The Running Man Reboot Reviewed: Style Over Substance But Still A Blast

THE RUNNING MAN (Paramount Pictures)

Directed by Edgar Wright

Starring Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones

If you haven’t seen the original 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film nor read the 1982 Stephen King novel, fret not: the 2025 remake of The Running Man can be enjoyed and understood on its own merits. Ironically, this dystopian tale is of even more relevance since the advent of AI, and the cautionary story it weaves feels like it could have been penned recently. 

Taking place in a highly surveilled and controlled society where the government uses technology to rule the populace with an iron fist and oppress the poor, The Running Man does a good job of raising some uncomfortable questions in an entertaining way. Disgruntled citizen Ben Richards’ (Glen Powell), one of the aforementioned poor populace, finds himself with few options but to apply for one of the country’s popular reality TV shows. Unfortunately, he is best suited to The Running Man, the one show he hoped to avoid. While The Running Man gives the highest returns, its competitors never return to enjoy their spoils. Tracked down ceaselessly by ‘hunters’ and ‘goons’ and reported by the public, the ‘runners’ have to survive 30 days without being caught. Although initially reluctant to take part in what is effectively a suicide mission, Ben realises he is but a cog in a much more powerful machine, and resigns himself to his fate, determined to be the first runner to outlast the month. PA

What follows, is a funny, interesting and action- packed game of cat and mouse, set to a banging soundtrack. There’s no doubt about it; The Running Man is an entertaining film. Its biggest downfall, however, is that, given its grim premise, it could be seen as contrived and flippant, especially given how things are constantly tied up with a neat bow in the movie. If you set aside your misgivings and view this simply as a slick and fun exercise, you won’t be disappointed, but don’t expect it to deliver sizeable substance over style.

While I can’t, again, weigh this up next to the Arnie version, my husband informs me that this is closer and more faithful to the novel than the Arnold Schwarzenegger film. I give it 4 stars because, even though it can be unrealistic, I did still enjoy it, and it reminds of the ‘cheesy’ vibe of the 80s. Given the depressing backdrop against which it’s set, the movie is still surprisingly upbeat, which some might find insincere and annoying, but which I appreciated. And while some might think the film disingenuous or as vapid as the reality shows it portrays, (like Americanos, a thinly veiled nod to The Kardashians), who knows? Perhaps there is method to their madness. After all, when it comes to delivering unsettling messages, perhaps you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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