Rent FireStarter (2022)

I rather enjoyed this. Solid cinematography, great soundtrack and decent performances. - FireStarter review by Piehawker

Despite reading the generally poor reviews, I decided to give this a watch based on my appreciation for Zac Efron (an underrated actor imo) and the soundtrack composed by John Carpenter and I really enjoyed it.

It's not life changing or particularly terrifying, but as it was 90 minutes and had a small scale vibe, it reminded me of a standard mid budget Stephen King adaptation old school VHS rental which didn't outstay its welcome. The editing was refreshingly low key and there was some really strong cinematography in the final act. The John Carpenter score really lifts the atmosphere too.

The score, performances and cinematography make up for a meh script. It does have a limp 2nd act, and not much in the way of a driving narrative until the last 20 minutes, but that just added to the John Carpenter/80s vibe for me. The script doesn't quite tie things together, as there are many subplots which don't seem to be fleshed out (it's clear it's compressing a lot of things from an existing book). Because the narrative doesn't really push the characters forward with much direction, it can feel a bit meandering. Several character deaths and other significant events are also often glossed over and the overall final conclusion/scene is a bit of a damp squib.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong gives an excellent performance as the young girl trying to control her powers, and when they are unleashed (accompanied by the pounding John Carpenter score) the film picks up, especially in the final act.

Hardly up there with the classic Stephen King adaptations, but certainly not the bottom of the list either. For a 90 minute easy watch, with some decent performances, an excellent score and some strong cinematography and old school vibe, I enjoyed watching it.