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Firestarter (1984)

Starring: David Keith, Drew Barrymore Director: Mark L. Lester Rating: R (Restricted) Format: DVD

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	53% buy the item featured on this page: Firestarter 4.0 out of 5 stars (36)
	37% buy Firestarter Movie Collection 2.8 out of 5 stars (8) $12.99
	4% buy Stephen King's It 3.8 out of 5 stars (415) $7.99
	3% buy Firestarter 2 - Rekindled 2.9 out of 5 stars (19) $9.49

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Product Details

Actors: David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Freddie Jones, Heather Locklear, Martin Sheen
Directors: Mark L. Lester
Format: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: April 1, 1998
Run Time: 115 minutes

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

ASIN: 6305078157
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,942 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#22 in Movies & TV > Horror > Horror Masters > Stephen King

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For more information about "Firestarter" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Stephen King wasn't exactly in peak form when he wrote Firestarter, so this 1984 movie adaptation was at a disadvantage even before the cameras rolled. There were so many King movies being made at the time that this one's weaknesses became even more apparent. In her first film role after her memorable appearance in E.T., Drew Barrymore stars as a little girl whose parents acquired strange mental powers after participating in a secret government experiment. From this genetic background she has developed the mysterious ability to set anything on fire at will, especially when she's angry. That makes her very interesting to government officials seeking to exploit her skill as a secret weapon. Her father seeks to protect her by using his powers of mind-control, and George C. Scott plays an Indian who believes the girl must be destroyed. There's a routine climax involving a lot of impressive pyrotechnics, but none of this is grounded in a dramatically solid foundation, and none of the characters are developed enough for us to care about them. So the movie gradually turns into a laughable thriller with no suspense whatsoever. It's a movie only a pyromaniac could love. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Drew Barrymore stars as an eight-year-old girl with the amazing ability to start fires with just a glance. Can her power and the love of her father save her from the clandestine government agency, "The Shop," that wants her destroyed? From the Stephen King novel.

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thriller, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

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.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take Jeff Shannon's review with grain of salt !, April 26, 2002

By	R. Alvarado (Costa Mesa, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Movie and book are underated and misunderstood, September 27, 2002

By	Natalie (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a good Sci-fi horror thriller!

A young girl named Charlene "Charlie" McGee (Drew Barrymore) and her father Andrew (David Keith) are on the run from the government. Read more

Published 6 months ago by John Lindsey

3.0 out of 5 stars 2.5 stars out of 4
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... Read more

Published 9 months ago by One-Line Film Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Just BACK OFF BACK OFF!!!!"
I love this movie, as child, I wish I had her powers, but thank god I didn't!!!! (ha-ha) This movie was wonderful!!!!

Published 16 months ago by Daniel Mccay

3.0 out of 5 stars Great film, not so great DVD.
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.

Published on February 12, 2007 by N. HAGAN

4.0 out of 5 stars Burn Baby Burn !
If you liked the movie called Scanners and if you liked the movie Christine, then you will probably like Firestarter. Read more

Published on January 19, 2007 by Jonathan C. Melusky

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning the Heat Up
FIRESTARTER is one of Stephen King's best stories--surreal, yet plausible; both frightening and cheering. Drew Barrymore's performance warms hearts and burns villains. Read more

Published on January 11, 2007 by Roberta M. Keenan

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this movie, but it had some weaknesses.
This movie was a decent though not perfect adaptation of the book. One problem was it tried to be heavy on star power. Read more

Published on December 27, 2006 by Indiana Jeff Reynolds

3.0 out of 5 stars Really more like 3.5 stars
The book was absolutely brilliant. I read it in 4 days. The movie rates only just better than average. Read more

Published on October 14, 2006 by G. Jennings

4.0 out of 5 stars I Liked The Book And I Also Liked This Movie!
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... Read more

Published on October 16, 2005

› See all 36 customer reviews...

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