MovieChat Forums > Firestarter (2022) Discussion > Originality

Originality

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
16 replies | jump to latest

Don't look for it in Hollywood...

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78601) 3 years ago

I don’t hate remakes, I’ve thought several of them were pretty solid (Evil Dead 2013 for instance) but this was a bit of a waste of time…the little girl was alright, Drew did better in the role, it all just seemed to slink along with very little excitement and the novel was definitely way more exciting.

[–] sslssg (35194) 3 years ago

So from what I saw in the trailer it looked like this movie deviated quite a bit from the novel. Is that true?

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78601) 3 years ago

Yes, and it was a bit of a snooze throughout.
It’s worth watching if you’re a horror buff but otherwise quite skippable.

[–] sslssg (35194) 3 years ago

I'll probably skip it then. I liked the book well enough, and if the new movie deviates in a way that I don't like it will make me angry. Haha

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78601) 3 years ago

It’s just all a little nothing, that Drew Barrymore was so good in the role they really didn’t need to remake this with some little kid that really just lacks any sort of charm…not to be unkind but this kid is no star.

[–] what11 (359) 3 years ago

Not to mention that King has a lot of material to choose from if you want to adapt his work to big screen. Why remake?

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 years ago

I haven't read all of King's work, but of what I HAVE read, I'd say that Firestarter is in the top tier. It's a well-known novel and perhaps even worthy of being called a sci-fi horror classic.

[–] Scape (527) 3 years ago

I’ve read pretty much everything King has published & “Firestarter” is definitely one of his weaker books (especially considering the time King wrote it, when almost everything he put down was great) but that’s not at all a diss. I like the book too & and am just chiming in to say, if you dug “Firestarter” novel that much than you really need to check out more Stephen King novels. Dude was on fire from 70’s - late 80’s.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 years ago

I started with Firestarter and Carrie and loved both. I also read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, which I thought was good, but certainly not on the previous two.

I also started The Shining but somehow lost interest about a third of the way in. That may be surprising, but it is what it is. I just didn't think it was that compelling.

[–] Scape (527) 3 years ago

Nice. I’m rereading “Salem’s Lot” at the moment. Which was one of the first King books I ever read & always loved. Definitely check it out if you liked “Carrie” & “Firestarter”. And I actually agree with you on “The Shining”. I know it’s blasphemy to say…but I agree.
You have got to check out more of King’s work. Especially his early work like “It”, “Pet Semetary”, “Christine”, “Cujo”, “The Stand”, “Misery” or “The Talisman” which always held a special place with me. Shit, I could go on & on…

If you ever tried audiobooks his Dark Tower novels are great. The first one is a bit of a slog but it’s short & from the second book on it’s amazing.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 years ago

Thing is, I'm a very slow reader, both due to the slowness of my actual reading speed and due to the amount of time I have to devote to reading. it's not uncommon for me to just knock out one or two pages a day. So if a book is more than about 400 pages then I have to think very carefully before I start it because I know I'll probably be working on it for months.

Many of King's books are very long and I tend to avoid those. You'll notice that all the ones I mentioned are pretty short, except for The Shining (which I didn't finish).

[–] Scape (527) 3 years ago

Totally get that, & that’s why I’m here to sell you on Audiobooks. You have got to try them. King books are great in audio format. I think I like them better than reading. With an audiobook it’s like someone’s telling you a bedtime story or something like that, meaning there so easy & fun to get lost in.

They’re great if you don’t have time to read, because you can pop in your headphones & go about with whatever you’re doing. Especially for a long car ride. They’re not very expensive & if you know what you’re doing I’m sure you can even find them for “cheaper”.

I never would’ve made it through “It”, “The Stand” or “The Dark Tower” without audiobooks, because those books are huge, but they truly come to life in audiobook form. Especially if the narrative is by “Frank Muller”. When it’s getting close to the end of the story I didn’t want it to be over. For real, give one a try. Try “Salem’s Lot” it’s kings 2nd book after the success of “Carrie” & it’s not very long. I think you’d enjoy it. And it you dig that then you have got to do something more epic like “It”.

I promise you won’t regret it. Just make sure to get the “Unabridged” version, so you know you’re getting the complete full book.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 years ago

Well that is quite the advertisement for audio books!

I'll look into it. I have tried audio books in the past but I have a different, but equal, problem with listening to them: Whereas when reading, I read slowly, when listening to audio books my mind tends to wander and then I have to back it up and re-listen constantly.

But I'll keep your enthusiastic words in mind and perhaps give one of King's audio books a shot.

[–] Scape (527) 3 years ago

Again, I’m right there with you. I do & did the same thing with audiobooks. I was really bad at that in the beginning, & I still mess up with that. I’m sure everyone does, but soon realized how to be better. Now when I realize I wasn’t paying attention & missing stuff, I just skip back, take a screenshot of where I need to go back to, or a tip - set the playback speed to slower. It helps.
That happens to everyone. So don’t let that hold you back.

The main reason I’m pushing this is because I’d give anything to be able to experience some of my new fav books for the first time again… And Stephen King’s writing/characters or so well written. Give it a try.

So one last bit of encouragement - There’s a whole new world of untapped entertainment waiting for you in books through audiobooks. Nothing like falling into a story where the characters/visuals are in your own mind.

And like they ALWAYS say - “The Book was better than the movie.”

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 3 years ago

Thanks for the heads up.

Since you like audio books, have you taken any time to delve into any of the recent audio dramas that have become popular? They even have "podcast movies" now (as nonsensical as that descriptor sounds).

I listened to this one:

https://c13features.com/ghostwriter/

It was interesting. Nothing amazing, but I liked it well enough and appreciated that its length was manageable.

[–] Scape (527) 3 years ago

Thanks, I’m going to check that out. And if you’re worried about length try Stephen King’s short story books like “Night Shift” has some great stories or “Skeleton Crew” which starts with “The Mist” which is great.