Firestarter

Hollywood has generated many solid adaptations of best-selling author Stephen King's work. This isn't one of them.

His duty is to sound the “Last Trumpet,” signally the destruction of the Earth and its troublesome inhabitants on Judgement Day. Though the fanciful farce is quite funny, the movie didn’t do great at the box office, and Benny used it as a running joke on his radio and TV shows for years. It’s a must-see for any serious film fan, but let’s focus on the lesser known “The Horn Blows at Midnight.” Walsh got his start acting in silent films in 1909 before transitioning to the director’s chair after he lost his right eye in a freak automobile accident in which a jackrabbit crashed through the windshield of his automobile. Director Keith Thomas’ dark, comic-bookish take on the novel is a poorly constructed film, lacking characterization, detail, purpose, and thrust. The movie never connects emotionally and barrels through its relatively sparse hour-and-a-half running time.

Zac Efron stars as the father of a girl, Charlie, who is learning to control her powers.

Zac Efron pays Andy, Charlie’s father, and he’s got powers, too — with a twitch of the neck, he can cloud people’s minds. This movie brushes aside a lot of things — the most shocking thing about it is how soggily noncommittal it is. The first “ Firestarter” (1984) starred a not-yet-10-year-old Drew Barrymore as a girl who can start fires — with her mind, which makes all the difference.

Stephen King adaptations are big at the moment. Unfortunately, this was the wrong story to revive.

It’s a long-awaited meeting of Carpenter and “Firestarter,” as he was briefly attached to direct the 1984 film. The original, from 1984, was more of an also-ran among King adaptations, noteworthy more for the casting of a post-“E.T.” Drew Barrymore than anything else. Its score and sound are a wave of ominous ’80s synth.

Keith Thomas' adaptation of 'Firestarter' struggles to find relevance in a world heavily steeped in its source's influence.

Even if one had made the perfect adaptation of King’s novel, to the point that folks would shout hosannas from the rooftops at your favorite genre film festival provided that it premiered there, it would still have to prevail against the kind of deja vu-like indifference that emerges when someone watches a film that reminds them of other and more memorable films that came about in a perfect cultural storm and commanded the moment’s attention. It’s one thing to be skeptical and fearful of power this great in the hands of a child, but the one stroke of genius that Mark L. Lester had in casting Drew Barrymore in the original was that she was heavily emotive, even if she wasn’t given as much to do as she could have. There’s a sad soulfulness that Lester was able to draw from, and the film is cognizant of it: Just look at the differences between the posters for each Firestarter. One emphasizes the fundamental childishness of the character — a vacant gaze, familiar to most parents, that all children show when do not understand the cruelty they wreak upon the world — while the other has her practically grimacing at the camera and viewer as if to suggest that she, not the world she inhabits, is the thing to be feared. The third is the more intangible and out of Thomas’ control, and I don’t fault him for this at all, but Firestarter, unlike something like Carrie, is a narrative that has been wholly absorbed into the culture at large to the point that it feels generic. It’s just too smooth and dark to become atmospheric in a home environment, to say nothing of what it must be like in a theater. The first is the film’s look, which is digitally desaturated and bisexually-lit in the way that a lot of cheaper horror projects are nowadays: it looks fundamentally generic, especially in comparison to the original, which was still shot on film and retains a real texture.

Andy and Vicky McGee (Zac Efron and Sydney Lemmon) fell in love during an experimental drug trial for telepaths overseen by a shadowy government agency known as ...

That can’t be said about the disorientingly hazy shallow-focus photography, which reflects a sense of paranoia building up within the characters, if to a distracting extent. For one, it seemed as if it could only grow in cultural cachet, as the 1984 film version is considered even by King to be among the worst adaptations of one of his books. Captain Hollister (Gloria Reuben), who’s been searching for Andy and Vicky since Charlie’s birth, is alerted to the family’s whereabouts after Charlie, a social outcast, unleashes her powers in terrifying fashion during a game of dodgeball.

A film that goes through the motions with such apathetic predictability and pure cinematic laziness that you may want to set whatever device you're watching ...

