FIRESTARTER

Cert 15

90 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, injury detail, threat

Stephen King's writing is so vivid and detailed that it must be really tricky to cut it down and adapt it into a movie.

His novel Firestarter is 426 pages long and Mark L. Lester was the first to create a film from it, back in 1984.

His picture just about washed its face at the box office but took a walloping from the critics.

Thirty-five years later, the baton was given to Keith Thomas with almost identical results.

This version stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlie - the daughter of two parents (Zac Efron and Sydney Lemmon) with special psychic powers borne out of medical experiments when they were students.

The consequence is that their lass can create fire or explosions when she is in a state of high emotion.

Indeed, she is so dangerous that a secret government branch hires an assassin (Michael Greyeyes) to kill her  before her powers are out of control.

The movie begins sprightly enough as Charlie's mum and dad try to find the best way to create a relatively normal life for Charlie.

However, it soon becomes apparent that they are all in great peril from outsiders or even the girl's fiery reaction to being threatened.

Firestarter is a fair thriller - there are plenty of heady moments and Armstrong impresses as the girl who can be both vulnerable and savage.

The problem is that it slides too easily over the film's context - blink and the reasons for her situation could be missed.

And then there is the question of why she is being pursued now. Again, it is addressed but only superficially.

Instead the movie - in common with many films nowadays - concentrates much more on the action and injuries than storytelling.

Apparently, its makers forgot that it was created by an author who plays with the mind rather than the eyes. It is a pity they didn't follow suit.