now but that dvd was obviously rushed into production as there was one big thing missing.Special Features.This is one movie I want as much special fetures as possible and you'll get them with this new realese they are
  
  Featurette's
  
  Christine,Fast and Furious
  Christine,Finish Line
  Christine,Ignition
  
  there will also be a photo galery and deleted scenes.The only thing I am disspaointed about is they still have not released the trailer wich has kept his from being a 5 star rating
  
  
• A worthy Special Edition
  By A21B2TJBWCSK1R on 2004-10-07
  Christine is something of a curious anomaly in John Carpenter's career. It isn't as beloved by his fans as, say, Escape from New York and it isn't as crappy as Memoirs of an Invisible Man. It is, however, one of the better Stephen King adaptations-which isn't saying much when you consider how many lousy ones there are out there. A previous, bare bones DVD was released awhile ago. Now, a new special edition with Carpenter's participation is out.
  
  A treat for Carpenter fans is the audio commentary by the director and the film's star, Keith Gordon. It's great to hear two directors talk about their craft. . It's a trip down memory lane for both men who joke and remember all sorts of good anecdotes in this relaxed and entertaining track.
  
  There are 20 deleted scenes, most of which are not very long in length and, in most cases, were rightly cut. They flesh out the characters a bit more and show the demise of minor characters.
  
  "Christine: Fast and Furious" examines the themes and story of the movie with new interviews with Carpenter, Gordon, John Stockwell and Alexandra Paul.
  
  "Christine: Finish Line" examines the use of music in the movie. Also included in this featurette is how the cast and crew view the film now that twenty years has passed.
  
  "Christine: Ignition" features the film's screenwriter, Bill Phillips, talking about how he adapted King's novel. He and Carpenter talk about the changes that they made from King's novel to make it more cinematic.
  
  Christine is good film, not a great one, but definitely one of the better King adaptations because it was made by a director with a distinctive style and vision. In many respects it is not a conventional horror film. There is very little gore or traditional scares. It's more of a mood or an unsettling feeling. Fans of Carpenter will enjoy this DVD for Carpenter's excellent commentary track. This new special edition is a definite improvement over the older one and well worth picking up.
  
  
• Well I be darn another Stephen King adaptation done right
  By A3C6CZC2JP67VK on 2008-10-31
  She can't (and won't) drive 55.... Stephen King's novel about the twisted love affair between a boy and his car gets transferred to the screen, courtesy of suspense master John Carpenter. Although lacking some of the more outré supernatural elements of the source material, this high-octane cinematic tune-up more than delivers the goods, horror-wise (Christine's midnight rampages will never be forgotten)--as well as being a sly exposé of the random cruelties within the high-school pecking order. Keith Gordon (who has gone on to become a stellar director in his own right, with films such as A Midnight Clear and Mother Night to his credit) gives a wonderfully controlled central performance.
  
  Keith Gordon makes the most of the lead role as the nerdy Arnie who quickly becomes the disturbed owner of "Christine". Support cast, including John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul and Harry Dean Stanton have precious little to do, though Robert Prosky does a good job of being gross.
  
  Carpenter's atmospheric original score is backed up by a well-chosen collection of rock classics, including George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" (the titular character's all-too-apt theme song). I don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but the 50s music was interesting in that most of it came from artists who suffered untimely, tragic deaths....Buddy Holly and Richie Valens of course were killed in a plane crash at the height of their careers...Johnny Ace ("Pledging My Love") died playing Russian Roulette with a pistol....Larry Williams ("Bony Maronie") was killed in 1980 by a gunshot wound to the head; he had been involved with drug dealing for years and it was thought to be a gang execution....I think Dion was still alive at the time this movie was made("I Wonder Why"); I'm not sure about the rest of the Belmonts....
  
  
  
• Christine A Mile Stone In Carpenters Life
  By A130C198QVOS1Q on 2000-07-20
  Christine is the right movie to watch to be relaxed.Because it is so easy to understand and watch.Everything on this movie going on expected.You can understand all the next steps of it.Also every scene of this film taste like mixed pop corn.Sometimes salty , sometimes oiled and sometimes sweet.Lastly you should own one cause it is really fresh to watch.
  
