Fourteen years ago, Andy (Zac Efron) and Vicky McGee (Sydney Lemmon, Fear the Walking Dead) participated in a clinical trial of a chemical compound known as “Lot Six”, which resulted in their getting enhanced telekinetic and psychic powers. Later, when a crying baby Charlie suddenly set her crib on fire, they discovered that these powers had passed along to their newborn daughter, who had pyrokinetic abilities. So the couple went on the run, for fear that the Department of Scientific Intelligence (DSI) would lock Charlie up to prod, poke and study her. For years, Charlie’s powers had gone dormant, and the family was able to live a somewhat normal life, staying off the grid, avoiding trackable things like Wi-Fi and cell phones.

While Vicky hates her powers and doesn’t use them, Andy has been utilizing his ability to “push” thoughts into people’s minds in order to make some money, curing people of their nicotine addictions, etc. But every time he uses his powers, it takes a toll on Andy, and his eyes start to bleed. Andy has never allowed himself to “push” his daughter to stop her powers, but has used them in the past to eliminate threats that have come for Charlie. Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, American Horror Story) is now 11 years old, and has started to feel “the bad thing” coming back, particularly when she gets upset or angry. Andy has tried to teach Charlie a system to keep her powers in check, but it isn’t long before she has an incident at school, which attracts the DSI’s attention and sends the family on the run again. Meanwhile, Captain Jane Hollister (Gloria Reuben, City on a Hill, Mr. Robot), the new head of the DSI, is eager to get her hands on Charlie so that she can study her powers. In addition to recruiting the original doctor in charge of the Lot Six trial, Dr. Joseph Wanless (Kurtwood Smith, That ’70s Show), she also enlists the service of Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes, Rutherford Falls), a ruthless, telekinetically-enhanced being and former operative who will eliminate anyone or anything that gets in the way of his quest to find and capture Charlie and bring her back to the DSI.

I have not read Stephen King’s Firestarter novel, nor have I seen the previous 1984 film adaptation starring Drew Barrymore, so I went into this remake fresh, and can’t really make any comparisons. I’ll start with the good things about the film. The filmmakers make extensive use of practical effects, for most of the fire sequences, and when telekinetic powers send objects flying across the room. These effects are really well done and add a realism to what’s happening. The opening act of the movie is quite strong, setting up the premise and the fact that Charlie’s powers are returning. We also get a glimpse into Andy’s power and see how he activates it, by cracking his neck to the side and then looking into his target’s eyes, before taking over their mind and giving them some new compulsion. Having just binged season 3 of The Umbrella Academy, all that was missing was Andy using a “I heard a rumor” preface to his command. Zac Efron is quite good in this more dramatic role as a father who’s trying to save and protect his daughter, and who will utilize his powers to eliminate any threat to her. Ryan Kiera Armstrong also gives a solid performance as the young firestarter, who finds herself upset, confused and trying to control her powers while also seeking revenge against those trying to harm her and her family. She does a good job of selling Charlie’s struggle and powers. However, the real highlight for me was Michael Greyeyes as Rainbird (at least for the first half of the film). Rainbird is this highly-skilled, trained killer who had stepped away from the game for a more peaceful life. But once he’s reactivated, he becomes this ruthless telekinetic Terminator, armed with his own psychic powers—he was the O.G. lab rat for the Lot Six experiment. There is this exciting psychic power face-off as he first tracks down the family, and several more as the film progresses. The film sets up this interesting backstory for Rainbird, but his story gets a bit muddled and confusing by the end—based on the commentary and what’s in the deleted scenes, it sounds like the final act was reworked a few times, so something may have got lost in all the shuffle.

