Customer Reviews

Firestarter [VHS]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I had first seen this film in bits and pieces when I was four. I thought it was okay. Recently, I rented the film and found that I really, really like it. I just bought the book and was shocked to discover how faithful the movie stays to it.

I love little Drew Barrymore. Watching her in this movie when she was eight years old, I wish that she was my little sister. David Keith is excellent as Charlie McGee's father. I've never seen him in anything else besides this film. George C. Scott portrays John Rainbird very well. He steals every scene he's in with a wonderfully twisted performance, whether it be trying to be friendly with Charlie, or talking to Martin Sheen about disposing of her.

I've heard many comments about laughable dialogue and acting. I'll admit that I have chuckled once or twice at some of the lines, but that's because I like those lines; I don't hate them. I especially chuckled a lot at the scene in which Rainbird fakes that he is afraid of the dark. My most favorite line is spoken by Freddie Jones (Dr. Wanless), which regards Charlie's power and how it could destroy the earth.

After reading comments by people in which they say that the film is silly and laughable (especially Leonard Maltin's review), I cannot understand that these people do not feel any emotion towards Charlie McGee. What I mean is, after all the trouble she's been through, her parents are both dead, you just can't help feeling sorry for her. Every time I watch the film, I am in tears at the end because nothing left in her life. The music during the end credits is what really gets me. It's a beautiful, sad tune that makes you think of Charlie's face.

I wonder exactly how this film was received upon its theatrical release in 1984. I was only two at the time, and I don't remember a thing from 1984. I really wish I had seen it in the theater. How did the film do at the box office? I imagine that it was not a big hit, given the fact that it is so underrated and virtually unheard-of today. I imagine this is the reason why Universal gave the home video rights to Image Entertainment. Image produced the DVD, which unfortunately is a simple re-packaging of the 1997 letterboxed laserdisc. The transfer is not anamorphic, and the audio remains mono. It just does not do justice for the film. I feel that the film would greatly benefit from a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, especially in scenes where Charlie blows things up. I had also hoped for deleted scenes and outtakes. Stephen King's novel offers many scenes that may have been filmed and cut, given the fact that the film stays nearly 90% faithful to the novel. I have always felt, as do some other people, that the ending in the movie was too brief. The book's ending is much longer. I would be really interested in seeing footage cut from the ending.

In closing, I recommend this film to all Sci-Fi buffs. Try to look past the so-called "laughable acting and dialogue" and try to let your emotions through. I hope that this film regains its popularity. It is very good, but it is too underrated.

What I think people don't understand about this story is that in
the year 1984, alot of the "Big Brother" theories were coming to life, meaning there were alot more authors writing stories about the secret factions of the United States Government. The Shop is the faction that Stephen King created, and the novel Firestarter takes you on the complete ride of what it feels like to have nowhere to hide. The movie is terrific, but in some parts I do feel like it may have been quickly knocked together, so they left out some important parts in the script. In the novel, Andy and Vicki McGee naively take part in a government experiment in college, but have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. The Shop is portrayed as diabolical, cold, and heartless. 'Either you be brainwashed, or you'll be exterminated. It's your choice.'
And THAT was what made it scary. Charlie and her power was not meant to be the frightening part at all (even though it is at times (: ) The frightening part is that a little girl is born into a situation in which there is no way out. So that's why I think that the movie and the book are underated by most critics.
But Firestarter is my all time favorite King book next to The Shining.

The Book Firestarter is great and so is the movie. Though some of the stuff from the book wasn't in the movie I feel that it was pretty faithful to the book and I can understand why they didn't include the garbage disposal incident, it just would have been too gross! Drew Barrymore was great as Charlie and even at around 8 years old you could tell what a wonderful gifted actress she was, she really inherited the famous Barrymore acting skills! Well, really at around 5 or 6 years old she proved what an amazing actress she was in E.T.! David Keith was very good as her father Andy and I also really liked George C. Scott he was a perfectly creepy Rainbird. I didn't find the book or movie very scary, I found both as more mystery/suspense which is what I like and it also had Drama. I too found it sad what was done to Charlie and her father, especially Charlie she was just a little girl and what The Shop did to her was despicable, and afterall they made her what she was, because of an experiment they did they caused her to be born with the ability to start fires with her mind and she couldn't always control it! I highly recommend this movie!

