Firestarter

Universal Pictures | Release Date: May 11, 1984

6.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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LilyManahanNov 13, 2018

I chose to analyze the adaptation between the book by Stephen King and the movie. King has many telltale elements that are prominent throughout his novels. King pays special attention to detail by focusing on establishing every scene and theI chose to analyze the adaptation between the book by Stephen King and the movie. King has many telltale elements that are prominent throughout his novels. King pays special attention to detail by focusing on establishing every scene and the specific attributes of every character. King also relies on the use of flashbacks throughout to help build background for the plot line. While reading this novel, I was able to feel a deep empathy for the characters, and felt the scariness Stephen King was trying to achieve in this psychological thriller. Sadly, I felt a lot of the defining elements and the true intent of King’s purpose was lost in the film adaptation. The movie focused too much on the action of the fire rather than the dangers of a human mind that King was showing. There was constant non-diegetic sound almost through the entire movie, never really letting the audience immerse themselves into the story. I understand the director made the choice to keep the music to add suspense, it more or less covered up the real scariness. It also felt as though the director completely disregarded King’s use of symbolism in the movie. The main antagonist, Rainbird, was supposed to have grotesque scares across his face, and missing an eye. Yet, in the film adaptation, Rainbird, played by John C. Reilly, had nothing more than a light blue contact in to make him look blind. While the movie did have some high points, like keeping the flashbacks very prominent and filling the main climatic scene with low-key light, close shots, and both non-digetic and diegetic sound; I believe the movie still didn’t do justice to the book. While I was sitting there watching the movie, I became bored. I never felt as though I was with the characters or could empathize with them like I had in the book. I think this had to be because the movie took no time to establish time or setting, so everything seemed to elapse in a span of days when in the book it was over 2 years long. There was only one establishing scene throughout the whole movie to start the movie in Washington D.C. which wasn’t even the same setting as the book. King used pages upon pages to set up every chapter; every scene so the reader knew what was happening. The movie never once showed a change in time or even having an actor say it in the movie. Stephen King has had some marvelous film adaptations of his books, including: Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, Misery, and Stand by Me. But as I have read many Stephen King novels and watched the movies too, I do not believe Firestarter should be included with the others. It turned a wonderful, puzzling thriller novel into a cheesy, action-centered film that has since been forgotten.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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PanchogulMay 13, 2022

Regular en todos los aspectos, solo Drew Barrymore tiene el carisma suficiente para llamar la atención, fuera de aquello es una película bastante sosa.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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Steven1981Mar 18, 2020

Drew Barrymore stars as a little girl in the film Firestarter.. I think the film tries to be a horror but it's not scary, it's not creepy or anything but the explosion and fire scenes are impressive. Drew Barrymore can set things on fire orDrew Barrymore stars as a little girl in the film Firestarter.. I think the film tries to be a horror but it's not scary, it's not creepy or anything but the explosion and fire scenes are impressive. Drew Barrymore can set things on fire or blow things up just by looking at them and even more so if you make her angry lol. Not the worst film, I'd say it's average but it could of been so much better.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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noretocApr 21, 2022

Fantastic adaptation of the book. I wish they spent a little more time on rainbird and Charlie's parents but you can only keep so much.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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FilipeNetoFeb 12, 2018

A fire too cold to be surprising.

This film is an adaptation of a novel by Stephen King, where a young girl with pirokinesis and his father, with powers of mental manipulation, are seeking to escape government agents that want to kill them.A fire too cold to be surprising.

This film is an adaptation of a novel by Stephen King, where a young girl with pirokinesis and his father, with powers of mental manipulation, are seeking to escape government agents that want to kill them. Directed by Mark L. Lester, has David Keith and Drew Barrymore in the lead roles.

This film is neither good nor bad. It is exactly in the middle. Drue Barrymore still manages to enchant us, as it was still far from the bad roads that ran through adolescence, years later. The story is also very interesting and covers a topic that always knew intrigue people. However, it's not, by far, the best film adaptation of a King book: the actors are sometimes too theatrical, especially Keith, every time it uses its powers; the script also has some obvious flaws and lack of logic. If the father imagined, as the film suggests, the danger in which he lived with his family, why he didn't use his powers to flee abroad earlier? And what is the purpose of that rampant police harassment against a man able to control minds and a girl able to set fire to everything?

Not being very good, this film is still able to perform well with its role: entertain the public. Therefore, it is still interesting to see, although it is not surprising.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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