I tried, I really, really tried to give Edgar Wright’s The Running Man a fair try, but if I am being honest, this was always going to struggle. 1987’s The Running Man is an 80s classic, one of Schwarzenegger’s best movies of the 80s, and an absolute child favorite of mine. I love and I mean love that movie, and I easily watch it every year and always have a great time with it.
Where to Watch The Running Man
The Running Man was released on 14 November 2025. If you want to watch it check Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV or Paramount+.
The Movie Review
A Faithful Take on the Original Novel
Now, that original Running Man movie is based on the Stephen King (well, Richard Bachman) movie, but apart from the character names, they changed like 95 percent of the book for that original movie. Edgar Wright did not want to just remake that 80s movie; he wanted to make a movie that was much more faithful to the novel.
Respecting the Source Material
The thing with that is, I get that. There are so many unnecessary remakes these days that make you wonder what the point of it was. Well, here we have a filmmaker who is actually trying to do something different, so I applaud him for that. Plus, the cast sounded great, Glenn Powell in the lead role along with Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Michael Cera, and William H Macey. It really is a stacked cast, so I thought that the potential for fun was here.
Glenn Powell Steps into Ben Richards’ Shoes
Glenn Powell plays the Schwarzenegger role of Ben Richards. Ben lives in a dystopian world, and he is a husband and a father to a very sick little girl. They cannot afford the medicine that their daughter needs, so Ben applies to go on The Running Man. A TV show that will see him will a ton of money, but if he loses, his family will get money every day that he survives. So in his mind, worst case scenario, he survives a few days, and his daughter will be ok.
A New Spin on the Classic Running Man Premise
This Running Man is very different from the original. Ben has to survive 30 days on the run, while the show’s Hunters try to take him down. That is the base of the plot, and I hate to say it, it lacks the charm, the wit, the style, and just the downright fun that the original movie had. This version of The Running Man is pretty boring if I am being brutally honest. The movie lasts over two hours, but it feels more like three, whereas the original just zooms by, as it is so much fun.
A Disappointing Lineup of Hunters
Now, that original movie had a great lineup of Hunters that were trying to take Ben Richards and his buddies down. In many ways, those original Hunters were like something out of the WWF with how over the top their characters and personalities were. Here, they lack all of that fun and personality and are nowhere near as entertaining as a result.
Colman Domingo Shines as the Show Host
My favorite part of the movie was Colman Domingo, who played the host of The Running Man. Colman Domingo completely hams it up, and I wish that there were more of him in the movie. I so far have loved every movie that Edgar Wright has done; the way he can blend action, humor, and heart together is fantastic. However, his signature style that fans of his love is just not here.
Final Thoughts: A Missed Opportunity
I never in a million years thought that I would like this as much as the 1987 Running Man movie, but with this being closer to the book, I thought it could be different enough to be something new and entertaining. However, what we have here is a pretty average movie. The best thing I can say about it is that the evening after I saw this, I ended up watching The Running Man when I got home, and it made me appreciate and love that movie even more.
