Rent The Running Man (2025)

The Jogging Man - The Running Man review by griggs

I was hoping Edgar Wright’s The Running Man would be the feral media satire of my dreams; instead it’s mostly a brisk jog. Sticking closer to the Bachman novel and throwing in AI deepfakes is bang on for 2025, but it never feels as nasty or unsettling as the premise promises. When the show can fake reality so easily, the whole “real people really running” thing starts to look a bit daft.

On the surface it’s classic Wright: punchy chases, scruffy punk rebel ’zines, and a soundtrack crate-dug within an inch of its life. But excellent needle drops alone do not a good movie make. Glen Powell is a likeable lead, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin chew the scenery, yet the satire stays soft. Michael Cera’s Home Alone pastiche is the highlight – a deranged little detour that briefly shows how sharp this could have been. The rest is fun in the moment, but it evaporates on the way out of the cinema.

Somewhat Silly Dystopian SciFi - The Running Man review by GI

A largely disappointing adaptation of a novel by Stephen King although it's a closer story to the book than the earlier adaptation from 1987 that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger (he is homaged here with his picture appearing on bank notes). This is another dystopian film where society has designed a game that contestants have to try and survive but rarely do and all to appease the public! The focus of the narrative is the media control and manipulation to bag riches and control the agenda and thoughts of the general populace. Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, an unemployable worker due to his honesty in pointing ut safety issues, who signs up for the game in desperation for cash for his sick daughter. Essentially the game is three contestants have to survive 30 days while being ruthlessly hunted by armed nasties. They can go anywhere but the public are constantly encouraged to report sightings of them and media technology is constantly monitoring everyone anyway. There's also a growing underground anti-establishment movement who occasionally provide help along the way. Michael Cera has the best role as a young rebel. Josh Brolin plays the slimy boss who controls the game through lies and doctored footage. The film has some set pieces that are entertaining but the script occasionally feels cheesy and one wonders if there was an intent for this to be read as a satire. The pacing is varied and at times events seem too contrived to work as a sinister sci-fi thriller. Overall it's forgettable.