My name is Steve by the way , Firestarter is one of my favorite movies , wonderful, and great movie starring a young Drew Barrymore from 1984 who does a amazing job at for a 8 yr old girl at the time, she was always starting out her acting career. Her name in the movie is Charlie in the movie and possess special extraoridinary power from telekineses and set things on fire she also can see things before they happen , like ESP ,which she got from genes mixed from a experiment before she was born from her parents. her mother died and is only with her father. Now the Shop, some kind of special organization or government wants her for testing and experimentation in the Shop and wants to keep her there.And What a CAst , ArtCarney ,MArtin Sheen and George C. SCott stars as Rainbird. Rainbird captures her and her father and brings them there and asks for their cooperation. they go through tests. Charlie does'nt want to be there at all. She only wants to be with her father. The ending is wicked and Explosive and very good. Nothing like movies from today so if you want a good fun thriller id get this one.

Mr. King, once again brings us a teriffic movie from his great mind! Too bad the DVD version is only letter-box, but VHS, in my opinion is better, but we all know DVDS are the best!Young Charlie Mgee(Drew Barrymore), plays a girl with a power called psyhokenesis (the ability to meditate fire into reality).Brought on from an experiment from her poor parents who needed the money, gave her the power. Now, young Charlie and her father Andy (David Keith), must be on the constant run from government-like agents called "The Shop" who want to experiment with their abilities, and the one man (George C. Scott) who wants to dispose of them when finished.Packed full with many stars, Martin Sheen, Heather Locklear, Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, Barrymore, Keith, and Scott, this movie will blow you away, "literally!"You will feel the intense flames from your big-screen as the pyro-crew sets up many realistic burning ,scorching scenes. Feel the Heat! Buy it and get blasted away with superior surround sound and a great soundtrack by the Tangerene Dream! You won't regret you did! Just remember the bucket of ice with your popcorn!

Stephen King is a really good writer and one of my favorite of his books is Firestarter and after I read the book I watched this movie adaptation and I liked it and thought that the entire cast was great, Drew Barrymore, David Keith, George C. Scott, Martin Sheen, Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, etc, and I highly recommend this movie! I would really like to buy this movie on DVD but I was disappointed to learn that the DVD is out of print and I have been hoping that this movie will get a new DVD release! BTW: Have you ever watched this movie on TV? After I had watched the unedited theatrical version of the movie I watched it edited on TV and the version in which Charlie and her father Andy finish eating lunch with the farm couple and Art Carney's character lets out a loud, long belch and Drew Barrymore's character lets out a tiny little girl burp. Well, everytime I have watched this movie on TV they have edited out her little burp but still kept his loud belch. I think that is just the weirdest thing! Why would her's be beeped or cut out and his remains? Those TV Censors sure are goofy!

I have never forgotten this movie from the first time I saw it and I try to watch it from time to time and I always end enjoying it. In the future, I will now take Jeff's opinion with a grain of salt, since he referred to this movie as laughable. Honestly, I love this movie and hope that this movie receives a better technical treatment on a future DVD release. This film is a classic whether jeffy boy wants to face it or not.

Playing Charlie is Drew Barrymore's most famous role that she ever played. How often does a 10 year old girl be the main star of a Rated R film?

This movie can drag from time to time, but it plays out very realistically about the sinister side of our American government. The best part of the movie is the very end where Charlie takes her revenge on all the government scumbags that kidnapped her father and herself, and they even killed her father with an intention of wanted to coerce Charlie to use her unfortunate pyro-telekinesis for government power and gain against her will.

If you enjoyed this film, check out Drew Barrymore's trilogy film called "Cat's Eye" which is a great "tongue in cheek" Stephen King film of three great short stories.

The Bottom Line:

A faithful retelling of Stephen King's pageturner, Firestarter hits all the notes of the novel without hearing any of the music; simply a mediocre film, it's entertaining enough without being any good.

Buy the new double collection, it has much better quality. Other than that, this is a great Stephen King adaptation and I would recomend it to King movie fans.