  
• Still Worth The 5 Stars.
  By A3FP4TKWBZ9LAN on 2001-03-13
  I actually read the book first which made me expect more out of the movie, oh well. The movie, however, is still worth the 5 stars I've given it because John Carpenter directed the movie and it turned out excellent, the special effects are awesome, AND that the story itself is by Stephen King. Now anybody who has read the book knows what the movie is basically about, but for those who haven't ventured this way, let me elaborate. The key characters are Christine herself (keep in mind she's a car), Arnie Cunningham, who falls in love with Christine, and Dennis Guilder, who is a friend of Arnie but an enemy of Christine. Arnie falls in love with Christine and buys her from George LeBay (Roland LeBay in the book, George is the brother), who is an eccentric old man. Arnie fixes her up to almost brand new, but all the other characters (Dennis, Arnie's parents, Leah Cabot) have this disturbing sense that Christine is more than what she appears to be. Turns out they're right when Christine slowly changes Arnie's personality from nerd to suave psycho. There's more to tell, but I don't want to give the movie away! The special effects where Christine rebuilds herself after each bashing is astounding! I'm still trying to figure out HOW did they do that. After seeing this you might think about the car you have. There is a lot of explicit language so this wouldn't be for those who are under age. An excellent car movie, but don't read the book first!
  
  
• One to Outgrow
  By A3MGJVPJBNPSEJ on 2001-10-17
  This movie, based upon the Stephen King novel, is about a geek who buys a car which, for no apparent reason, was "evil" even before it came off of the assembly line in the 1950s. As the geek becomes more attached to the car, he becomes increasingly sociopathic. He then uses the car (which only plays oldies from the 1950s on the radio and can reassemble itself whenever it is damaged) to get "revenge".

  I loved this movie the first time I saw it on late night TV so I was surprised by how boring I found it when I saw it again recently. Of course I was only 13 the first time I watched the movie and could be easily excited by any horror movie with good special effects and lots of swearing. The special effects are still great (and so is the soundtrack), but the plot about highschool bullying and overbearing parents that I used to find interesting now just comes off as one-dimensional and dull. The main character isn't very sympathetic even before he becomes corrupted by the car, so no matter how dislikeable the bullies are, you never feel much sympathy for him either. For your approximately 2 hours of viewing, you get to see a boring geek turn into an egotistical jerk and eventually run down a couple of bullies with his car. None of the good character development that exists in the book carries over into the movie and it fails to build up much suspense. Looking back, this is one of the last watchable movies Carpenter made until his recent rebirth with Vampires.

  There are far better car movies, Stephen King adaptations (the far better "Dead Zone" came out the same year) and John Carpenter movies than this. Do yourself a favour and get one of those instead.
  
  

• One of the greatest horror movies made period!
  By ARYFPLM6FYCET on 2003-06-27
  This movie is just awsome. I loved it as a kid and still do. I f you like horror movies and classic cars, this ones for you!
  
  
• "You'd better watch what you say about my car...It's sensitive"
  By A3UH3X6PZ7WCWG on 2005-08-16
  Poor Artie Cunningham. He's a geek. His parents are very controlling. He can't come close to talking to girls. Heck, he can't even get his locker to open. Fortunatly for him, he is best friends with the most popular jock in school, Dennis and has a solid friendship with him. Dennis has his back when the school bullies pick a fight early in the film and Dennis gets the best of them.
  
  On the way home that day, Artie forces Dennis to stop off at some old man's shack to look at the car he wants to buy. A beat up 1957 Plymouth. Artie just can't resist and cuts a check on the spot for the junker, despite Dennis' pleas against it. The car's name---Christine. As the old man tells us "when my brother brought her home in '57, it had the best smell. That new car smell. No smell in the world is better than that. 'Cept pu**y."
  
  Anyway, Artie forms an unnatural bond with this car as he is toiling for weeks trying to restore it to original condition. Oddly enough, as he is doing so, his attitude shifts. He is confident. He is cocky. He manages to woe and take out the new girl in school, who also happens to be the prettiest. Things are going great for Artie. Until...
  
  The bullies from the beginning take their vengeance out on Christine and total the car, complete with take a dump on the dashboard. Artie does not get mad...Christine gets even.
  
  Suddenly, the bullies are being followed and hunted down by this car. One by one, they meet their end, until none are left. The police are naturally following Artie, but we can never quite tell if he is even in the Christine when this is all happening. How can Christine be stopped?? Dennis has a plan.
  
