If you’ve never read the Stephen King novel or seen the original "Firestarter" movie, this film is probably not the one for you. The film made it that you had to have prior knowledge to enjoy this movie because it was so short and didn't have any thought-out plot points.
Synopsis
A couple tries to hide their daughter Charlie from a federal agency that wants to use her gifts. As Charlie grows older, her power becomes harder to control until her once-working control tactics break. A mysterious operative finally finds the family and capture Charlie -- will she let it happen?
The film stars Zac Efron as Andy McGee and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlie.
What I loved
John Carpenter, who writes iconic horror movie scores, was a part of making the music for this film, and I enjoyed it heavily. The music felt detached from the movie, but honestly, I don't have a lot of good things to say about the film all together.
I honestly thought the movie might look cheesy with the fire animation, but for the most part, it looked pretty real. It visually wasn't terrible and that's about all the nice things I can say.
What I didn't love
The entire plot was utterly confusing. There was barely an introduction to this film about why this girl is what she is and the little background we do get is a small credit scene in the beginning. It’s impossible to figure out what’s happening. I felt like there was little to no plot and I found myself confused the entire time about the who, what, when, where, and why.
For being a modern take on this movie, it felt pretty 80s inspired. There's a scene at the beginning with a tape recorder and fuzzy graphics, and the soundtrack doesn't make it feel modern at all. It felt like everything was fighting against each other to bring this movie into the present day, but still have that classic feeling. There was a very confusing nostalgic feeling throughout the movie.
Verdict
All in all, I found this movie very confusing from the standpoint of a person who’s never read the book or watched the original film. It overall felt like another modern remake that didn't hit the mark.
I give "Firestarter" a 1 out of 5.
