Oh the irony. We the people are once again being manipulated, via our collective nostalgia, memberberries, whatever you want to call it, into watching a movie about big corp manipulating us. Sigh. Let’s face it, they called this movie The Running Man for a reason. That reason being we remember. We remember watching our beloved Arnold Schwarzenegger get real and a little corny with us about the evil, coercive power of money, media, entertainment, reality TV, and etcetera. Trouble is we listened and learned during this first iteration – The Running Man (1987) – so it stings a little as we watch and see what’s really going on here. We know it like the back of a Terminator’s hand. They think we’re sops as they warn us not to be sops. It’s infuriating, because I watched like a sop. Now you might be thinking, well doesn’t the new generation need and deserve to learn about the power of media with a fresher, more modernized version? Sure. Trouble is, it’s a lie; a bloody lie like the ones they’ve been bloody warning us about. This new film is not The Running Man. It’s not a bad movie. It’s okay; and it shares some of the same ideas, but I know and I resent that it’s The Running Man in name only. Now I have enjoyed director Edgar Wright’s films in the past, most notably Shawn of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Baby Driver (2017) were also pretty cool, but none of the aforementioned films scream let’s let that guy helm a remake of Stephen King’s 1982 thriller and Paul Michael Glaser’s 1987 cult classic. And though Wright delivers an entertaining movie, overall it falls short under the weight of the director’s style being married with the concept. It’s more Edgar Wright than the source material and while that has worked for say a Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024), it’s my opinion that The Running Man is a bit outside of Wright’s wheelhouse. He’s not bleak enough and his trademark wiseass tone doesn’t work for me here. I wanted humour, yes, but mostly grit and darkness, with Escape From New York (1981) feels to put it simply. Part of the issue for me is Wright’s penchant for 1960’s and 70’s pop tunes (supervised by Kirsten Lane), notably Sly & The Family Stone’s Underdog and ELO’s Don’t Bring Me Down. They sound great and juxtaposing, but I want a dystopian atmosphere with my Running Man. If I’m being fed the same old message, then at least give me the same old scary feels. The 1987 film’s retro synth-pop gave us sinister vibes. It was an immersive, rather than a cute experience. That being said Wright is having fun and it is ultimately infective, just not in a Stephen King kind of way. Glen Powell is fine and very capable as the lead. On paper he ticks all the boxes, but unfortunately there’s a lack of je ne sais quoi for me. He rotates through a few emotions, but I never believed he was angry. He supposed to be us. The everyman fighting the system. He’s desperate and powerless with everything to lose, with humour yes, but a tongue in his cheek? Sincerely, I was never immersed in this character’s drive. Instead I found myself imagining Powell drinking protein shakes and oiling his biceps between takes. If I found out Glen Powell was created by AI I would not be shocked. Of course he’s what AI thinks we want. That being said, I do like his comedic work, it’s just that his and the tone overall is all off for this remake. And while I’m at it, I also like Carhartt jackets. They’re a classic, originally suiting the working class and the brand is enjoying a resurgence, but do I have to see that same jacket in every movie nowadays? Is there perhaps another way to reflect a pleb? Which brings me to Josh Brolin, the evil one-note bad guy executive out to gaslight the masses. He’s fine as usual, but there’s not enough of a character for him to sink his veneers into. I won’t spoil it, but it’s hard to believe someone at that level, who has garnered the trust and eyeballs of the nation, would be so dumb. Michael Cera makes for a fun Scott Pilgrim reunion for him and Wright, and is a welcome surprise as a paranoid rebel with an entertaining booby-trapped house, because why not? Which is really what this whole movie amounts to. There’s really no cause to remake The Running Man. There’s no new points. We’re a bloodthirsty propagandized bunch of zombies who can be hypnotized into watching anything as long as it’s entertaining. It’s just so annoying how we’re reminded.

WATCH OR NOT: WATCH