The adaptation of one of Stephan King's better novels comes across as positive if only for the screen presence of Drew Barrymore. She holds the film's improbabilities together with a mixture of innocence and grit that no other child actor could possibly have given.
Tangerine Dream's electronic score, starting with the haunting title theme, "Crystal Voice", carry the story very well, moving from times of cool mystery to frantic panic to the driving beat of the demise of the Shop at the hands of Charley's awesome, unleashed pyrokinetic power.
The ending is not as good as the book's, opting for Charley to be escorted to the newspaper building rather than seeking it out on her own.
As for the casting, David Keith came across as perhaps a little too tortured, Martin Sheen as slimy as they come, along with good bits by Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, Heather Locklear, Freddie Jones and Moses Gunn.
A major bit of miscasting was in the choice of George C. Scott hamming it up as the shop's Native American (?) assassin. The part, originally offered to Edward James Olmos, was refused because of political protest from the Hispanic actor over casting him rather than a true Native American. So they went to George C. Scott? Absolutely bloody awful choice, as is the choice of Malcolm McDowell in the same role for the upcoming sequel, "Firestarter:Rekindled". What are producers and casting agents thinking? That we won't notice the British accent?
Tangerine Dream's electronic score, starting with the haunting title theme, "Crystal Voice", carry the story very well, moving from times of cool mystery to frantic panic to the driving beat of the demise of the Shop at the hands of Charley's awesome, unleashed pyrokinetic power.
The ending is not as good as the book's, opting for Charley to be escorted to the newspaper building rather than seeking it out on her own.
As for the casting, David Keith came across as perhaps a little too tortured, Martin Sheen as slimy as they come, along with good bits by Art Carney, Louise Fletcher, Heather Locklear, Freddie Jones and Moses Gunn.
A major bit of miscasting was in the choice of George C. Scott hamming it up as the shop's Native American (?) assassin. The part, originally offered to Edward James Olmos, was refused because of political protest from the Hispanic actor over casting him rather than a true Native American. So they went to George C. Scott? Absolutely bloody awful choice, as is the choice of Malcolm McDowell in the same role for the upcoming sequel, "Firestarter:Rekindled". What are producers and casting agents thinking? That we won't notice the British accent?