Firestarter
Directed by Mark L. Lester
Charlene "Charlie" McGee has the amazing ability to start fires with just a glance. Can her psychic power and the love of her father save her from the threatening government agency which wants to destroy her?
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Firestarter Ratings & Reviews
- flavo43December 2, 2025Firestarter is another example of Hollywood taking a compelling Stephen King novel and reshaping it into something that never fully captures the spirit of the original. The premise—a young girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic abilities pursued by a secret government agency—is simple yet rich with emotional and dramatic potential. The casting is strong, and several performances bring genuine heart to the story. The special effects, impressive for their time, provide memorable moments of fiery chaos. However, the film struggles to balance character development with spectacle, often leaning too heavily on its supernatural elements without fully exploring the emotional weight behind them. Key relationships feel rushed, and the tension that should build as the story progresses never quite reaches its full impact. While I enjoyed certain aspects—particularly the performances and standout scenes—the adaptation doesn’t completely work. It hints at greatness but settles for being a decent, uneven interpretation rather than the powerful thriller it could have been.
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Firestarter Trivia
Firestarter was released on May 11, 1984.
Firestarter was directed by Mark L. Lester.
Firestarter has a runtime of 1h 55m.
Firestarter was produced by Frank Capra, Jr., Dino De Laurentiis.
Charlene "Charlie" McGee has the amazing ability to start fires with just a glance. Can her psychic power and the love of her father save her from the threatening government agency which wants to destroy her?
The key characters in Firestarter are Andrew McGee (David Keith), Charlie McGee (Drew Barrymore), Dr. Joseph Wanless (Freddie Jones).
Firestarter is rated R.
Firestarter is an Action, Horror, Thriller film.
Firestarter has an audience rating of 5.2 out of 10.
Firestarter had a budget of $15M.
Firestarter has made $17.1M at the box office.