The Wasteland Reviewer

The Running Man (2025) Written Review

What a year for Stephen King adaptations, right? The Life of Chuck might not have gotten a ton of attention, but it was a profoundly beautiful cinematic experience. The Long Walk is one of the best films of the year and a deeply brutal and powerful exploration of relevant themes. But the next adaptation from King’s work takes quite a different tone and approach from the beautiful and brutal ones to already come out this year. One of film’s most engaging and interesting filmmakers, Edgar Wright, takes the reins of reimagining an already adapted tale of dystopia in The Running Man. 

How does Wright bring this dark tale of dangerous game shows to torture the down-trotted, perpetrated by the powerful? There is a darkness to the story of The Running Man but that does stop Wright from delivering a pulpy and thrilling tone for his adaptation of King’s work. The blockbuster takes on the story and leans heavily on plenty of visual effects. The way the CGI is leveraged to bring some of the more futuristic elements of this world to life is quite effective. There are plenty of practical elements that are leveraged for this action flick as well. Wright delivers plenty of high energy, dynamic action with some immersive camera work from cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. Steven Price’s score and its mixture with Wright penchant for needle drops gives the film plenty of personality too. There is plenty of energy as this thriller propels forward with confidence and personality. The direction certainly is not the problem with this film. 

Where do the issues arise for this new adaptation of King’s dystopian story? Shockingly, Wright’s writing is by far the weakest element of The Running Man. This is so weird to say since Wright’s writing is one of the biggest highlights of most of his films. There are elements that Wright and cowriter Michael Bacall do well still including injecting plenty of fun humor into the film. The writing shortcomings arise early as the first 10 minutes of set-up feel uninspired and clunky. There are plenty of interesting ideas in the film about totalitarianism and oppression, but it gets murkier as the film goes on. This film has the feel of overstuffed elements as well as choppy structure that lacks cohesive tissue. There are a shocking number of shortcuts in the writing and Wright leans too heavily into annoying tropes like “it was just a dream” to explore certain elements of the film. Wright and Bacall divert the film in a different direction at the end (instead of the much darker ending that King had) which gives it a bit of a “happy ending”. Where details are the strength of Wright’s other works, detail feels like it is lacking in The Running Man. 

How does the cast fair in elevating the material provided to them? Glen Powell is one of the most powerful forces of charisma working in film today. His sheer natural presence and energy elevate a relatively underwritten hero. You cannot help but be drawn to Powell and that is deeply significant to the overall story of the film. He sells every bit of rage and sadness that is asked of his character throughout the film. Performers like Katy O’Brian and Jayme Lawson are dragged down by shallow character material. Emilia Jones does her best to add layers to her “character” who is just an idea. But Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, and Lee Pace all shine despite their lack of depth. A nice dash of William H. Macy and Michael Cera liven up the film as well. It is a shame that many of the female characters are given so little that it leaves the female performers in the film greatly overshadowed along the way. 

Is The Running Man another win for King adaptations this year? Not quite. This film is a clunky effort from an otherwise incredible filmmaker like Wright. The writing is lacking but the relevant themes still stand out through murkiness. The action is quite impressive (as you would expect from Wright) and really is the film’s biggest asset. Well at least along with the endless charismatic Powell. Thoroughly entertaining but shaky in execution, The Running Man is not quite the adaptation that does King’s story due justice.