The Wraith: Is it Smokey and the Bandit meets Christine...or something else?

Alright, fellow GenX'ers, let's talk 'The Wraith' (1986). Man, this movie was ALL over HBO back in the day. Seeing it now, after all these years… it's… something. I mean, Packard Walsh? Nick Cassavetes playing pure, unadulterated 80s villainy? He even looks like a bad guy. You just know he's gonna kick a puppy or something. And the whole gang terrorizing that Arizona town, forcing drag races and generally being dicks? It's like 'Mad Max' but with, um, less imagination? I remember thinking the Wraith's car was the coolest thing ever. Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor... I mean, come ON! It was like a mix between KITT from Knight Rider and something straight out of a 'Tron' videogame. The way it just vaporizes those bad guys? Pretty gnarly stuff. But, the plot. Oh boy, the plot. It's basically 'Christine' (the Stephen King killer car movie) meets 'Smokey and the Bandit', but somehow ends up being... neither? I dunno, it's got the revenge thing going on, the cool car, the hot girlfriend (Sherilyn Fenn!), but it felt kinda… hollow. Like it was TRYING to be a classic but missed the mark. And that soundtrack! Bon Jovi? Robert Palmer? It was peak 80s, but, and maybe it's just me being old and cranky, but the music felt kinda... misplaced sometimes. Like they just threw a bunch of popular songs at the screen and hoped something would stick. Also, Charlie Sheen doing... whatever it is he's doing in this movie. LOL. I still kinda dig it, though. It's one of those movies that's so bad, it's... well, not good, but definitely watchable. Ya know? Anyway, what do you guys think? Am I being too harsh? Or is this movie just a cheesy, but still fun, relic of the 80s?