Firestarter

40%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

As youths, Andy McGee (David Keith) and his future wife, Vicky (Heather Locklear), participated in secret experiments, allowing themselves to be subjected to mysterious medical tests. Years later, the couple's daughter, Charlie (Drew Barrymore), begins to exhibit the ability of setting fires solely with her mind. This volatile talent makes the youngster extremely dangerous and soon she becomes a target for the enigmatic agency known as "The Shop."

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Firestarter

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Critics Consensus

Firestarter's concept hews too closely to other known Stephen King adaptations, though it's got nice special effects (including scenery-chewing George C. Scott).

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Even before it begins laying waste to the reputations of cast members, "Firestarter" is promptly exposed as a derivative embarrassment of a conception.

Oct 17, 2017

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The film's crucial flaw is the lack of a strong point to the story. A little girl has her dangerous power, some government agents want to examine her, others want to destroy her, and things catch on fire. That's about it.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

“Firestarter” is at its best when Scott seizes central focus, and if people remember the movie fondly, his performance as the two-faced killer. We seamlessly see him as he truly is and as he wants Charlie to see him.

Jun 9, 2024

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

At a time cinema movie screens are saturated with formulaic superheroing, it is intriguing to go back and watch a movie that so obviously didn’t get the memo about where superheroes are supposed to go, and how quickly.

Mar 17, 2023

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Jenn Adams

Rue Morgue Magazine

While FIRESTARTER has its problematic elements, the character of Rainbird alone could fuel many think pieces on appropriation and stereotyping, it is a story of female rage and patriarchal control.

Rated: C

Feb 18, 2023

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Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

Firestarter rests on the shoulders of Barrymore...It’s repetitive yet visually arresting, as Barrymore’s hair blows back, her eyes widen, and every adult around her begins to sweat profusely and panic.

Sep 14, 2022

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Audience Reviews

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Me D The movie should’ve been so good, but it wasn’t. All the brilliant actors in this don’t shine either, and some of the dialogue is just a sharp, long stab in the chest. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Michael P Could be better, at this point, with how long this felt, you could just read the book instead Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/27/24 Full Review Georgan G 3.25 stars. Good take on a one of Stephen King's earlier horror novels. Extremely young Drew Barrymore is cute & several adult actors do a fine job. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/20/24 Full Review Leandro T Supernatural and entertaining Stephen king classic Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review Jeff M Although I have vaguely fond memories of watching this on HBO as a youth, my revisit with this Steven King adaptation was disappointingly not a happy reunion. Not having read the original source material, I can't comment how faithful this is to the book. However if the screenplay here is indeed close to the novel, this probably isn't one of King's finest tomes. The basic premise is fun and would seemingly have a lot of potential, but it unfortunately takes a predictable route involving government conspiracy and unethical federal agents. But the basic problem is a simple one - once we've seen Barrymore start her first fire, there's not a whole lot of excitement watching her start her 14th fire. There are no thrills or excitement, and we don't care about the titular character, mainly because Barrymore's whiny and often grating performance frankly isn't all that great. Heather Locklear has a small role and achieves the amazing feat of being more convincing dead than alive. And the ending, if you really stop and think about it, is beyond ludicrous. There is some fun seeing a parade of award winning actors making cameo appearances like this was a 70s airport movie, but other than that, I was underwhelmed and bored. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/24 Full Review Cees T Horror intro, tedious overacted drama middle, and amusingly bad finale that goes on a little too long even at 1.2x speed. 5/10 - Still better than the remake. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Firestarter

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Cast & Crew

Mark L. Lester Director David Keith Andrew "Andy" McGee Drew Barrymore Charlene "Charlie" McGee George C. Scott John Rainbird Freddie Jones Doctor Joseph Wanless Heather Locklear Victoria "Vicky" Tomlinson McGee

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Firestarter

Firestarter: Official Clip - Cinder Blocks on Fire