Content deleted Content added
m clean up |
m →External links: clean up |
||
| (45 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|1984 film by Mark L. Lester}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox film
Line 9 ⟶ 10:
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Frank Capra Jr.]]
* [[Martha De Laurentiis|Martha Schumacher]]
}} | screenplay = [[Stanley Mann]]
| based_on = {{
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[David Keith (actor)|David Keith]]
Line 20 ⟶ 22:
* [[George C. Scott]]
* [[Art Carney]]
* [[Louise Fletcher]]
}} | music = [[Tangerine Dream]]
| cinematography = [[Giuseppe Ruzzolini]]
| editing = {{Plainlist|
* David Rawlins
* Ronald Sanders
}} | studio = [[Dino De Laurentiis|Dino De Laurentiis Company]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]<!--Only original theatrical distributor in country of origin needs to be listed here-->
Line 33 ⟶ 37:
| language = English
| budget = $12 million<ref name="dinod">De Laurentiis PRODUCER'S PICTURE DARKENS: KNOEDELSEDER, WILLIAM K, Jr. Los Angeles Times 30 Aug 1987: 1.</ref>
| gross = $17.
}}
'''''Firestarter''''' is a 1984 American [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[
A [[miniseries]] [[Sequel|follow-up]] to the film, ''[[Firestarter: Rekindled]]'', was released in 2002 on the [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]]<!--At the time, the channel was still the Sci-Fi Channel.--> and a [[Firestarter (2022 film)|remake]] feature film produced by [[Blumhouse Productions]] was released on May 13, 2022.
==
As college students, Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson participated in an experiment in which they were given a dose of a low-grade [[hallucinogen]] called LOT-6. While the other participants suffered terrible side effects, the experiment gave Vicky and Andy telepathic abilities; Vicky can read minds and Andy can control others to do and believe what he wants, though the effort sometimes gives him [[nosebleeds]], limiting this otherwise very strong power. Now married, they have an eight-year-old daughter named Charlene "Charlie" McGee, who has [[pyrokinesis|pyrokinetic]] abilities (the power to control heat and fire) and can also see the near future.
Andy comes home from work one day to find Vicky murdered and Charlie abducted, with evidence suggesting Vicky was also tortured before being killed; the family had already suspected that the government agency that sponsored the experiment, the [[Office of Scientific Intelligence#Fictional uses of the name|Department of Scientific Intelligence]] ("The Shop"), was watching them, with the government wanting to weaponize Charlie's power. Andy finds Charlie and rescues her by blinding the agents, and for the next year they are on the run.
Farmer Irv Manders and his wife Norma take in the pair; Andy tells Irv the truth so that when The Shop arrives, he is ready to stand with them. However, Charlie quickly dispatches the agents when they arrive. They go on the run again, but Andy's power has weakened. They go to a secluded cabin and prepare to go public with their story. Unfortunately, the head of The Shop, Captain James Hollister, sends agent and assassin John Rainbird to capture them and stop the release of information. To protect themselves, Andy writes letters to major newspapers, unintentionally revealing their location. After capture, father and daughter are kept separated. Andy is medicated and subjected to tests, and given drugs which decrease his powers. Meanwhile, Rainbird pretends to be "John", a friendly orderly employed by The Shop to gain Charlie's trust and encourage her to submit to the tests.
Charlie's powers increase exponentially. She continually demands to see her father as they promised. Andy is revealed to be faking the acceptance of his drugs, so his powers have never decreased and it was all a ruse to make Hollister drop his guard. Once alone on a walk far from the house, Andy uses his power to get information from Hollister (such as "John"'s true identity) and arranges to leave with Charlie that night. He slips Charlie a note and she immediately tells John/Rainbird about the escape. Since he has wanted to kill Charlie since first hearing about her, he hides in the barn so he can kill Andy as well. Charlie enters the barn first and Rainbird successfully convinces her to start climbing up the ladder to him
His plan is foiled once Andy enters and Charlie instead runs to her father. She tells him that "John" is present and asks if they can take him with them. She is saddened and angered to find out the truth, yet believes Rainbird when he states that he will not kill her father if she comes to him. To save his daughter, Andy orders the still mind-controlled Hollister to shoot at Rainbird. However, Rainbird kills Hollister, after which Andy, using his powers, causes Rainbird to leap to the ground, breaking his leg. Rainbird shoots Andy in the neck, fatally wounding him. He then fires at Charlie but she detonates the bullet and engulfs Rainbird in the ensuing fire, killing him. Before Andy dies, he pleads with her to use her powers to bring the facility down. The entire security team arrives and she eliminates them one by one with her powers and makes her way off the property. Charlie hitchhikes back to the Manders' farm and is welcomed back. Shortly after, Charlie and Irv arrive in [[New York City]] to tell her story to the media.
