The Running Man
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.
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.
Mini Review: 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. The Bachman angle and AI deepfakes are bang on for 2025, and the chases, punk rebel ’zines and needle drops are classic Wright. But the satire stays soft. Michael Cera’s deranged Home Alone pastiche is the highlight; the rest is fun, then gone by the time you hit the car park.
More Reviews of The Running Man
Janomi
There is enough action, energy, and nostalgia here to make for an entertaining watch. Fans of the original will appreciate the various throwbacks, and the updated premise works ...
chmul_cr0n
Fuck yeah.
Has the right kind of middlefingerness and anti-establishmentality that's always fun to see movies lean into. Especially movies like this.
Glen ...
Has the right kind of middlefingerness and anti-establishmentality that's always fun to see movies lean into. Especially movies like this.
Glen ...
decatur555
The Running Man starts as a very straightforward action film, but what really hooks you is how easy it is to believe in the world it presents. This isn’t a distant or sophistica...
See all 4 reviews of The Running Man
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