Carpenter's classic concerning killer cars.
Christine (1983)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:15
Rotten:7
Average Rating:5.8/10
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, CHRISTINE is a dark and violent film about the dangers of obsession. When a unpopular young man, Arnie (Keith Gordon), buys a vintage car to restore,... Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, CHRISTINE is a dark and violent film about the dangers of obsession. When a unpopular young man, Arnie (Keith Gordon), buys a vintage car to restore, it changes his life completely. The more he works on the car, which he names Christine, the more his personality changes. He becomes moody and dark, spending more and more time with the car and less and less with his friends. The friends become concerned as Arnie's passion for the automobile turns to extreme, and he becomes unstable. But the car has powers over the young man, and takes on a life of its own, becoming as obsessed with its new owner as he is of it. Their devotion to one another quickly becomes violent, and separating Arnie from the car is a deadly task for his friends. With CHRISTINE, director John Carpenter delivers a faithful adaptation of the book by Stephen King. One master of horror adapting another's work seems ideal, and the results are as powerful as expected. With Carpenter's ability to make the supernatural seem plausible, even commonplace, the film excels in evoking plenty of scares and nail biting from the audience. [More]
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Harry Dean Stanton, Alexandra Paul
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Harry Dean Stanton, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Kelly Preston
Director: John Carpenter
Director: John Carpenter
Story: Stephen King
Reviews for Christine
Tight editing and some decent scares make this one of the better King adaptations.
Carpenter's thematic self-consciousness can't entirely overcome a shaky dramatic structure that sacrifices character logic to increasingly meaningless thrills.
This is the kind of movie where you walk out with a silly grin, get in your car, and lay rubber halfway down the Eisenhower.
Fifties fetishism here is not nostalgia but critique, the cultural residue that deforms consciousness
[Stephen] King has created some engaging characters, and Carpenter has done a decent job with the film’s casting.
Christine doesn't distinguish itself alongside director John Carpenter's high points.
Off the page, a 1958 Plymouth is no more scary than the St Bernard which romped through Cujo.
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 84% 84% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
| | The Strength of Water | 03/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