==
<!--- Cast and order per opening tombstone credits, roles per closing credits scroll --->
{{Cast listing|
Line 56 ⟶ 61:
* [[Drew Barrymore]] as Charlie McGee
* [[Freddie Jones]] as Dr. Joseph Wanless
* [[Heather Locklear]] as Vicky Tomlinson McGee
* [[Martin Sheen]] as Captain James Hollister
* [[George C. Scott]] as John Rainbird
Line 64 ⟶ 69:
}}
==
During filming of ''[[The Thing (1982 film)|The Thing]]'', Universal offered [[John Carpenter]] the chance to direct the film, who hired [[Bill Lancaster]] to adapt the novel into a screenplay, which Stephen King approved of.<ref name=blumhouse>{{cite web|url=http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2016/02/15/5-stephen-king-adaptations-that-died-in-development-hell/|title=5 Stephen King Adaptations That Died in Development Hell|last=Maddrey|first=Joe|date=February 15, 2016|website=[[Blumhouse Productions|blumhouse.com]]|access-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030095043/http://www.blumhouse.com/2016/02/15/5-stephen-king-adaptations-that-died-in-development-hell/|archive-date=October 30, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Months later, Carpenter hired Bill Phillips to write another version with [[Richard Dreyfuss]] as Andy, but when ''The Thing'' underperformed financially, Universal replaced Carpenter with Mark L. Lester, who brought Stanley Mann to write a screenplay that stayed closer to the novel than the abandoned screenplays that Carpenter had commissioned.
Lancaster's father [[Burt Lancaster|Burt]], originally cast as Captain Hollister, had to withdraw following heart surgery and was replaced by Martin Sheen.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8AMyBgAAQBAJ&q=burt+lancaster+firestarter&pg=PA86|last=Mell|first=Eila|title=Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others|year=2005|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786420179}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Burt Lancaster Plans To Undergo Surgery|date=16 August 1983|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/16/arts/burt-lancaster-plans-to-undergo-surgery.html|access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref>
Produced by [[Dino De Laurentiis]], the film was the first to be shot at his new studio complex in North Carolina.<ref name="starnewsonline.com">{{cite web| url=https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20190510/firestarter-lit-fire-in-local-film-that-still-burns-35-years-later | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510210101/https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20190510/firestarter-lit-fire-in-local-film-that-still-burns-35-years-later| archive-date=2019-05-10 | title=‘Firestarter’ lit a fire in local film that still burns 35 years later | access-date=2024-02-20}}</ref> Shot in and around the city of [[Wilmington, North Carolina]] from September 12 to November 26, 1983,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/57081|title = AFI|Catalog}}</ref> it was the first film shot there after the commission of the [[North Carolina Film Office]], and is regarded as launching the city as what is now a burgeoning hub of film and television productions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape Fear Museum showcases Wilmington's rich film history|url=https://www.wral.com/cape-fear-museum-showcases-wilmingtons-rich-film-history/15870919/|website=www.wral.com|date=July 22, 2016|publisher=WRAL|access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> Over 1,350 film and television projects have been produced in Wilmington since ''Firestarter''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Wilmington%2C+North+Carolina%2C+USA|title = Filming Location Matching "Wilmington%2C North Carolina%2C USA" (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref>
De Laurentiis had searched unsuccessfully for a ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''-style location that would suit the vision of the film. After encountering an issue of
De Laurentiis approached James and Luola Sprunt, who at the time owned Orton, and surprised them by asking to buy the property so he could set the home ablaze for a dramatic scene in the film. They declined, but offered to let the production use the property for exterior shots and some small interior scenes. A smaller scale replica of the main house was built for the actual fire scene.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-dispatch.com/news/20190509/cape-fear-unearthed-story-of-firestarter|title = Cape Fear Unearthed premieres special 'Firestarter' anniversary episode}}</ref> Having since been used in dozens of films and television shows since ''Firestarter'', Orton is now owned by [[Louis Moore Bacon]].
