This Stephen King Adaptation Contains All The Problems Of A Poor Remake

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In 1980, Stephen King's Firestarter was published, and the 1984 film adaptation quickly became well-known thanks to Drew Barrymoore's performance as Charlie McGee, a young girl with pyrokinec powers. David Keith and Heather Locklear played her parents Andy and Vicky, and the movie grossed over $17 million worldwide. The 2022 remake was a bit less successful, grossing $14,889,250 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

The draw for the 2022 film was seeing Zac Efron in the role of Charlie's devoted dad, and while it's clear Efron gave the film his all, the movie suffers from a few problems that tend to happen with some horror movie remakes.

Things Get Heated In The First Firestarter Trailer Starring Zac Efron

While Firestarter is one of Stephen King's best novels, neither the original nor the remake is considered one of the greatest movies based on his work. The films lack a sense of urgency or a fascinating plot, which is too bad since the premise of a child with pyrokinec abilities is cool. But besides seeing an adorable child actor playing a character with powers, there isn't a lot going on here. It never feels like a surprise when government agents capture Charlie or know where she is as it never seems like she will be able to get away.

The main problems with the Firestarter remake? The plot is dull and the characters don't have the kind of development that Stephen King's fans are used to seeing. The story doesn't veer too far away from the original, which is a mistake that many of the worst horror movie remakes make. In the '80s film, Andy finds his wife Vicky dead and learns that Charlie has been kidnapped. In the remake, Vicky stays alive for longer, although she does get murdered. In both movies, a government agency