'The Running Man' Is More of a Jog Than a Sprint Toward Revolution
Let's address the elephant in the room: Is the 2025 Running Man better than the original? Yes. But it's not hard to pull off. The 1987 original is one of those 80s action flicks that lacks the identity of other Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. It has subpar action, lame one-liners, and a protagonist who's more of a cool action vehicle than a fully rounded character. In 2025's Running Man, we have a slightly more interesting protagonist, a much greater grasp on scale and production design, and an improved pace. The movie is like a comedic Orwellian-inspired flick. Unfortunately, it lacks the originality and usual style of Edgar Wright, and a flat performance from its lead, rendering the film just okay when it could have been much better.
From the get-go, it's apparent that this running man is not a copy-and-paste remake, for the most part. Instead of being a loner who refuses to kill civilians for the military, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is simply a man who's trying to get treatment for his ailing daughter. As he speaks to his boss, it's revealed that he has committed insubordination on multiple occasions. Ben is part of the oppressive system, but he doesn't completely ascribe to it. Ben has moral values that most of the public may share, but dares to call out the broken militarized state of the US when others are afraid to do so. Parallels could be drawn to today, but so can any movie about a fascist state, since history tragically repeats itself. The Running Man isn't a commentary on contemporary America, as the book was written decades ago by Stephen King. Still, that doesn't ignore the fact that dystopian revolution films are a hot market right now. From Eddington, One Battle After Another, The Long Walk (another King adaptation), and this, it's clear we are living in a terribly dark period that we pray will end sometime soon. If ever.
In terms of production design, this newest Running Man adaptation is significantly better than the original film. The picture adopts the classic Blade Runner 2049 aesthetic, blending analog with contemporary digital technology. There are people using iPhones, yet CRT televisions are still scattered throughout the world. It's an intentional design since watching people stare at their screens doesn't make for very good cinema. For the guy who directed the Cornetto Trilogy and Baby Driver, The Running Man is a step down from Wright's typical action.
The camera doesn't spin around like a ballet dancer on speed, while the usage of licensed music cuts to action is minimal. Why Edgar Wright, who's known for action that only he can pull off, tackles such explosive material with a conventional approach is an enigma. Was the production tight on time, so Wright had to limit his camera tricks? Another element of the film that doesn't work is its lead performance.
Glen Powell is certainly more of a conventional actor than the muscle-bound Schwarzenegger, but he lacks the toughness Arnold has. There's no real edge to Powell. Whenever he goes on a rage-fueled tirade (which happens throughout the picture), it's simply not believable. Glen is too gentle to be taken seriously as a galvanizing force of chaos, no matter how big his muscles are, which, hoo boy, is he sexy with his shirt off. Good looks don't make a performance non-believable. It's very easy to buy Brad Pitt as an unhinged psycho in Fight Club. Glen doesn't have that unpredictability that actors like Brad Pitt contain, though.
Even when Powell tries to be sensitive, he seems to be reciting the lines instead of genuinely feeling anything. In fact, it would have been more dynamic if Colman Domingo or Josh Brolin could have swapped roles with Powell. Colman isn't tough, but he knows how to evoke emotions, which is more than enough. Instead, Colman plays the game show host while Brolin is the diabolical CEO.
Despite its casting and stylistic mishaps, there's much to enjoy in The Running Man. For a 2.15-hour film, it moves briskly with hardly a moment where the picture feels like it's dragging. The cinematography looks amazing, until the camera moves too much, making the blurs on the digital censor distractingly obvious. The film's final message is effective, and many of the cameo characters are enjoyable to watch. Sadly, this isn't the banger you'd expect. Instead, The Running Man sprints towards mediocrity.
