We’re in the of a wave of reboots and remakes of movies from the 80s and 90s banking on the nostalgia factor. And the reality is, a lot of us know and love Stephen King novels and movies. But the latest remake is of Firestarter, a movie that many fans may say doesn’t need to be touched in the first place. A child aged Drew Barrymore was the perfect Charlie who literally set the screen on fire. But, apparently, studio executives felt there was enough need to remake the movie and barely change it.
While we don’t think there really is a need for the movie to be remade, at all, it isn’t cheaply done. It brings the story to life with better quality effects and film. And Ryan Kiera Armstrong takes the role of Charlie and makes it come to life, the young actress takes an iconic role and turns it into her own. But, I think the biggest problem with the movie is it doesn’t do enough on the nostalgia front to convert older viewers and the overall movie does just enough to keep you engaged that it isn’t boring. It’s a solid “meh”, and while the soundtrack may nod to the original the 80s-style tonal music isn’t enough to encourage fans to stick with the film.
Overall, Firestarter is just another remake that we really didn’t ask for. The effects are updated some, and the references to current technology – but it doesn’t change anything in the story enough to warrant a reboot or recreation. Then again, would you really change something written by Stephen King that really doesn’t need to be updated or changed? The only reason we can think that the movie was remade was to reintroduce the thriller to a new generation and to Zac Efron’s biceps.
Firestarter is now in theaters but is also on Peacock for streaming. But if you’re looking for a different version or a big difference from the 80’s version or even a cameo from Drew Barrymore – don’t get your hopes too high.
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About Firestarter:
(In theaters & streaming only on Peacock)
In a new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic thriller, a girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers fights to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture and control her. For more than a decade, parents Andy ( Zac Efron) and Vicky ( Sydney Lemmon) have been on the run, desperate to hid their daughter Charlie ( Ryan Kiera Armstrong) from a shadowy federal agency that wants to harness her unprecedented gift for creating fire into a weapon of mass destruction. After an incident reveals the family’s location, a mysterious operative ( Michael Greyeyes) is deployed to hunt down the family and seize Charlie once and for all. Charlie has other plans.
Starring Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, Gloria Reuben
Directed by Keith Thomas
(Universal Pictures)
