Lackluster adaptation of a Stephen King novel
“Firestarter,” based on a novel by Stephen King, was first adapted into a movie in 1984 starring Drew Barrymore just two years after her film debut in “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.” That first adaptation was a reasonable translation (if not a blockbuster) of King’s novel, so it’s interesting that the green light was given for the recent re-make.<br /><br />Andy McGee (Zac Efron) and his wife Vicky (Sydney Lemmon) met in college as subjects in an FDA clinical trial that turned out to be a government experiment by a shadowy operation known as “The Shop” to test the effects of a mind-altering chemical compound. As a result, both Andy and Vicky have telekinetic and telepathic abilities that they’ve passed on to their daughter, 11-year-old Charlie (Ryan Keira Armstrong). This child also has pyrokinetic power — the ability to start fires with her mind.<br /><br />Not to draw attention to their abilities, the family have kept a low profile and tried to blend in, but lately the parents have begun to see that Charlie is having difficulty controlling her fire-starting proclivity. The agency also takes notice, and sends John Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes) to capture Charlie. Andy and Charlie go on the run.<br /><br />My first impression of the film was that it is unremarkable. Young Armstrong shoulders a lot of the film and she’s really not up to it. In the first film adaptation, audiences were familiar with Drew Barrymore and she elicited instant empathy. It’s harder to warm to Armstrong. Her Charlie is sweet and most effective in her quiet scenes but when she’s angry, her fierceness fails to ring true.<br /><br />Efron delivers a thoughtful performance and avoids overplaying, which keeps balance in the picture. With a beard, he looks older and his manner suggests a father torn by guilt, frustration, and fear. Unburdened with an overabundance of dialogue, he relies on facial expression and body language to convey emotion.<br /><br />The supporting characters are not developed adequately and come off merely as means to advance the plot as quickly as possible. Gloria Reuben, as one of the people intent on bringing Charlie in for extensive study and experimentation, speaks with icily efficient authority but is simply a vessel for loads of exposition. Lemmon’s Vicky is protective of Charlie and, when things get intense, is ready to defend her at all costs, but she has insufficient screen time. Kurtwood Smith (“Dead Poets Society”) plays the original administrator of the drug as a stereotypical unhinged genius who looks and acts as if he were mentored by Dr. Frankenstein. Greyeyes’ Rainbird is supposed to come off as scary and cold-blooded but never achieves the menace of, say, Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men.”<br /><br />First-time feature director Keith Thomas has the unfortunate ability to make an exciting premise lumber along, generating little suspense in the process. The visuals involving fire effects are well staged, and he succeeds in conveying the emotional and telepathic bond between father and daughter, but the overall effect of the movie is rather tepid and it seems more a made-for-TV production than a theatrical feature. Apart from updating the story to the present day, the remake remains much the same as the original movie. Scott Teems’ screenplay is not particularly involving. Too much time is spent on the McGees’ efforts to be inconspicuous, too little of them on the run, and there are fewer pyrotechnic scenes than you might imagine in a picture called “Firestarter.” Watching the climactic scene, I was reminded of the Peggy Lee song “Is that all there is?"<br /><br />Bonus materials on the 2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack from Universal/Blumhouse include:<br />Audio Commentary with director Keith Thomas<br />Alternate Ending<br />Deleted & Extended Scenes:<br />  Andy Reflects in Mirror<br />  Andy’s Lot Six Nightmare - Extended<br />  Wanless Gets a Visitor - Extended<br />  Rainbird Scare / Wildlife Hunt<br />  Charlie Treks to Find Andy<br />  Charlie Counts Down “Five, Four, Three, Two, Lies”<br />  Andy’s Visionary Escape From the Cell<br />Gag Reel<br />A Kinetic Energy featurette<br />Spark a Fire featurette<br />Igniting Firestarter featurette<br />Power Struggle featurette<br />Digital Code on a paper insert<br /><br />“Firestarter” is about the ill-thought-out choices of parents that play out through their children, as well as the effects of government creating havoc for an ordinary family. Unfortunately, director Thomas takes a familiar path through the story, completely missing opportunities to make the picture distinctive and memorable.
The movie title "Firestarter 2022 Digital," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.3 from 390 reviewers. 
It features elements such as [], and it is priced at $12.99.

This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Blu-ray and Movies. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Package Dimensions": "6.69 x 5.47 x 0.51 inches; 6.35 Ounces", "Director": "Various", "Media Format": "Blu-ray", "Run time": "1 hour and 35 minutes", "Release date": "June 28, 2022", "Actors": "Various", "Studio": "Universal Pictures Home Entertainment", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "2"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Blumhouse reignites Firestarter with this explosive adaptation of the classic Stephen King thriller. Protected by her parents, Charlie has lived her childhood on the run and has kept her extraordinary pyrokinetic powers in check. But now that she's turning 11, the flames are harder to control, and sinister forces are seeking to capture her. Charlie must learn to embrace the fire from within and fight to control it in order to protect her family and freedom..