Firestarter (1984) Review

Firestarter (1984) Review

Firestarter is about a young girl named Charlie (played by Drew Barrymore) who is on the run with her father from a secret organization, which wants to capture both of them, because Charlie has pyrokinetic powers (she can make fires with her mind) and her father is a telepath who can control other people’s minds. There’s also some indication Charlie can see the near-future, but that aspect of her powers is not fully explored. 

In the first half of the movie, it flashes back unevenly to show that Charlie’s parents met when they participated in a drug trial, which is what gave them their powers, and the organization killed Charlie’s mother in trying to capture Charlie. The flashback method could have made the story more intriguing, but it actually interrupts the flow of action and is more detrimental than beneficial. 

I can’t help but feel the premise for Firestarter isn’t that original. The whole “young girl with a form of kinetic powers” thing is very similar to another of Stephen King’s stories, Carrie, about a young girl (a teenager, mind you, but still young) with telekinetic powers, only with Carrie, she had a wider range of abilities, able to move things, and burn things, and explode things, etc. And while Charlie showcases her full assortment of fiery powers in the action-packed finale, even that begins to feel repetitive after a while, because all she can do, really, is set fires.  I will say though, the ending aside, all the scenes of pyrokinesis are well done and not always as cheesy as they could’ve been (or sometimes are). 

The cast is surprisingly full of talent, with big names like Martin Sheen and Louise Fletcher, but the two standouts for me were Drew Barrymore as Charlie and George C. Scott as Agent Rainbird. It’s easy to forget Drew was a very capable child star back in the 80’s and had more than a few great roles, and this is definitely one of her best. She’s great as this innocent-but-not-that-innocent little girl, and is easy to sympathize with. Agent Rainbird is just a badass, with one blind eye, a sinister smile (when he does decide to smile) and no problem killing people. His relationship with Charlie is quite interesting, and their scenes together make for some of the more riveting scenes.  

The second half of the movie is definitely better than the first, after the flashback method is abandoned and it focuses on the present story. Charlie and her father are taken down by Rainbird and captured by the organization, which is called “The Shop”. What the hell kind of name is that for a top-secret government organization that focuses on studying people with special abilities? The employees make up for the dumb name with some interesting conversation about the possibility that Charlie could destroy the planet and become unstoppable. These sort of stimulating ideas are never fully delved into, which is a little unfortunate, and makes me want to see a sequel where this kind of thing actually happens. 

The music is very 80’s, with tons of synth sounds and slow beats. The soundtrack is by Tangerine Dream, which is kind of cool, but for the most part, it doesn’t enhance the tense scenes or increase the tension. On the topic of music, in the movie Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, which also stars Drew Barrymore, the song “Firestarter” by The Prodigy is used at one point. Is it a coincidence? Is it a reference? Has anyone asked this question before? Does anyone care? 

I’ll just wrap up this Firestarter review by saying, if this was a movie you remember seeing in your childhood or adolescence, it’s worth revisiting, and if you’re a Stephen King fanatic, of course check it out. To me, it’s a good little 80’s thriller, but not a must-see.