It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The film is without a doubt a classic and watchable even today. It is thoroughly entertaining and once watched won't easily be forgotten. The gorgeous, heartbreakingly beautiful Heather Locklear met her demise early which surprised me and from then on the film just got better and better with real nasty villains after a surviving, loving father desperately trying to save his daughter Charlie, played by Drew Barrymore. Drew Barrymore captured my attention forever with her portrayal of Charlie in this film, she was brilliant and I don't think the part could have been played as well or as profoundly by anyone else.I think the movie was very well-directed, flashback scenes were edited appropriately, acting was quite good (George C Scott steals the movie with a great performance; his Rainbird character is one duplicitous villain played with perfection) although I think Drew Barrymore did also a great job portraying Charlie, the little girl with a terrifying supernatural gift and affection for her father. Special effects were awesome. I've read some criticisms about the special effects in this movie; quite frankly I have no idea why anyone would complain about the special effects in this movie unless they are expecting CGI effects. Personally, I prefer old-fashioned special effects. I am happy this movie was made with the special effects that were used back in the day.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

Most Stephen King horror adaptations are entertaining, but the most disturbing ones are the ones dealing with psychic phenomena, like FIRESTARTER and THE DEAD ZONE. For me, the power of the human mind is more horrific than giant alien spiders, vampires, or serial killers. FIRESTARTER is indeed a powerful film, and the power lies in the actors involved, not just the fiery power of the special effects unit. Indeed, the strength of the characterisations are the best thing about this film.Martin Sheen has much the same power-hungry role as he did in 1983's THE DEAD ZONE, while Freddie Jones has a small role as a nervous doctor. However, it is George C. Scott as the brilliant yet crazed man out to snag Barrymore's powers for himself in the afterlife who has the best role, and he really is totally evil. David Keith is an effective hero, while Heather Locklear has another small role as his wife. Drew Barrymore is also good as the young girl who doesn't want to use her powers but is forced to, and it's a wonder that she didn't use them to destroy the killer in SCREAM.The story is also a fairly original one, and it's more of a thriller than a conventional horror film. The budget is relatively low until the pyrotechnic ending where just about everything explodes, and things do tend to get a bit talky. However there are some dollops of tension lashed throughout the film and plenty of interest lies within the various machinations of the characters. FIRESTARTER is a thought-provoking ride through the powers of the mind and probably not suitable viewing for those who have tendencies involving pyromania.

This film is an adaptation of a novel by Stephen King, where a young girl with pirokinesis and his father, with powers of mental manipulation, are seeking to escape government agents that want to kill them. Directed by Mark L. Lester, has David Keith and Drew Barrymore in the lead roles.This film is neither good nor bad. It is exactly in the middle. Drue Barrymore still manages to enchant us, as it was still far from the bad roads that ran through adolescence, years later. The story is also very interesting and covers a topic that always knew intrigue people. However, it's not, by far, the best film adaptation of a King book: the actors are sometimes too theatrical, especially Keith, every time it uses its powers; the script also has some obvious flaws and lack of logic. If the father imagined, as the film suggests, the danger in which he lived with his family, why he didn't use his powers to flee abroad earlier? And what is the purpose of that rampant police harassment against a man able to control minds and a girl able to set fire to everything?Not being very good, this film is still able to perform well with its role: entertain the public. Therefore, it is still interesting to see, although it is not surprising.

The Government is running a secret facility known as 'The Shop'. The man in charge is Captain Hollister (Sheen) who oversees drug experiments on human guinea pigs. Andrew Mcgee (Keith) meets Vicky (Heather Locklear) while going there and the experiments go south quick. Andrew can control things with his mind and make people do things against their will. It drains him terribly when he does it, but he has a power the government is interested in. When the couple has a kid named Charlie (Barrymore) they discover she has the ability to start fires just by thinking about it. Captain Hollister sees Charlie as a terrific weapon to be used but Andrew takes his daughter on the lamb wanting simply to be left alone. They use their powers only when they half to. This makes up the first half of the movie. The second half has the two captured at The Shop. Once separated, they work on Charlie to win her over. Hollister's most deviant agent is John Rainbird (Scott) a Native American who poses as a janitor and wins over Charlie's trust. Eventually Andrew hatches an escape plan and a fiery conclusion ensues. Hollywood was desperate for Stephen King stories in the mid 1980's seeing it as box office gold even if the movie wasn't very good. This probably explains the first class treatment this film got with a huge Hollywood cast filling out the bill even in small roles. No doubt King's novel must have been interesting, but something was lost in the translation to the screen. Not only is this not scary in the slightest, it's not even very interesting. Sheen overacts terribly in spots and even though George C. Scott is a terrific actor, you must wonder why he was cast as a Native American in this evil role. To Scott's credit, he is the only menace or feeling of evil in the film with his impure desire to destroy Charlie in the end. This overlong movie suffers pacing problems and inconsistent acting from young Drew Barrymore who is impressive in one scene and terrible in the next. At one time Director John Carpenter was picked to direct this picture but Universal was unhappy with his box office results on "The Thing" and yanked the job away from him. Carpenter would have delivered a more interesting film than this one turned out to be. It shows you what Universal knows.