Stephen King’s ‘Flavorless’ 40-Year-Old Horror Just Landed on Netflix
Netflix is hosting a party for movies that turn 40 this year, but King’s very unlikely to be an attendee.
Summary:
- Stephen King ’s 40-year-old adaptation has recently arrived on Netflix, but it doesn’t seem to be a reason for celebration for the proclaimed author.
- Starring 8-year-old Drew Barrymore, the movie follows a girl whose extraordinary ability to set fires jeopardizes her life after a dangerous government agency decides to make use of her talent.
- Back in the day, the film never made it to real success ending up with harsh criticism from Stephen King calling the movie one of his worst adaptations.
Apart from a general bunch of movies and shows that Netflix replenishes its endless collection with every month, the streaming also seems to have started a trend of paying homage to flicks that this year celebrate their good round figure.
Back in April, Netflix revealed its big plans for releasing several movies that turn 40 years old in 2024, including a sci-fi horror Firestarter with back then 8-year-old Drew Barrymore in the leading role.
The film comes as one of the numerous adaptations of Stephen King’s lavish literary legacy, but the author himself hasn’t been that enthusiastic about the movie ever since it was released back in 1984.
What Is Firestarter About?
Based on the 1980 novel of the same name, Firestarter follows young girl Charlie who starts developing a very unusual talent of setting places on fire using only her mind. The girl’s ability comes as a repercussion of her parents Andy and Vicky’s participation in a dangerous experiment when they were in college.
As Charlie’s superpower turns out to be more evil rather than something useful, her father makes an attempt to save her after a secret government agency nicknamed The Shop expresses its intention to weaponize the girl’s power.
Is Firestarter Worth Watching?
Upon its release 40 years ago, Firestarter seemingly proved Stephen King’s point. The movie received mixed reviews from both critics and viewers landing scores of 38% and 53% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively.
The film wasn’t safe even from Stephen King’s own harsh criticism with the proclaimed author calling his novel adaptation “flavorless” and “one of the worst of the bunch, even though in terms of story it's very close to the original” in an interview to American Film back in 1986.
Why Does King Hate Firestarter?
King proceeded with his anger towards the movie interpretation saying that some special effects in there “make no sense to me whatsoever. Why this kid's hair blows every time she starts fires is totally beyond my understanding”.
Given Netflix’s own superpower to revive critical flops by giving them a second life on the platform, Firestarter is about to prove itself as something worthy or rather the same old failed movie that even Stephen King couldn’t find good words about.
Source: American Film