Firestarter  ★★½

STEPHEN King’s Firestarter isn’t one of his best or most popular novels.

And the 1984 film isn’t one of the best screen adaptations of those many novels.

So, if you’re going to remake it, you’ve got a reasonable starting point and chance of success.

But director Keith Thomas and his writer Scott Teems largely blow the chance with their 2022 version.

Their Firestarter is not a bad film; it just doesn’t do anything different to challenge the original.

Firestarter is about a secret government society that conducted tests on individuals hoping to give them supernatural mental powers as part of future weapons technology

Andy and Vicky are a young couple who took part in the trials years ago. They now have a young girl, Charlie, who has started exhibiting natural pyrokinetic (fire-starting) ability.

The trio go on the run knowing the government will come after them.

The back-story is revealed in the credits so the film largely amounts to a series of chase and evasion sequences that start to become repetitive in story, setting and outcome.

The special effects are largely fire-related so it’s always going to be difficult juggling CGI with the real thing.

The failure to do that successfully here means there isn’t a high level of tension.

The acting is passable except for Native American actor Michael Greyeyes who exudes a steely menace as a superhuman bounty hunter in relentless pursuit.

It’s passably entertaining but mainly a missed opportunity. Greyeyes’ performance is the standout but the original is still the version to watch.