It’s often hard to decipher what the hell is happening when things are supposed to be getting intense and director Keith Thomas does a miserable job with geography (largely because of the close-up, reverse shot structure that never puts two people in a frame in a room). “Firestarter” just looks cheap—in most ways, cheaper than the 1984 version—with no memorable craft elements or decisions outside of a cool, ‘80s score from John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The score deserved a movie that knew how to use it more effectively and with tighter visual language. The Stephen King novel on which the new version of “Firestarter” is based was published in 1980 during a phase of the horror master’s career in which the writer seemed fascinated by kids with inexplicable powers. When Charlie and dad get home, they discover how hot it really is for the now and go on the run. There is no better recent example of this than “Firestarter,” a film that goes through the motions with such apathetic predictability and pure cinematic laziness that you may want to set whatever device you’re watching it on ablaze. Charlie, played by Drew Barrymore in the 1984 film and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in this one, is cut from similar cloth as Danny from “ The Shining” and the title character in “Carrie”—people who discover they’re not like normal kids.

Not even Zac Efron and a killer John Carpenter score can light up this damp Stephen King adaptation. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch.

Some of the film’s more interesting moments revolve around Rainbird, and Michael Greyeyes gives the most compelling performance. The fact that NBC Universal held screeners back until the last possible moment speaks to Firestarter’s entertainment quotient more than any review ever could. I won’t spoil the ending, but if Charlie had an online store she’d be selling shirts that say “I burned down The Shop and all I got was this new dad.” Charlie’s attack on The Shop bears some delightful carnage, but even that feels too little, too late. Vicky has a telekinetic ability she almost never uses, while Andy has the ability to “push” people to do his bidding. Unfortunately, everything after that initial showdown is a lifeless slog. But everything in between these points of light is as exciting as an untoasted cheese sandwich.

Not even Zac Efron and a killer John Carpenter score can light up this damp Stephen King adaptation. NOW STREAMING: Powered by JustWatch.

Some of the film’s more interesting moments revolve around Rainbird, and Michael Greyeyes gives the most compelling performance. The fact that NBC Universal held screeners back until the last possible moment speaks to Firestarter’s entertainment quotient more than any review ever could. I won’t spoil the ending, but if Charlie had an online store she’d be selling shirts that say “I burned down The Shop and all I got was this new dad.” Charlie’s attack on The Shop bears some delightful carnage, but even that feels too little, too late. Vicky has a telekinetic ability she almost never uses, while Andy has the ability to “push” people to do his bidding. Unfortunately, everything after that initial showdown is a lifeless slog. But everything in between these points of light is as exciting as an untoasted cheese sandwich.

"Firestarter" is being remade for a new generation, with Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong leading the new movie version of the Stephen King novel.

This means that the cheapest way to watch the film will be to pay for a month of Peacock. The streamer offers two paid tiers. Producer Jason Blum revealed to the same outlet that the film comes with King's blessing: "I showed him the movie and he was happy with it. Sadly for viewers who were hoping they could watch the film free with a Peacock trial, the service discontinued this at the end of last year.

'FireStarter' opens in theaters, and 'Friday the 13th Part VII' will be shown in some Columbus theaters with actress Lar Park-Lincoln in attendance!

Details: “Friday the 13th,” 9:30 p.m. Friday, 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: The signature 1980 slasher flick will be shown in 35mm at the film center over the weekend. Tickets: $20 Tickets: $20 Details: “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,” 11:30 p.m. Saturday: The film will again be shown with actress Park-Lincoln in attendance. Details: “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,” 11:30 p.m. Friday: Some might contend that the film franchise was dragging by the time the seventh entry was produced, but a personal appearance by actress Lar Park-Lincoln — who appears in the role of Tina in the film — is sure to spark up the screening. Tickets: $15

From Logan to Brightburn, these movies make perfect companion pieces to Firestarter.

