Firestarter (1984)

Directed by Mark L. Lester [Other horror films: Class of 1999 (1990), Blowback (2000), Sacrifice (2000), Pterodactyl (2005), Groupie (2010), Poseidon Rex (2013)]

While not an amazing movie, Firestarter is a pretty decent watch. Perhaps it’s because the finale is so explosive that I can forgive how the film seems to drag at times, but it’s a generally solid movie with some good performances and special effects.

I’ve read the Stephen King novel once before, and enjoyed it well enough. I’ve not read it recently enough to compare it to the film, but I think most of the salient points came across pretty well. Actually, the idea is somewhat similar to Carrie – a young girl must learn to control her potentially destructive powers – and both the book and this movie do a good job with the idea.

Having seen this before, I forget how well Drew Barrymore (Cat’s Eye) did here, despite being as young as she was. There were a few patchy moments, as far as her performance went, but overall, it was a pretty good job. Of course, Martin Sheen (The West Wing, The Dead Zone, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, Grey Knight) was great to see here, and George C. Scott (The Changeling, The Exorcist III) did well as an atrocious individual.

Art Carney only had a scene or two to shine, but shine he did. David Keith (Hangman’s Curse, 2002’s Carrie, Succubus: Hell-Bent, Deadly Sins) consistently reminded me of another actor, perhaps Patrick Swayze, so that’s never a bad thing. Freddie Jones (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) had a decent scene, Moses Gunn (Bates Motel) doesn’t do much, but gets blown up with the best of them, and I appreciated a small appearance of Antonio Fargas, who I am very familiar with, having seen almost every episode of Starsky and Hutch.

The finale is when things really pick up. Not that beforehand things weren’t interesting, but the finale is what it’s all about, and it’s certainly a fun time. You get houses and barns being lit aflame or blown up, fireballs flung at people, trails of fire chasing people, helicopters blown up – and the best part, there’s not a single innocent person there, so they can all roast and it’s a-okay. The special effects look quite decent, and like I said, the finale is fun, in the same way the finale of Carrie is a good time.

Even so, it’s not a movie that I’d go out of my way to watch all that often. Having seen it twice now, it’s a good movie, but it’s not a personal favorite. I can definitely appreciate it, though I still think the ending is just a bit on the sudden side.

Quite simply, Firestarter’s a good movie, but I don’t think it’s great. Still, though, no doubt it’s one of the better films based off King’s work in the 80’s, I’d have to say.

7.5/10