Trucks - Out of Control

Stephen King's sole directorial effort MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986) apparently wasn't silly enough (or didn't bomb hard enough) to kill the will of producers to remake his short story "Trucks" just over a decade later. In this incarnation, folks are held captive by the title beasts in a rustic truck stop run by Ray (Timothy Busfield). This was made-for- TV with a low budget and is decidedly less goofy so one has to wonder, "Why bother?" I mean, outside of the obvious, "We'll put Kings name on it and make a ton of money." The cast of mostly Canadians is fine and the illogical scenes are abound (if machines are turning on you, why is your plan to ride a motorcycle to steal a helicopter from the Army base? ). The funniest bit is a truck using its mirrors to spy on someone and then trying to play it off when someone catches it. And since when do cars with unexplained sentient powers need to see from the driver's viewpoint? There are a few gory and unrelated kill scenes that look like they were added in post-production, seemingly confirmed by an "additional scenes" end credit. Interestingly, they were produced by William (SCARECROWS) Wesley.

Trucks does stephen king very little justice. It is a film about a small town of people terrorized by unmanned trucks. It is basically a standard length movie, it is compiled of a cast including sharon Bajer and Jay Brazeau. It also has a notable Cameo of Alexander Cowan who is the lead guitarist in the group "Michelle Bear" This film has a number of parts which somewhat resemble maximum overdrive, including the truckstop e.t.c. But I watched this film and now that it is over I am anxiously awaiting a sequel.

This movie is based on a Stephen King short story which surprisingly isn't about a writer in Maine who is stuck for ideas, which is his usual hero. Instead there's some people in a truck stop who get menaced by trucks that come alive. Already you've got a plot that wouldn't look out of place in a Garth Marengi novel.

In the short story there is little explanation as to why the trucks have turned hostile and that kind of works, well it works better than any explanation a rational person could come up with because it's patently a bit silly. Better to just leave it as a mystery hey? So what does the movie do? Delves right in there looking for answers.

Various explanations come up, each more risible than the last. One fat guy thinks the trucks have come alive because of pollution or something, someone else thinks its to do with aliens. What I love best about the explanations is the way the actors look totally shamefaced as they say their lines. They know this is the lowest point in their probably now dead careers.

You've already got one shiny nugget of comedy gold right there even before you factor in the bad acting but wipe it against your sleeve and you'll see it really shines with much more.

A guy gets attacked with the most rubber looking axe in the history of film making. Honestly, I swear I had to watch that bit five times. Another guy gets attacked by a toy truck he could easily drop kick across the street and has to pretend to be knocked over so it can ram him in the head a few times.

This is priceless straight-faced comedy the like of which you rarely see these days. It's so poor it really deserves a 1 but I can't bring myself to give it less than 2 because it made me laugh so much.

If you love bad movies this one needs to be on your shelf. I would love to have seen Stephen Kings face when he first saw this aired.

Chris Thomson's "Trucks" is loosely based on Stephen King's short story "Trucks".The plot is simple:when a small and remote town is terrorized by trucks without drivers,the local community must try to stay alive at all costs.Many of horror fans probably remember "Maximum Overdrive" by Stephen King.That was extremely cheesy and entertaining film that left me amused.On the other hand,"Trucks" is pretty boring and routine.The acting is mediocre,there is no suspense and the violence is toned down.Timothy Busfield stars as Ray,a man who has a son named Logan.They live in the town and Ray has a thing for Hope(Brenda Bakke).But soon they are all thrown into nightmare,when trucks start killing people.Anyway,I suggest watching "Maximum Overdrive" instead.4 out of 10.A nice cover,though!

If you're looking for a horror movie so bad that you are reduced to laughter, then Trucks is for you. If you're looking for a 'good' movie, you're in the wrong place. Check it out, and pay special attention to my favorite character, the little remote controlled truck - vicious little guy. Think a low budget Maximum Overdrive. It's not well written, well acted or even a well conceived idea, but it's fun if you're looking for a laugh with friends. It's possibly one of the worst movies I've stumbled across at the video store. I enjoy introducing my friends to the wonder that is the ridiculous level of idiocy in this movie. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.