While this movie doesn’t have the supernatural ability aspect, the strong bond that Hanna shares with her father in their fight for survival mirrors that of Firestarter’s Charlie McGee and her father Andy (Zac Efron) as they are hunted by a mysterious government agency. His injuries take longer to heal, he’s lost so many people over the years, and he is now tasked with the responsibility of protecting a young mutant girl, known as X-23 (Dafne Keen), who has the same regenerative abilities and organic bone claws as him. In 2044, Joe (Gordon-Levitt) works as a “looper.” His job is to kill the people who are sent back in time by the future crime syndicate. After it is discovered that Dani’s powers involve the physical manifestation of her fears as well as the fears of those around her, Dr. Reyes is instructed by “The Essex Corporation” to collect Dani’s DNA and then euthanize her. Raised in absolute isolation in the wilderness of northern Finland by her father (Eric Bana), Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a 15-year-old girl trained for survival. Ruby (Amandla Stenberg) is an Orange, but she uses her powers to convince the scientists studying her that she is a Green, which labels her as a “safer” specimen. After an incident where Carrie is bullied by a group of girls, Sue Snell (Gabriella Wilde) regrets her actions and asks her boyfriend, Tommy Ross (Ansel Elgort), to ask Carrie to prom as a kindness. They are told by Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga) that they are there because they have all caused some sort of catastrophic incident and that they are being kept there to learn how to better control their powers. The premise of the movie is about Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a young girl who develops pyrokinesis, or the ability to create and manipulate fire. Her mother, Margaret (Julianne Moore) is a religious fanatic, and is mentally, physically, and verbally abusive to Carrie, sometimes locking her in a closet for hours to “contemplate her sins and pray for forgiveness.” To her mother, Carrie’s very existence is a sin. The government sees this as a top-tier threat to humanity and begins to round up the surviving children, sometimes voluntarily given up by their parents. While the new film has just been released, this article will serve up a list of movies with similar themes and premises that you can watch in the meantime to prepare.

[By] the end [Ryan Kiera Armstrong] is a force to be reckoned with, and sells every ounce of it.

Deserving its own special mention is the score from John and Cody Carpenter and Daniel A. Davies. The Christine director has some interesting history with Firestarter’s source material, as he was going to direct an adaptation before the bottom fell out of the project – but that’s just a cool Easter egg behind what is an arresting and instantly recognizable synth sound that improves every scene in which its featured. He sells his ability to “push” people with a neck crack and a stare, and it leaves him with the freaky side effect of crying blood (quite different than the simple nosebleeds in the book). Also expanded is the role Vicky plays (she’s actually dead at the start of Stephen King’s novel), and it’s a well utilized character as she adds an important perspective in the ensemble. Not lost in these changes is the bond between Andy and Charlie, as circumstances challenge Andy’s perspective on what’s right for Charlie, and the journey sees the girl coming into her own and learning how to control her powers. In doing so, it allows the audience to see more of the father-daughter relationship that is at the heart of the narrative. This turns out to be something that plays to the remake’s advantage, however, as its existence gives the new movie liberty to make different choices with the source material, and it allows the film to have the soul of the original story while also delivering surprises even (and perhaps especially) die-hard Stephen King fans can enjoy.

With a new "Firestarter" out May 13, The Post looks at characters with powers from Willow in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to Hermione in "Harry Potter" to ...

Joss Whedon‘s series featured a host of high school kids dealing with supernatural issues, but Alyson Hannigan’s geeky Willow Rosenberg was the character who most embodied the psychic-teen trope, with her powers emerging gradually throughout the series —concurrently with discovering she was gay, and then tragically losing her girlfriend. Adorable child actor Mara Wilson played the title role in this adaptation of a comically dark Roald Dahl book, in which precocious Matilda Wormwood finds she has telekinetic powers that emerge when she’s abused by the awful grownups around her. Seven seasons ensued, with Hart proving the staying power, and ratings clout, of the supernatural teen girl. A precursor to the teenage-witch bonanza of the ’90s, it brought a light touch to the subject matter. “Carrie” would pave the way for decades of dangerous psychic girls down the line in pop culture. The original “Firestarter,” based on the 1980 novel by Stephen King, starred Drew Barrymore as Charlie, an 8-year-old girl who can set things on fire with her mind.

Zac Efron is bringing the heat in “Firestarter.” The film, based on Stephen King's 1980 novel, will be available on Peacock and in theaters Friday, May 13, ...

