Amazon.com video review:
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
