Release Date: 25 July 1986
Run Time: 98 minutes
Origin: USA
Mimi's Rating: 3 earth rollers out of 5
A comet fly-by causes machines all over the earth to come alive and go on a murderous rampage.
According to director Stephen King, this is a "moron movie." Well, call me a moron because I might just love this movie. It's pure drug-fueled insanity. There's vehicle mayhem on a drawbridge, a killer arcade, and the turkey carver from Rocky Horror even makes an appearance. But best of all is the sequence where a Little League team is decimated by a vending machine, and then a rogue earth roller comes by to finish the job. We get 30 minutes of pure cocaine-fueled chaos before the movie grinds to a halt as it reaches the Dixie Boy truck stop.
The Dixie Boy truck stop becomes a battleground for our gang of survivors as they fight for their lives against the killer trucks. We get some wicked explosions, and a man shoots a rocket launcher one-handed. We also get the iconic waitress freak-out delivered with perfect cheese-level by Ellen McElduff. But, with a cast this large, it's hard to keep track, let alone care about most of the characters. However, amidst the crowd, some performances are worth mentioning. Foremost of these is Yeardley Smith as Connie. Yes, Lisa from The Simpsons is in this. But instead of her usual endearing qualities, Yeardley plays one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen on screen. But, hey, at least it's entertaining, right? If only our leading man, Bill Robinson (Emilio Estevez), could be half as high-energy.
While this alleged horror movie falls short in the horror department, it does have moments of unintentional comedy. A lot of the time this is thanks to the score by AC/DC which always adds a touch of humour. The knock-off Psycho theme that plays is also pretty funny.
So, if you're looking for a ridiculous movie about killer machines, this may be for you. And you can always watch the first 30 minutes if you only want the best parts.
Bonus: I guess Gary Busey was interested in the role. Now that's a movie!
Why you should watch:
The first 30 minutes make the whole thing worth it.
You like over-the-top performances.
Why you shouldn't watch:
You don't want to see violence against kids.
Parts of this can be dull.