You can watch “Firestarter” on Peacock, the streaming service that offers hundreds of movies, binge-worthy TV shows, sports, news, and culture for free. The trailer from Universal Pictures features Charlie taking down evil with her fire, with her parents shielding her from more harm. “Firestarter” follows the story of Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a young girl who develops pyrokinetic superpowers.

The Stephen King renaissance continues with a modern adaptation of his 1980 novel, Firestarter. Considering the lackluster response to the 1984 adaptation, it's ...

Zac Efron brings a lot to his role, doing a lot of heavy lifting in the front half. It eschews the source material in favor of a streamlined narrative set in a nondescript concrete facility. Once Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes) enters the equation fully, prompting a more action-heavy shift with the family on the run, the script derails. Complicating the conflicting ideals are the contrasting yet similar ways their diminished abilities are ill-equipped to support and control Charlie’s tenuous restraint of her emotions, often resulting in catastrophe. The exposition of how couple Andy (Zac Efron) and Vicky (Sydney Lemmon) gained supernatural abilities, courtesy of an experiment, gets relayed over the opening credits. While The Vigil director Keith Thomas does get Firestarter off to an energetic and engaging start, this reimaging ultimately fails to ignite.

Andy (Zac Efron) and Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) in “Firestarter”. “FireStarter” (M) Half a star. KEITH Thomas' second feature as director delivers ...

The closing sequence portends the possibility of a sequel. Four of the community’s finest go down in ragged piles without firing back. Zac Efron plays Andy McGee, the dad of Charlie who, as a babe in arms, could set her environment alight just by disliking it.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Zac Efron star in a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel "Firestarter," about a girl with pyrokinetic powers.

The main problem is that “Firestarter” is meant to be an episodic saga, moving through all the places where Andy and Charlie think they might be safe, before the hunters on their trail drive them to their ultimate destination: the facility that creates super-psychic freaks. Thomas and Teems’ “Firestarter” sets out in a similarly thematically rich direction — starting as the study of an angry dad, cursed by his youthful mistakes and unwilling to shoulder his responsibilities for their consequences. When in its last half-hour it turns into chapter one of a potential new superhero franchise, it joins the long list of Stephen King movies that are all gimmick, no guts. For the most part, the new version of King’s “Firestarter” is truer to the 1980 novel’s spirit than the 1984 movie adaptation, which was more focused on the raw mechanics of the plot than its larger purpose. Thomas, who previously made the effectively spooky low-budget ghost story “The Vigil,” handles the horror parts of “Firestarter” reasonably well. This is something filmmakers adapting King’s work often miss, as they focus on the big hooks of his books (werewolves! a killer dog!

The 2022 version of Firestarter won't set your heart alight, but it is a decent film to enjoy by a fire.

The film was under-advertised, buried on Peacock, and there were no critics screenings – all things that happen when a studio has no faith in a project. I swear, there were some lines of dialogue that were ripped from the 1984 film for this one. There were also some changes to Rainbird from the original film that felt inconsistent. The biggest problem with Firestarter was that there was some character developments that felt a little uneven. There were no surprises in Firestarter. The biggest change was the format of the story. The premise of Firestarter is pretty basic: a little girl with the power of pyrokinesis is on the run from the people who created her.

Zac Efron stars in 'Firestarter,' a remake of the 1984 horror film based on Stephen King's book.

It’s a bit depressing that director Keith Thomas, who wrote and directed one of the more audacious and original horror films in recent years, 2019’s The Vigil, has gravitated to the mainstream with this competent but uninspired effort. It’s a lesson that Blumhouse, which is planning a remake of another lesser King adaptation, Christine, should take to heart. But in Stephen King stories, the past has a way of catching up with you. (Yes, Efron has aged into dad roles but not, as a shirtless opening scene demonstrates, a dad bod.) The film is also admirably fast-paced, running twenty minutes shorter than the bloated 1984 original. There’s no shot of the central character with her hair lifted alarmingly above her head, as if she were appearing in the worst-ever shampoo commercial. We’re spared the inherent campiness of Drew Barrymore, then not that far removed from E.T., as Charlie, the little girl with pyrokinetic powers.