  "Christine" is one of those rare occasions where the movie that was based on the book is actually as good as the book. The story, written by Stephen King, is very familiar of King's earlier writing, in the sense that it has to do with an inanimate object, taking possesive powers over a human. Very much like "The Shining", only on wheels. John Carpenter does a fabulous job as director of this film and gives Christine the same slasher quality you would think of when watching Michael Myers in "Halloween".
  The special effects are really cool for the time, especially when we see Christine repair her own damages and the soundtrack in this movie is excellent.
  
  This is a classic horror movie and definetly a must for ANY fan of STephen King's or John Carpenter's. And, if you are a fan of this film, may I also suggest Stephen King's "Maximum Overdrive"
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
• I love this movie !!
  By A3UDUMJ1L4C7YZ on 2006-01-29
  Having recently read the Stephen King book, I felt I should watch the movie to see John Carpenters interpretation. Although many details are cut out for time reasons the whole of the story remains true and intact. I love the characters and love the struggle in the movie between the car, Arnie, and Dennis. The visuals are great and the music is cool too. Make this a part of your collection.
  
  
• Excellent, but way too much was changed
  By A29H3006SWAGW5 on 2006-02-25
  Well i just finished the book Christine last week. I was determined to find the movie. After searching for the last week, i finally bout it. I had seen it a few years ago when i was 10 or 11. Somehow i remember it being much better. But nonetheless, it was great. I do have a few problems though. Generally i dont mind things being rearranged or changed, but they cut out wayyy too much, and completly changed the ending. They practically swtiched Roland LeBays role and George Lebays role, but only partically, i was quite confused when i got to that scene. They also completely cut out the Lebay possession sub-plot, thus changing Arnies character. I was dissapointed in Micheal cunninghams role in this movie, first off, he didnt look like a thing like i pictured him, and his whole sub-plot with Arnie and Dennis was completely cut, and he only have about 10 lines in the entire movie. The biggest dissapointment for me had to be the cutting of the Dennis/Leigh subplot. THe ending was changed totally, also a disappointment.
  
  However, i do like the rearranging of certain things, it helps the flow of the movie much better, the actors for Arnie and Dennis were perfect, too bad Dennis role was minimized as much as it was. The effects are AMAZING! even now, i cant imagine them being any better, and this if from way back in 83. The music is wonderful and perfectly fitting, Regina cunningham is just as i imagined her, her role isnt cut down too much though. Overall, i stil recommened the movie, one of the better movies based on a stephen king novel, i only say read the novel first.
  
  BTW, their are 20 deleted scenes that i am about to go check out right now, therefore, their should be a good chunck of missing footage in it.
  
  
• One Man's Best Friend: His Car!
  By A39CX0EE4BZCZC on 2006-04-29
  I'm not particularly a fan of horror movies and I couldn't fix an ailing automobile if my life depended on it so the workings of cars don't fascinate me.....but this movie fascinated me.
  
  The '58 Plymouth Fury, alias "Christine," is absolutely gorgeous. What a piece of machinery!
  
  This is a horror story but there are no ghosts or monsters nor is there any gore. A car is the star of the film, a very jealous and vengeful one at that. Man, that sounds silly but, if you're reading this you have probably watched the movie so no sense going into details. It's hard to describe the story in a paragraph without it sounding stupid....but it's not. Maybe the quickest way to explain it is that it is about a car that is alive, like a human, and you mess with it, you pay!
  
  It is definitely one creepy, well-made, unique and always-entertaining film. By the way, the car is a lot better than any of the people, sad to say. No, I didn't like any of the kids in this film (high schoolers who all look 30 years old!) and the language is a little too rough in spots, but the car, the '50s music, the unique story, the satisfying revenge angle all make this very watchable.
  
  
• Vroom,Vroom roadKILL
  By on 2006-05-09
  When I saw this movie i thought it was boring but i thought it is very awsome the best things about this film is the '50's songs,the front part of the car,the engine's sound is awsome,and when the car going after moochie.
  
  I think that the 80's where the best times i miss all the old movies i think the way the screen was very cool I was thinking about making a new movie when i got older it is going to be CHRISTINE THE REVENGE but i would get 80's cameras, clothes, cars,and the set will be where the last movie took place.
  
  The movie will be better than the first people will go nuts over it,Bye.
  
  
• A CLASSIC FILM!
  By AV1KYJXHOWPMD on 2006-05-11
  This movie is as good as the novel by Stephen King. Some things were changed, but I still love this film. The effects and actng were great.
  
