Usually, I work on Fridays. Man, do I work on Fridays. But when the snow falls and the roads freeze theirs only one thing to do: gamble my money away on the internet.
But, about two thousand bucks through that it accrued to me I'd rented 10 movies on Monday and hadn't watched a single one of them (it's been one heck of a week, folks). Since the weather outside was frightful (and the fire so delightful) I decided to remedy that situation with Firestarter.
No, the voice in my head said, must gamble, must gamble, must GAMBLE!
Sorry, Charlie, time to let Stephen King usher in my second year of AYTIWS reviews.
Now, my mother positively hates Stephen King (she reads Margaret Attwood, go figure) and, in that hate, refuses to see the difference between this story and Carrie. Guess that kinda thing can happen when you don't read any of his books (not even the IMDb is smart enough to know the difference). And if anyone else out there things similar thoughts, sorry. The two stories have only a passing resemblance to each other. If you like one you may not like the other.
Beginning in the streets of Washington D.C., we fallow Andy McGee (David Keith) and his daughter Charlie (Drew Barrymore) as they run, run as fast as they can from the secret agent men. These Secret Agent Men are attached to a scientific government research thingy-ma-bobber called "The Shop". The Shop, late in the 60s, started giving an experimental drug called Lot 6 to college students in order to bestow weird psychic powers. Which once again proves my old theory: Richard Nixon was doing drugs.
Little Charlie is the daughter of two Shop guinea pigs (the other, Vicky McGee is played by none other then Heather Locklear, God these old movies are fun). As a result of that funky gene mixin' she has the power to start fires with a simple thought. Now the government wants to use her for eeevil. What else would the government want?
And you just know they're eeevil. Hell, the guy calling the shots is played by Martin Sheen, for Christ's sakes. And his Native American hitman, John Rainbird, is played by George C. Scott!
Being so eeevil, the government killed Andy's wife and forced him and daughter dearest to go on the lamb. The first half of the movie follows them as they move ever northward, trying to stay one step ahead of the second rate Men In Black. Along the way we find out the backstory through flashbacks, as well as Charlie's reluctance to use her power ("it's a bad thing," she says). Will she be able to over come this reluctance?
Hehe. You'd think so, wouldn't you?
Though not King's best, I liked Firestarter when I first read it. It didn't move as well as other vintage King, but it's certainly better then Cujo.
And, again, I'm reviewing the book when I should review the movie. But the movie doesn't exactly move like a race horse, either. Director Mark Lester just doesn't give any kinetic energy to his direction. Considering this is a movie about a girl who can light fires with her mind (pyrokinesis, King called it) I'd say that makes it even worse.
Of course, I'm not saying Michael Bay should have directed this movie (oh, good God no, I wouldn't wish that one any movie), but more constant motion would have been nice. This is a chase movie, after all. The best scenes (like when Andy discovers his wife, or a scene near the end I can't tell you about) are ones where the camera moves at a fast pace, but always remains focused on the action. These are the best scenes of the movie. The rest seams a bit stagnant.
As an actor, Drew Barrymore gives her 9 year-old best. She says the lines scripter Stanley Mann gives to her. Sometimes a decent actress shines through. Sometimes an uninterested little girl takes her place.
Plus, Stanley Mann isn't exactly Stephen King. I may not have read the book in over 2 years, but I know for a fact that most of King's dialogue is erased from this movie, along with all the cool psychological problems that make his character's so interesting. It's as if Mann got a synopses of the book and the director said, "Here, read this and make these people say something."
Martin Sheen, in my opinion, did a lot better job being eeevil when he played Greg Stillson in The Dead Zone. Of course, that was written by someone who obviously read the book.
George C. Scott does a good turn as a one dimensional villain. Rainbird is a duplicitous SOB, and Scott plays him like one. But Rainbird could have been so much more (was so much more, in fact) if Mann had just given us a little background on his character. This goes for everyone except to two leads.
David Keith does some good things as Andy. He and Drew have some good scenes together and sometimes I can feel the love. Of course, sometimes they go together like pizza and chainsaw oil, all depends on what part of the movie you're watching.
Firestarter is a real half-an-half enterprise. The leads do some good acting, but not all the time. Sheen makes an okay villain, but nowhere near what I know he can do. Scott plays a better villain, but that doesn't obscure the fact that he's just that: a villain. With all this, I can call Firestarter a good movie . . . but just barely.
After all, things do burn.
Gs (out of a possible five)
MOCK O' METER
