“What’s the greatest television show in the whole wide world?!” Well, it’s no longer the OG Running Man. Or, was it really ever? Paul Glaser’s 1987 action romp on a modest budget is a Schwarzenegger fan’s often cited cult favorite. But let’s be honest, zingy one liners aside, it was never really a great flick. Stacked next to smash hits like Terminator 2, Total Recall and True Lies, The Running Man is a snooze fest. With Arnold playing his already established action hero self and a plot so divorced from creator Stephen King’s vision that King disowned any involvement or acknowledgment of the film.
Now that we have that preamble out of the way… some spoilers follow. Fair warning.
In short, The Running Man 2025 is excellent. It’s out locally in cinemas from today. So stop reading, stow your doubt, grab some popcorn and get ready for a good time. Catch you back in a few hours. This flick is a contender. Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead) skillfully directs a tightrope walk between faithful literary adaptation and cinematic spectacle. Glen Powell (Chad Powers, Top Gun: Maverick) takes an excellent turn as Ben Richards, a completely relatable, all-round every-man who’s had it up to his neck living downtrodden in the American corporate dystopia. A world that rewards selfishness, greed and apathy while punishing decency and common sense. Powell is having a blast, playing a character who’s never been out to start trouble, but catches it at every turn anyhow, any which way and stubbornly refuses to lose.
Screenwriters Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street, Project X) and Wright take Stephen King’s source material and play with it, for the sake of modern times. Retaining the core themes of the novella but updating the social commentary. A few fourth wall breaking moments will have you either nodding in approval or shaking your head. Kind of frightening to ponder how far we are in this moment, how gentle a nudge it could take to send us down this road. Where mega media corps own government and industry, exploiting and (literally) poisoning the populace to abandon all moral fibre for promise of financial gain in a rigged system. Where fake news, live and interactive murder, replace fake short-term TV marriages and celebrities pooping in holes on a tropical island. Not up for this reviewer to judge where you land on that. That’s on you.
Praise aside, it’s not all a ten-out-of-ten experience. The film is overly long with a couple of superfluous filler characters. Trimming characters Molie (William H Macy) and Amelia (Emilia Jones) would improve pace. The latter having no effect on plot and the former, patching an annoying plot armor hole that kills a chunk of the third act. (Stored industrial explosives tend to detonate around fire, revealing its existence). It could be argued that Michael Cera’s character should also be culled as there’s no plot value there either. However, his scenes as the unhinged Elton are gleefully violent and pretty funny. In fact, all the supporting characters, including Josh Brolin as exec Dan Killian, are cookie cutter, single dimensional comic book filler and villains. Perhaps this is why Powell shines so bright, he doesn’t have to work too hard to stand out amongst this lot.
In summary though, if you’re an Edgar Wright fan, his DNA is all through this one and you’ll not be disappointed. It’s a perfect marriage of Wright’s pointed, tongue-in-cheek snark and Stephen King’s bleak, desperate situational misery. If you’re a die hard fan of the 1987 Schwarzenegger flick, you might not like this too much. However, that doesn’t mean this outing is a terrible movie. This reviewer is looking forward to see where Glen Powell pops up next. He’s been nailing everything from action drama, comedy and romance. The Running Man 2025 is a solid 8/10 speculative action romp that’s well worth the price of admission. BEN RICHARDS LIVES!
