Firestarter (1984)

"If I do something bad, will you still love me?" - Charlie

A father and daughter with dangerous psychic powers run from the government.
Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Keith, George C. Scott, Martin Sheen

Link to IMDB

This month I'll be watching some of the old Stephen King movies I've never seen, or have completely forgotten (with a focus on the terrible ones of course.) Firestarter is a nice place to begin, because it has a reputation of being a fan favourite.

All this running is hard work

When he was in college, Andy McGee met his future wife while they were both part of a scientific experiment that involved mind-altering drugs. The lasting side effects gave them telepathic abilities, and their daughter, Charlie, was born with pyrokinetic mind powers! The men who conducted the tests were from a secret agency called The Shop, who have since killed the wife and now want to capture Andy and Charlie so they can conduct more experiments on them.
The story begins while the two are escaping out of the city, with Shop agents in pursuit. Andy has the power to "push" people into doing what he wants, which comes in handy when they need to get out of tough situations, but using his Jedi mind-tricks also causes him physical pain. Charlie hates her ability to create fire, it frightens her and she's always worried that she'll lose control, but her dad has taught her ways to keep it restrained. The father and daughter duo head out into the country to hide like fugitives, fearful that agents are always one step behind them.



The Shop is managed by Captain Hollister (Sheen) and his right-hand man John Rainbird (Scott.) Hollister wants to get Charlie safely to The Shop so they can study her power as a possible weapon, so the highly skilled Rainbird gets ready to join the hunt.
When a small army of agents find them, Charlie has no choice but to use the full strength of her power to prevent being captured, and the massive inferno she unleashes destroys everything in its path. Despite it saving them, Charlie's terrible gift truly frightens her and her dad, but this is only the beginning of their trouble.

Rainbird

Rainbird is a cold-hearted professional, so it's not long before he does capture Andy and Charlie. They live in luxury at The Shop, but are still treated like prisoners and they're not allowed to see each other. Rainbird poses as a simple janitor, and slowly befriends Charlie by gaining her trust and promising to help her see her dad.
While Andy is developing a plan to escape, Rainbird has a mysterious scheme of his own for the fate of Charlie. The final act really heats up, as weaknesses in The Shop begin to show and everyone is caught in a fiery confrontation where no quarter is given!



It's no secret that Drew Barrymore was a fine child actor, and her scenes with George C. Scott are especially fun to watch. Andy and Charlie are likable and realistic, as we see her struggle to be a normal little girl while her father tries desperately to protect her.
There's very little violence or blood, but it pulls no punches when it shows the mature cruelty of the world that Charlie has to deal with. Despite the sci-fi elements it mostly stays grounded in reality, and the solid characters keep it compelling until the very end. It remains a decent King adaptation among so many other bad ones.

Be sure not to miss:
- That sweet ColecoVision action.
- The old couple are Art Carney and Louise Fletcher!
- The music is done by Tangerine Dream, and this might just be one of their best soundtracks.
- It seems like no one in the movie knows the fire safety of "Drop and roll."

Internet review:
"George C. Scott with a ponytail is worth the price of admission alone." - Gills

Should I watch it?
It's worth checking out if you've never seen it before.

Where can I find it?
Lots of links here. The version on YouTube is cropped terribly, making most scenes un-watchable.

Firestarter gets...