Review of Firestarter (1984) by Lee K — 23 Jun 2009
This film adaption of a novel, like so many before it, fails to live up to the source material. Make no mistake, its a cheesy 80s movie: terrible synthesizer music, shoestring budget, David Keith's hair and corduroy jacket. Having a low budget in the 80s, however, is no excuse to make a sub-par film.
The acting is, at times, less than stellar. Ignoring the fact that George C. Scott was cast to play a Native American character, the movie has a good cast: David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Heather Locklear, Martin Sheen, the aforementioned Scott, Louise Fletcher... hell, it's got two of the actors that have portrayed Michael Myers (Dick Warlock and George Wilbur)! The acting, though, is not to blame.
No, the problem is blase direction and writing. It was helmed by Mark Lester, who hasn't made a decent film in ever, and boringly adapted for the screen by Stanley Mann, who hasn't done much else (besides Conan The Destroyer and The Omen II... like I said, not much else).
That said, the special effects are top-notch, especially considering the budget, and the story (finally) picks up in the third act and becomes pretty riveting.
This review of Firestarter (1984) was written by Lee K on 23 Jun 2009.
Firestarter has generally received mixed reviews.
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