The original Firestarter (1984) isn’t exactly top-tier Stephen King, but it’s a decent supernatural thriller with a solid cast and a cool premise. A young girl with pyrokinetic powers, hunted by a shady government agency—it’s classic King material. Drew Barrymore does a good job as Charlie, and there’s a certain charm to the film, even if it never quite catches fire (pun intended). The pacing is uneven, the tone wobbles between sci-fi and horror, and some of the effects haven’t aged well, but it’s watchable. Far from the best King adaptation, but also far from the worst. A middle-of-the-road effort that gets by on its premise and Barrymore’s likeability.
So when they announced a remake in 2022, it actually made sense. This story had room for improvement. But somehow… they made it sillier. The remake tries to go darker and more serious, but ends up feeling oddly rushed and undercooked. Ryan Kiera Armstrong does her best as the new Charlie, and Zac Efron as her father is fine, but there’s not much for either of them to work with. The script feels like it skips half the story, and the emotional weight between father and daughter just isn’t there. The tone is all over the place, the music feels out of sync, and by the end, it’s hard to care about any of it.
There was a real chance here to build something stronger from the original’s foundation, but the remake squanders it. It’s not unwatchable—but it’s a strange mix of dull and ridiculous, and somehow makes the original look better in hindsight.
Winner: Firestarter (1984) (6/10)
Slight downgrade: Firestarter (2022) (5/10)
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