At dinner at the Master of Terror
Despite the years, Stephen King continues to inspire. The adaptations of his novels constantly draw audiences to theaters, so it should come as no surprise that there are so many of them. It is worth highlighting, while recommending: The Shining (1980), Misery (1990), Carrie (1976) The Dead Zone (1983), The Shawshank Condemned (1994), The Green Mile (1999), The Secret Window (2004), Fog (2007), 1408 (2007), To (2017) or To 2 (2019). The most recent story on screen is Arsonist(although, as probably commonly known, filmmakers had to deal with adaptation before). The story of a family of three with supernatural abilities first appeared on screen in 1984, and critics highlighted both its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, in 2002 it was continued – a secret government organization again wanted to take over the skills (pyrokinesis) of the heroine, Charlene ‘Charlie’ McGee. Sequel, however, had nothing to do with King’s work, which did not herald anything good from the beginning. In a word: it was simply unnecessary. And it’s 2022, and another idea comes up, this time by Keith Thomas (director) and Scott Teems (writer). Will the latest arsonist ignite the viewer’s heart? Not. Nein. Yeah. Non. Nej. Hayir. Ni.
Promotional materials for the film “Arsonist” from Galapagos Films
Not all gold …
Blumhouse Production has surprised us more than once, becoming a springboard to success for many horror productions. Thanks to the actions of this American, films appeared on the market, among others Paranormal Activity , Marked , Sinister , Visit , Amityville , Halloween , Purge Night , Ouija or Jessabelle . Collaboration with directors such as Mike Flanagan, Christopher Landon, James Wan, Spike Lee, James DeMonaco, Leigh Whannell, Damien Chazelle, Jordan Peele and M. Night Shyamalan brought the expected effect – fame. Unfortunately, the latest Blumhouse Production offer should be spared nice words.Arsonist , an adaptation of King’s 1980 novel, does not impress. The plot – as in 1984 – focuses on a family endowed with supernatural abilities, whose life is changed by a dark medical experiment. It cannot be denied that the slightly modernized message resembles other productions popular today. Charlie is a bit like the sister of Eleven from Stranger Things (together they could coiled the world!). Unfortunately, the actors playing in the latest adaptation seem to be totally random. I was particularly irritated by Zac Efron, a superfather who would certainly do well in a comedy (even a romantic one). In Arsonisthowever, his role did not convince me at all – he shows one face in every situation. The creation of the title arsonist is also underdeveloped – the girl talks about love for her parents, but later forgets it. The viewer, however, remembers that a heroine with pyrokinetic skills can be dangerous.
Promotional materials for the film “Arsonist” from Galapagos Films
… What’s up.
The arsonist will not set your hearts on fire, it will put you to sleep within 90 minutes at most. The director and screenwriter misused the base (they probably didn’t read the original at all …) and put the viewer in a moody mood – he had to fight with himself to stay awake. Attempts to modernize the original are acceptable, but … not the absurdities of the plot. This made the final assessment. You can defend the production – blocks, puzzle, no glue, but unfortunately … if someone watched the first adaptation of Drew Barrymore, he won’t let himself be squeezed. But … undoubtedly the music of a certain trio deserves to be appreciated – John Carpenter (bravo, bravo, bravo!), His son Cody and godson Daniel Davis did a great job and reminded us of the 1980s!
Visually
The album looks very good – the main character, engulfed in flames, looks straight into the eyes of the buyer and undoubtedly attracts his attention. However, this is not enough … When it comes to the technical specification of the film, we have a choice of Polish, English and Spanish voiceover and subtitles: Polish, Czech, Danish, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish and English for the deaf. On the packaging you will also find information that due to the fact that the disc has a double layer, short pauses are possible. I confirm, unfortunately this is happening, which only increases the irritation. Even before the screening.
