From the far reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, It's Retro Nerd Girl with a film review for you.
Today I'll be reviewing the movie Firestarter released in 1984.
Starring:
David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott.
Directed by:
Mark L. Lester
Genre:
Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating:
R
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb Rating:
6.0
My Rating:
8.9
The Synopsis is:
A father struggles to keep his child with amazing powers from falling into the hands of a secret organization called the Shop, who will stop at nothing to have her.
Enjoyment:
I saw this film when it came out in theaters and loved it so much. It was so eerie to see such a little girl be such a danger. Somehow, I wasn’t scared by it, but I loved it. After revisiting this film more recently, it’s been a pleasure watching it and admiring its stamp in the time capsule of the 80’s and yet still transcend timeless notes.
Pacing:
At 1h 54min, its almost 2 hours, and it didn’t feel like it. The pacing was pretty good and I didn’t mind the long runtime too much.
*WARNING: FROM THIS POINT FORWARD THERE MAY BE SPOILERS!*
Story:
All of this mess began when 10 students agree to be guinea pigs for a substance called Lot 6, for money… 8 out of 10 of those subjects died or committed suicide. But the 2 survivors meet there and fall in love, Andy McGee and vicky.
Andy gets mind control and some kind of telekinesis. Vicky gets the power to read minds. Together they have a child, Charline or Charlie who can set things on fire with her thoughts, pyrokinesis.
An evil organization called the shop, wants to study her and use her as a weapon. It’s unclear how, but her talents are worth killing for.
The film is adapted from Stephen King’s 1982 book Firestarter, in which the character of Charlie McGee was modeled after Stephen King's own daughter Naomi using the author’s frequented supernatural themes.
The shop is a repeating theme for Stephen King as there is some speculation that the Shop is a part of an alternative universe that share several stories.
It is one of six filmed adaptations of a Stephen King story produced in some capacity by Dino De Laurentiis.
There must have been something in the air around this time, as there were a collective of films involving ESP and telekinesis made during the late 1970s and early 1980s such as, Carrie (1976), Patrick (1978), The Fury (1978), The Medusa Touch (1978) Scanners (1981), Modern Problems (1981) , Zapped! (1982),and Dead Zone (1983).
Challenge:
The shop, the department of scientific experiments, is a pretty nasty challenge, led by Captain Hollister. They chase down the family and kill Vicky, they plan to kill Andy and study little charlie to test her powers.
I don’t think that they are the smartest villains because they are so very heavy handed, the villain one who has the most fineness is John Rainbird, is a nasty henchman / exterminator with his own secret plans for charlie.
He comes into charlie’s world pretending to be a lowly janitor. He puts on an eye patch to put her at ease with his damaged eye. Then, they bond when he pretends to go mad when a storm takes out the lights.
He’s a fantastic character full of color. He intends on killing her and taking her power with him to the next life. He wears some native american inspired wear which may indicate that he might have been native american and that was a part of his belief system. He is the one that refers to her as the firestarter. He may have been a POW, prisoner of war, which may be how he got his scars, but then you never know with that guy because is is so mysteriously bad, you can never assume he is ever telling the truth. That increases the tension so very much.
Empathy:
Andy and charlie have been on the run for a year, wearing the same clothes being hunted by the shop. You really feel for the two of them. They are a great pair together, looking out for one another. And they share the screen together.
Andy is caught between teaching his 8 year old daughter right from wrong, and defending themselves against the hands of evil. He’s been the one honing Charlie's powers and keeping her as safe as he can.
Charlie has some mind reading powers like her mother, but sometimes it doesn’t work like on John, it doesn’t seem to work at all. However, she is pushed against her will to use her fire power.
Charlie is not to be trifled with. She is dangerous and being that she is a child, the danger is heightened. There is even a reference to the fact that with a though she could incinerate the earth.
But with all of this fear of Charlie, the film also makes it known that charlie has morals even ones her father doesn’t obey. She questions him stealing. She makes a promise that she doesn’t want to cause another fire that will hurt people. It is only at her father’s request that she defies that and at the end she said, that was for you daddy.
The power of pyrokinesis is not in bad hands unless provoked.
We get a firm taste of foreshadowing when a character who picks up the hitchhiking duo, Irv, talks about his wife always wanting a little girl.
Technical:
The music was odd in some places, but 1984 was high time for such music. Then too some of it is just simply beautiful. And it feels like a real time piece. Tangerine Dream was responsible for the music, a German electronic music collective founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese.
Of the many facets of the film is how beautifully it was shot. With many wonderfully pyrotechnical effects. It was all put together well in a believable manner, that still stands the test of time.
I also enjoyed the sound effect that was used to indicate when Andy was using his powers. I thought it was a slow penetrating sound, appropriate for his powers of pushing, which Charlie calls it.
Performances:
David Keith is outstanding in this role. I just love his intensity in this film. And I just love his southern accent and all of his inflections. You feel with him. His chemistry with Drew Barrymore is so genuine.
Drew Barrymore was amazing in this, being adorable and sometimes scary when she needed to be. She plays a child forced to grow up fast and conveyed all of the emotions you would expect of someone who has gone through what she has gone through.
Heather Locklear has a small role here and does it well.
George C. Scott, plays a juicy role here and milks every moment he can shine in this.
Martin Sheen had been the bad buy in the other stephen king film the dead zone. He plays that type excellently.
And Moses Gunn is excellent as the worker drone mid level villain scientist.
Best:
The relationship between father and daughter in the film. It's very touching and is the antithesis of so much of the action in the film.
Wish List:
I wish this film decided whether or not charlie was going to have mind reading powers or not. They seem to turn off and on depending on plot conveniences.
The ending:
I think everyone knows by now the great ending to firestarter, where she lets loose her powers, but for me the reason why she goes ballistic is because of the relationship she has with her father and his dying command.
By this time you've gone through so much with this family and you're ready for some justice. This is not something she wants to do, but it is only because of that promise to her dying father that she abides to do what she does. It's a powerfully emotional moment in the film.
Summary:
This is a gem for me. I love the relationship between the father and daughter. I really love the idea of the paranormal powers that have some dangerous implications but is in the hands of someone who has moral standards and no intentions of using them for evil. The idea has been repeated, but I don’t care, repeat away. I adore this film.
That sums up my review. I hope you liked it. This is Retro Nerd Girl signing off.
Take care movie lovers! I'm off to the next review!
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