Firestarter 1984

Firestarter is a very uneven movie. The pacing lags in places, and makes for some boring sequences. On the upside, David Keith gives a strong performance and Drew Barrymore is outstanding. The ending is awesome, even though the special effects show their age.

Drew Barrymore held the film together. Really enjoyed it.

a bit boring.

It's nothing I feel too crazy about. It has a few good moments, but feel a little too long and need a little more for it to really work for me. The story is quite interesting but it's poorly constructed and doesn't deliver enough thrills. Tangerine Dream does the score here, which is awesome, also it has some fantastic effects, but I'm not sure about the rest. Considering the cast, you'd expect something good from this film but it's actually the opposite. Drew Barrymore as the lead character is not very good here and she gets on my nerves rather quickly. I also find the government/villain motivation to be confusing. If the film was shorter I would have liked it more I guess. Still excited to see the remake.

Stephen King’s Firestarter is a mediocre and underwhelming horror thriller. The story follows a father and daughter with psychic abilities who are on the run from a secret government agency that seeks to capture and experiment on them. Starring Drew Barrymore, George C. Scott, Martin Sheen, and Heather Locklear, the film has a strong cast. However, the writing is rather poor; especially the dialog. And the directing is quite weak, relying on a lot of clichés and stereotypes. There are a few intense thrills and scares in Firestarter, but overall it’s a lackluster film.

Finally saw this one on a lark as it was on tv. Fun to see a young Barrymore. Scanners vibe with all the telepathic control elements. Solid cast as well. A lot of dated effects and some awfully silly character choices, but it is essentially a cheesy B 80s horror movie. 6.3

Proof that fidelity to a book doesn't necessarily mean it's a good adaptation. Mark L. Lester had the best cast of his career, but he bothered little to build them some minimally interesting characters. There is a lot of monotony between the psychic scenes, although some of them are well executed. But above all, it has the uncanny ability to make the actors and the dialogue as bad as possible.

Next to Carrie this movie wasn’t as good. Next to Stranger Things, the remake isn’t as good. Next to the unnecessary remake though, this movie is a classic. The remake makes this movie look fantastic.
I really mean that. This is a better movie due to the remake existing.

Based on a decent book by Stephen King, this movie adaptation falls flat. The cast is loaded with stars and the fire effects were pretty good but the relationship between Andy (Dad) and Charlie (Daughter) was excruciating. Take a drink every time they say "I love you" or share a hug or a kiss and you'll be drunk on the floor. Charlie is only 7 and I know she's been through a lot but the bond between them is constantly reinforced and it doesn't need to be.

couldn't be bothered to continue watching.. ugh!