The Running Man (2025) Review

 

Alright, I had a fun time with the original 1987 film, now let's see what this new verison brought to the table.

The Running Man is a sci-fi action thriller and is the second adaption of Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name. This time around production was handled by Kinberg Genre and Complete Fiction, with Paramount Pictures distributing. Edgar Wright not only directed but also wrote the screenplay along with Michael Bacall.

The story is, in the future there's a highly popular game show called The Running Man, in which contestants called runners must survive 30 days from a team of murders hunting them down and if they win they'll be gained $1 billion dollars. The newest contestant is Ben Richards who's desperate to get money to help his sick daughter. The ratings are skyrocketing because audiences are loving Ben's defiance and grit, but this also makes him a threat to the entire system.

Initial Reaction

The main reason as to why I wanted to see this is because of Edgar Wright. I think he's a tremendous director and he's given us a lot of great films. Look no further than stuff like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver, and his previous movie before this, Last Night in Soho. So when I found out he was directing this I just had to see it.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

I found I had two mix feelings. Let's start with the story. Now I still enjoyed it. There was great tension with the Hunters hunting down Ben Richards and the other contestants. I also really loved how Ben's determination lead to a slow building rebellion, and I also just enjoyed Ben just wanting to help his wife and daughter. But where the story falls a little short is the satire elements. Now we got something good with The Network using deepfakes to make it seem like Ben said things he didn't actually say. That's very relevant given how we're currently dealing with deepfakes and A.I. But then you get things that are very on the nose. The most obvious of which is an in-universe show that's clearly a parody of The Kardashians. And I hope you enjoy making fun of them as much as this movie does, because they use that gag over and over again. The other mix bag is the villains. Now I do like they're very cold and ruthless, and are still willing to do their job even if they know The Network will probably screw them over. But they didn't have the memorable personalities that the 1987 film had. Yes I know the '87 versions aren't anything like the original  book versions, but again at those guys had something for to remember. With these versions you're more than likely to forget them.

Pros

One praise I'll give is the pacing. While some bits are slow, a majority of the runtime goes by pretty quick. Kind of surprising given this is thirty-two minutes longer than the '87 flick. I also really dug the tone. I'll always enjoy the original movie, but I do like how this one felt more dystopian than the previous one. It felt more gritty and intense. Then there's Glen Powell. His performance here is great. He really makes you feel for Ben Richards. Both in a sense of him being loud and angry rebel, and as a very loving and caring husband and father. And to continue on with performances I also want praise Colman Domingo as Bobby T. aka the host of The Running Man. He was great at having to sell you bullsh*t. And I loved all of his scenes. So much so I wish we got more of his character. The last thing I write about to wrap up this review is the action. We got some fun urban brawls, smashing drones to pieces, bloody knife fights, and a some really fun chase scenes. Definitely more grittier stuff than the previous movie. So yeah, when it came to the action I wasn't disappointed.

While I felt like the satire at times was pretty obvious and the villains were brutal but not as memorable, there was still plenty of stuff from this version of The Running Man that I liked.

My final rating is, Good.

Okay that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Nov 17th, for my review of the newest Osgood Perkins horror movie, Keeper. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.