  
• Christine is DANG SPOOKEH!
  By on 2006-09-18
  "Christine" is the first Stephen King film I have ever seen.
  NOW I AM CONSIDERING READING HIS NOVELS.
  "Christine" is a thriller type film that isnt neccessarily SCARY, but more on the lines of WEIRD, which is just what I like. Christine is a car that is pretty much like Herbie...Only possessed. You can almost give an award for "Best Actor" to that car. Stephen Kings creation of a car will creep you out a bit, because she kills. And holds a grudge.
  
  To me, the one thing that got me was the main human character: Arnie. I dunno about you, but near the end of the movie, Arnie creeps the HECK outta me! Seriously, if I saw that guy following me home, I would RUN. The actor has done Arnie well. As well as the other people. In fact, ALL the acting was good. It was satisfactory.
  My main complaint with the movie is the language. I wouldnt recommend this to people with young kids. The language is pretty foul and frequent, unfortunately. There were about 100 alternate words to be used, but...I dont think the movie would be the same without Arnie's "Unique" insult. But still...Dont see this unless you dont mind such raunchy language.
  As for the violence of the movie? ...I'm sorry...I covered my eyes. But, I hear that it isnt bad, like say, "Princess Mononoke" type violence. Which is GOOD.
  My overall rating for this thriller is a 4/5. It was unique, but with bad language. Creepy, but not scary. I think people over 12 would enjoy this.
  
  ..^ _ ^
  =( ' . ' )=
  
  
• Watch the WIDESCREEN Version or Nothing
  By A3QUKU21SX4MIH on 2000-04-03
  One of the better "misunderstood teen-gets-possessed-and-seeks revenge" films of the 80's...especially due to the wonderful music & direction by John Carpenter. Yet, this DVD offers another triumph for the "letterboxing" crowd. There is so much going on at the sides of the frame, that one can understand characters better, see more action, and not be dizzied by the pan-and-scan process! When the DVD jackets decribe the widescreen availability as to "preserve the integrity of the filmmaker," they mean it!
  
  
• Bad adaptation
  By A3AT7XC21W5HSM on 2000-06-18
  I liked the book a lot, and was excited about the movie, but it turned out to be a dissapointment. The characters were very bad and didn't really fit the part, and terrible acting. The car was still pretty cool, but they changed so much stuff in the movie, it was kinda boring. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe it was bad, but my opinion is don't get it.
  
  
• A MAGNIFICANT MOVIE!!!!!
  By on 1999-01-07
  John Carpenter is a genius. The story line for this movie is terrific. This is by far the best movie I have ever seen. REALLY!. Carpenter's choice of a car was perfect. A 1958 Plymoth Fury is one of the most powerful and beautiful muscle cars ever made. The music in the movie was perfect for this thriller. It has a monotonous and errie tone that sets the mood just right. If I could have given this movie ten stars I would have. If you are at all interested in thrill movies I highly recommend this one.
  
  
• Not as good as the book
  By on 1999-08-04
  I read the book before I saw the film and was a bit disappointed. The movie skipped over a lot of the main theme - the fact that Arnie, as well as going insane, was turning into the cars previous owner, Mr LeBay. There was a lack of substance to the film but it's still worth watching to see the car rebuild itself from a heap of mangled metal. If you like the film, you'll love the book even more.
  
  
• the worst movie adaptation I've seen.....
  By A2O64V5RUV5LKY on 2001-05-03
  Well what can I say about Christine..... Well to put it bluntly: It stinks, but to be more fair. I'll tell you why. The movie does follow some progession in the story, but they switch the scenes around & take too many creative liberties in this movie: the have "The fight scene" as the first scene then they get the car, instead of a gas tanker they use a bulldozer(which would make more sense, a bulldozer has more manuverability). "STAND BY ME" keeps closer to the book("The Body" a novella in "Different Seasons") than Christine does.

  This movies just does not follow along the book in any way shape or form(except for some key scenes).

  In conclusion: Stay away from Christine(the movie), stick to the book.
  
  

• In All Honesty!!!!!!
  By A1CDZNPO7U4E6N on 2001-08-06
  This movie really wasn't that great because a whole hour goes by before the car really does anything special. Christine could have had the potential to be a good movie but, it turned out to be kind of, to be frank: BORING!. I won't lie, I liked the part where Christine got revenge on the guys that tore her apart but, as a whole the movie just didn't measure up to my expectations.
  
  

• Maximum Overdrive
• Carrie (Special Edition)
• Cujo
• Pet Sematary (Special Collector's Edition)
• Stephen King's It