Mark Lester recalled, "The underlining tone is the CIA and corruption. I got my hands on a book about real experiments that the CIA did with college kids and LSD and hallucinagenic drugs, so that part was true. Dino wanted to make an anti-CIA movie and I guess Firestarter has a lot of that political paranoia about secret agents killing people and stuff.""<ref name="pink">{{cite web|url=http://thepinksmoke.com/markllester.htm|website=The Pink Smoke|first=John|last=Cribbs|title=The Films of Mark L Lester|year=2011}}</ref>
== Reception ==▼
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|<!--score-->37|<!--rating-->5|<!--number of reviews-->30|''Firestarter'''s concept hews too closely to other known Stephen King adaptations, though it's got nice special effects (including scenery-chewing George C. Scott).}}<ref name="rt">{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/firestarter/ |title=Firestarter (1984) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] assigned the film a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite Metacritic|id=firestarter |type=movie|title=Firestarter Reviews|access-date= May 14, 2022}}</ref>▼
▲{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|<!--score-->
[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film two stars out of four, and wrote, "the most astonishing thing" about it was "how boring it is...there's not a character in this movie that is convincing, even for a moment, nor a line in this movie that even experienced performers can make real;" and, "we don't feel sorry for Barrymore because she's never developed as a believable little girl -- just a plot gimmick."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rogerebert.com/reviews/firestarter-1984|title=Firestarter Movie Review|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=January 1, 1984|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=October 29, 2016}}</ref>
After seeing a rough cut, Stephen King declared it “One of the worst of the bunch” of the adaptations of his work he had seen, dubbing it “flavorless.” He and director Mark Lester later fought over the comments, though King told ''Cinefantastique''{{citation needed|reason=If he said it to Cinefantastique then Cinefantastique should be referenced|date=May 2022}} he feels ''Firestarter''’s producer was responsible for its failings.<ref>[https://screenrant.com/firestarter-movie-stephen-king-hates-why/ Why Stephen King Hates Firestarter's Movie Adaptation – Screen Rant]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://torontofilmreview.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/lost-documents-found-files-stephen-king.html|title=King of The Road|author=Ewing, Darrel|author2=Myers, Dennis|name-list-style=amp|date=June 1986|publisher=American Film|access-date=22 April 2017}}</ref> However, he did find favor in one scene (where Charlie is trained by her father to cook bread into toast), saying he wished he'd thought of it.
[[Colin Greenland]] reviewed ''Firestarter'' for ''[[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]]'' magazine, and stated that "I suspect the story was ruined before it ever got to the actors: spoilt by oversimplification and the surgical removal of all King's narrative intelligence. The great final conflagration comes as a relief. Yet another movie with all its conviction reserved for the special effects."<ref name="Imagine17">{{cite journal | last = Greenland|first = Colin |author-link=Colin Greenland| title =Fantasy Media | type = review | journal = [[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 17| pages =47 | publisher = TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd. |date=August 1984| issn = }}</ref>
==
{{Infobox album
| name = Firestarter
| type = [[Soundtrack]]
| artist = [[Tangerine Dream]]
| cover = blank
| released = July 1984
| recorded = 1984
Line 134 ⟶ 141:
}}
===
* [[Edgar Froese]] – keyboards, electronic equipment, guitar
* [[Christopher Franke]] – synthesizers, electronic equipment, electronic percussion
* [[Johannes Schmoelling]] – keyboards, electronic equipment
==
{{main|Firestarter (2022 film)}}
In April 2017, [[Jason Blum]] and [[Akiva Goldsman]] announced that they were rebooting ''Firestarter'' for Universal and [[Blumhouse]], with Goldsman co-writing with [[Scott Teems]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Miska|first=Brad|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3434658/blumhouse-remaking-stephen-kings-firestarter-overlook/|title=Blumhouse is Remaking Stephen King's 'Firestarter' #Overlook|work=Bloody Disgusting|date=April 28, 2017}}</ref> In December, 2019, [[Keith Thomas (director)|Keith Thomas]] was announced as director.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |url=https://collider.com/firestarter-remake-keith-thomas-director-blumhouse/ |title=Blumhouse's 'Firestarter' Remake Heats Up with 'The Vigil' Director Keith Thomas |work=Collider |date=December 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217015755/https://collider.com/firestarter-remake-keith-thomas-director-blumhouse/ |archive-date=December 17, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2020, [[Zac Efron]] was cast as Andy McGee.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sneider|first=Jeff|date=2020-09-29|title=Zac Efron to Star in Firestarter Remake from Blumhouse|url=https://collider.com/zac-efron-firestarter-remake-blumhouse/
==
{{reflist}}
==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0087262}}
Line 153 ⟶ 160:
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|firestarter}}
{{Firestarter}}
{{Tangerine Dream main albums discography}}
{{Mark L. Lester}}
Line 164 ⟶ 172:
[[Category:1984 films]]
[[Category:1984 horror films]]
[[Category:American films]]▼
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American science fiction thriller films]]
Line 175 ⟶ 182:
[[Category:Films shot in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Films set in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Films set on lakes]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Stanley Mann]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
▲[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:Whitewashing in film]]
[[Category:1984 science fiction films]]
| |||