maurog.earth

I went to see The Running Man because I'm a big Edgar Wright fan. I have no attachment to the original film (haven't seen it) but I did read the Stephen King novel it's based on last week and enjoyed it (although it's by no means King's best work).

I'm sad to report that, for my money, this is Edgar Wright's first miss. It's not a bad film, I'd say it's mildly entertaining but never surprising and probably very forgettable. Wright's touches are there, the constant foreshadowing, great needledrops, fast-paced editing and transitions, car chases, etc. But all of those things I look for in his work have been done much better in his previous films (see the Cornetto Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim and Baby Driver). It's clear that this is his most Hollywood/over-produced/too-many-cooks film and it's just disappointing. Even the action sequences are dilluted, when they're supposed to be his specialty.

I also feel like the message of the film ("If you want the truth, turn off the TV") is too on the nose and at least 5 years too late. The over the top fake TV shows and the blatant product placement are just not funny. The Grand Theft Auto games have done it over 20 years ago. The world King created in the late 70s? was a much more impressive feat of imagination than in 2025, when we're pretty much living in the dystopian world they portray.

The main change with respect to the book is the ending and it's for the worse. I've come to accept an average Hollywood happy ending, but the bluffing game in the plane is the most fun part of the book and here they resolve it too quickly and with more uninspired action scenes and bad guys explaining everything into the camera.

I don't have much more to say. I didn't hate it, but because I have such high expectations of Edgar Wright, I can't help to think that he could have done so much better (or a different film). Glen Powell is a very uncharismatic lead (he's Chris Evans-light) and Michael Cera steals the show with his Home Alone-esque traps. That's it.