After the first act, the pace of the film really slows down as it becomes more of a road trip/training montage. The family also comes across a farmer named Irv (John Beasley, Everwood), which leads to a bit of a an unnecessary detour in the story. I’m not sure if Irv served more of a purpose in the original novel/book, but it felt mostly like filler. And then it moves on to the final showdown, which is also a bit of a letdown. It feels like the filmmakers weren’t quite sure what to do, as evidenced by the deleted scenes/commentary and the many changes that were made. The whole final act just feels very rushed, a bit repetitive, and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’d be curious to see how it compares to the book/previous film. Some of the material in the deleted scenes would have worked a bit better for me. Also, Gloria Reuben felt very underutilized as the film’s villain—it felt like there was a lot more to this character and her motivation that we never got to see.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture is very clean and clear, even when bright orange flames engulf everything. The explosions and blazes look very natural. The audio track provides a full sound and pulsing bass that help set the tension and mood. John Carpenter’s distinct, spooky score also sounds fantastic. The audio track provides a solid ambiance throughout, whether it’s nature sounds in the forest, airplanes or helicopters overhead, or the hum of electricity in the DSI facility. It also makes extensive use of the stereo and surround channels to give an immersive experience. In one scene when some smoke alarms starting going off, I looked at my ceiling thinking it was my own house.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come packed on either side of a standard HD keepcase with an embossed carboard slipcover. The release contains an insert with a code to redeem for an HD digital copy of the film (which is Movies Anywhere compatible). The discs contain a director commentary, 24 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, a short gag reel, and several other behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:34:18)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 6/30/2023):

• HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:

The same features can be found on the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Play All, or select from:

• Alternate Ending (2:43)
  Charlie eliminates Rainbird before leaving the facility alone, burning it all down.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (20:14)
  Collection of 7 deleted/extended scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Andy Reflects in Mirror (1:46)
    Andy wakes up from a nightmare and looks at his eye in the mirror.
  • Andy’s Lot Six Nightmare – Extended (4:14)
    Andy and Vicky VHS interview footage cut with the patients freaking out during the Lot 6 drug trail. This was originally going to be the opening of the film, but parts of this were used for the opening title sequence.
  • Wanless Gets a Visitor – Extended (2:30)
    Captain Hollister visits a Dr. Joseph Wanless in his room to let him know she found the runaways and to try to get him to come back.
  • Rainbird Scare/Wildlife Hunt (4:15)
    After Charlie builds a campfire in the woods she sees Rainbird appear, so she stamps out the fire and uses her powers to hunt for food.
  • Charlie Treks to Find Andy (2:09)
    Charlie hitches a ride to the facility holding her father.
  • Charlie Counts Down “Five, Four, Three, Lies” (1:07)
    Charlie doesn’t believe Captain Hollister’s lies.
  • Andy’s Visionary Escape From the Cell (4:11)
    Charlie pushes a vision to her father, making him seem them escape from the facility together, just before burning everything down.
• Gag Reel (1:06)
  The cast deal with misbehaving props, flubbed lines, and missed cues.
• A Kinetic Energy (6:04)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss adapting the story for a new audience, casting the roles and working with the various actors, how the cast bonded, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Keith Thomas, producer Jason Blum, writer/executive producer Scott Teems, producer Akiva Goldsman, and stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong (“Charlie McGee”), Zac Efron (“Andy McGee”) & Michael Greyeyes (“Rainbird”).
• Spark a Fire (3:43)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the themes and relationships explored in the movie and staying true to the emotional content of the book. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Jason Blum, producer Akiva Goldsman, writer/executive producer Scott Teems, director Keith Thomas, and stars Michael Greyeyes & Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
• Igniting Firestarter (3:38)
  Get a look at how some of the film’s fiery practical effects and stunts were done, and the protective gear required. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Ryan Turek, special effects coordinator Mark Ahee, special effects shop supervisor Kristy Hollidge, director Keith Thomas, stunt coordinator Daryl Patchett, stunt performer Jamie Jones, and actors Ryan Kiera Armstrong & Vas Saranga (“Agent Jules”).
• Power Struggle (3:28)
  The cast and filmmakers take a look at the choreography, stunts and practical effects that went into creating the massive fight scene between Rainbird and Vicky. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Keith Thomas, special effects shop supervisor Kristy Hollidge, and star Michael Greyeyes.
• Feature Commentary With Director Keith Thomas (1:34:18)
  The director provides and interesting and informative commentary, providing behind-the-scenes stories about how certain effects, stunts and shots were done, how the film evolved and changed, the visual look of the film, design of the sets, the filming locations, going for more urban landscapes, and more. He also discusses some of the diverges from the novel.

Final Thoughts:

Firestarter is the latest film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 novel of the same name. While I thought it started out strong, the movie kind of fizzled out by the end for me. However, the movie does have some entertaining moments and impressive effects. Fans of the film will be pleased with the technical presentation of Universal’s release as well as the solid selection of bonus material it includes. For those who wish to try before you buy, as of the time of this review, the film is currently still available on Universal’s Peacock streaming service.