Firestarter (1984)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Stanley Mann (writer)

Release Date:

11 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

She has the power . . . an evil destructive force.

Plot:

A couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telekinetic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.

Plot Keywords:

Tense | Experiment | Child | Girl | Drugs

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

David Keith	...	Andrew 'Andy' McGee
Drew Barrymore	...	Charlene 'Charlie' McGee
Freddie Jones	...	Doctor Joseph Wanless
Heather Locklear	...	Victoria 'Vicky' Tomlinson McGee
Martin Sheen	...	Captain Hollister
George C. Scott	...	John Rainbird
Art Carney	...	Irv Manders
Louise Fletcher	...	Norma Manders
Moses Gunn	...	Doctor Pynchot
Antonio Fargas	...	Taxi Driver
Drew Snyder	...	Orville Jamieson
Curtis Credel	...	Bates
Keith Colbert	...	Mayo
Dick Warlock	...	Knowles (as Richard Warlock)
Jeff Ramsey	...	Steinowitz

Runtime:

114 min | Germany:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:18 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (heavily cut) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Lake Lure, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Martin Sheen took over at a late stage from Burt Lancaster who had to withdraw following heart surgery.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cap Hollister is first in the room with Charlie, the door behind him is open over his left shoulder after he had closed it. Then when the camera shot changes again the door is closed.

Quotes:

Charlie McGee: [after Charlie has destroyed the compound] For you, Daddy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Not spectacular, but good

Firestarter is one of those movies that bores critics and often appears as weekend or late night filler on TV. Even so, the movie does have its moments. Give it a chance, and Firestarter will grow on you.

Fans of the X Files will be at home with the movie's plot about an experimental drug given to 60s college students by a secret government agency, known as The Shop. Two of the students (portrayed by David Keith and Heather Locklear) eventually marry and a child is born; a "firestarter" (played by Drew Barrymore) who can set anything ablaze with just one angry thought. Martin Sheen and George C. Scott round out the cast as heads of The Shop, who are now bent on capturing the girl and harnessing her power as a weapon, not to mention using her as a way to get funding for more experiments.

The acting and dialogue certainly aren't award-winning, but they do carry the movie along. The music, written and performed by Tangerine Dream, is perfectly suited to the movie, and in my opinion is some of Tangerine Dream's best work. The special effects are convincing, and at times, chilling. Readers of Stephen King's best-selling novel will be happy to know that this movie is, for the most part, faithful to his original story, despite a rather clipped ending.

In all, if you have a taste for conspiracy thrillers with a healthy dose of science fiction thrown in, you'll like this one, though it probably won't be your favorite.