From the peak of Stephen King mania, when an uninspired idea like the killer car in this one would become a bestseller turned into a movie. Characters are broad and minimally developed, a common King problem when greasers are in his story. (The lead punk is distractingly styled to look and act like John Travolta.) The biggest gap is the relationship between nerd Arnie (Keith Gordon) and class beauty Leigh (Alexandra Paul). By the time Christine makes him cool he’s too obsessed with the car to think about girls.
However, the film works because Carpenter is still at the peak of his technical abilities. While he already may not care about the story, his skill with lighting, editing and effects make this slightly more than a mixed bag. The king of widescreen photography memorably photographs the car with demonic blue lens flares streaking out on either side. The scene where Christine shows Arnie what she can do is a marvel of special effects and as sexually charged as all of Titane.
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