The Tommyknockers

1993
5.4| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

A buried UFO slowly turns local inhabitants into gizmo-building alien mutants.

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
alexanderdavies-99382 "The Tommyknockers" is one of the few science fiction mini shows that's based upon a Stephen King novel. The production values aren't exactly lavish and some of the acting is rather over-the-top. It's the writing and the narrative which I enjoy the most. The characters are depicted as being ordinary ones and no more brave or heroic than anyone else. The fact that thy have no idea what is about to be unleashed upon their small town, adds to the tension. Each of the main cast members are given quite a lot of depth which is all the better. It isn't as if we witness loads of aliens with bald heads and big, dark eyes roaming the countryside. Both the novel and the teleplay opt for a more subtle approach and it works. Having the story set and filmed in the countryside helps to keep the narrative on an even keel and also makes the whole thing more imaginative. The ending is a bit of a letdown as it all feels rushed and is rather clichéd. Even so, I still enjoy this production.
Neil Welch Something is buried in the woods behind Bobbi's house. And, once it is partly uncovered, it starts exerting an influence on the inhabitants of the small Maine town - strange things happen, strange talents manifest themselves, people get smarter, and the outside world gets cut off. It falls to Bobbi's friend Gard to get some idea of what's happening and find a way to put a stop to it.With the benefit of hindsight, The Tommyknockers is something of an early run at an idea developed more fully in Under The Dome. As an avid King reader, I found my first pass at this book very difficult: I got a lot more out of it at the second attempt. And, like much of King's work, it defies attempts to adapt it effectively. But the elements which reduce the effectiveness of the adaptation are strange (and, I suspect, different for different people). For me, there were two things which really screwed things up - one was the fact that what was buried in the woods was a saucer, and it was the very edge of this which got uncovered: in the miniseries what got dug up was a series of interconnected boxes. And the other thing was the physical deterioration of the townsfolk - one appreciates how difficult this would be to do on screen, but Bobbi was nearly as attractive at the end as she was at the start, and she should have been a gaunt mess.The ensemble cast isn't bad, and does a reasonable job of recreating most of King's characters. The main problem is that there is a distinct 2nd class/TV feel to what should have been a 1st class/movie project.
Ruth_91 So, I had just watched Stephen King's IT, and I saw the DVD of this for only ten dollars - I thought why not? The only thing I really knew about it was an actor that I'm a fan of (Craig Parker in case you were wondering) had the tiniest of bit parts in it, and I have a friend who likes Stephen King novels. Bobbi (Marg Helgenberger) digs up a strange artifact in the woods - soon the whole town (small and isolated - who knew?) starts acting very strangely, inventing things they'd never normally be capable of. The only person apparently immune is Bobbi's partner, Jim 'Gard' Gardner, a poet who is a recovering alcoholic. Sadly, this was a bit of a joke after IT. I could see the potential, can still see the potential - maybe a remake should be attempted. The beginning of the film (I should say mini-series or telemovie I guess) drags and drags. Cheesy love scenes, bad acting, worse special effects. Even the name Tommyknockers (once you find out what it means) is ridiculous! I had to laugh sometimes at how bad it was. The only thing I can't really complain about was Jimmy Smits as Gard. He was obviously trying his best with the material they had.Ten dollars wasted.
MartianOctocretr5 Stephen King was bored one afternoon, so he scribbled out a story about some buried artifacts being uncovered and possessing people's brains. In this town, there's not much in the way of brains to take over. You know that somebody's possessed; how? They have green neon eyes, that's how. Why you hear little kids singing a jump-rope rhyme is never explained, but it sure is annoying.Let's back up a moment. This is one of those King novels that was turned into a mini-series. Leave about 30% of the footage on the cutting room floor to shave this to its proper run time, and it would be better. The entire first two hours is character development: a complete waste of time because possessed people lose their personalities anyway. The blonde bimbo never has a personality-before or after possession-but I digress. The main problem is that the townsfolk are eminently boring. Those that get possessed, have weird green eyes, but they're still boring. There are some moments of gross-out bloody deaths, but somehow the film makes even these dull.A quick note: the cast is not at fault for the shallow characters. The acting is rather professional and convincing (considering what they had to work with), and rises miles above the juvenile writing. The only fault the actors had was allowing their agents to sign them up for this pointless misfire.The film does scratch out a few useful moments here and there; the closing sequence is interesting, even though it predictably fails to resolve anything.Rent Plan 9, instead. At least that film is funny.