“The Running Man” was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I am one of those people who think Glen Powell has what it takes to be a movie star, especially after charismatic performances in “Twisters” and “Hit Man.” I also am a sucker for the 1987 version of this movie, an action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead instead of Powell, and I was excited to see how this adaptation compared. Especially since it seemed to be a truer adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel (written under the name Richard Bachman) than the Governator-led version.
So imagine my surprise when I left the theater after two hours and 13 minutes feeling … well, nothing. That’s not to say I was disappointed; this movie is fun, features some enjoyable performances and is a slick, polished action thriller. But, perhaps because of its polish, it feels soulless, as if it were a paint-by-numbers blockbuster rather than living up to the potential of its source material.
Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom’s Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don’t have to watch the bad ones.
You can wait for ‘The Running Man’ to hit Paramount Plus
Full disclosure: I’ve never read “The Running Man.” So if you haven’t either, here’s the rundown on the movie’s plot, which is largely adapted from the novel. It’s set in a dystopian near-future version of America (the novel is actually set in 2025). The economy is broken, and corporations rule what has become a police state. To pacify the masses, the media network in control has created FreeVee, which bombards everyone with endless entertainment.
Enter Ben Richards (Powell), who is blacklisted from working anywhere within the fictional Co-Op City. When his daughter becomes sick, he decides to try out for one of the network’s game shows, a prospect that scares his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson).
Turns out she’s scared for good reason. The one show Richards is deemed fit for is “The Running Man,” a survival show with deadly consequences. Contestants can win $1 billion if they survive for just 30 thirty days. They even get $1,000 and a 12-hour head start. But there are two catches. To earn their money, contestants have to send in a tape every day to be aired on the show. They also have to evade the Hunters, led by the mysterious Evan McCone (Lee Pace), and the Hunters are authorized to kill the contestants. In fact, anyone can kill a contestant, and the network will even reward civilians who help bring down a runner.
Watch On
It’s an incredible premise that, as I already mentioned, produces a pretty straightforward action movie. “The Running Man” plays with having deeper themes of anti-consumerism, anti-capitalism, etc., and it’s not as if those themes aren’t there. Everywhere Glen Powell’s Ben Richards goes, he runs into the victims of this dystopian future, and he finds a few people willing to fight the good fight along the way.
But make no mistake, this is ultimately a movie about getting from point A to point B, and killing a lot of people along the way. Powell’s Richards is fueled by borderline uncontrollable rage. There are explosions, gruesome kills and some fun action sequences. The high point of the movie is probably Powell running around with Michael Cera in a house, killing a bunch of government goons.
This straightforward nature is perhaps why I felt so little while watching this movie, though. Again, this movie is not bad. There are well-executed action set pieces and some good performances. Powell, Cera, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin are all great, especially Brolin as the evil network executive Dan Killian. Lee Pace is good in the one scene where he gets to shine. But often, it feels like there are no layers to the performances; instead, the actors are merely ripping the words and actions straight off the pages of the script.
Again, this isn’t inherently a bad thing with a big action blockbuster. The movie is fun. It will maybe even be rewatchable, despite being so forgettable. It really doesn’t have any bad moments, though some characters are weaker than others. I will admit, the ending doesn’t work for me, and it’s a key point of deviation from King’s novel, which has a better ending in my opinion. For as surprisingly faithful an adaptation as this is, wrapping everything up with a deus ex machina ending is an odd choice, and it feels like a cop out.
Still, I enjoyed watching it in theaters, but I imagine I would have enjoyed it just as much by streaming it at home. Eventually, you’ll be able to watch “The Running Man” on Paramount Plus. And you may prefer to wait for this action movie to hit the streaming service. If you go to the theater, you’ll have a decent time. But, if you decide to wait, I’m not sure you’ll be any worse for it.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
