TAGGED AS: Action, movies, Sci-Fi
Based on a novel by Stephen King, The Running Man arrives in theaters this weekend, and the first reviews are out now. Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) co-wrote and directed this version of the dystopian story, offering a more faithful adaptation than the 1987 sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Glen Powell leads the update as Ben Richards, the latest contestant in a deadly competition series. He is said to be one of the reasons to see what’s simply a fun popcorn movie, but many of the reviews argue that the ending is a disappointment.
Here’s what critics are saying about The Running Man:
It’s one of the most crowd-pleasing pictures of the year.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
It’s fun with a bucket of popcorn, hits a theme that will resonate, and gives audiences a good time.
— Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho? A Geek Community
Watching it through the lens of a blockbuster or piece of popcorn entertainment, The Running Man delivers enough energy, style, and star power to keep audiences engaged.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
It is rare that we get a fun new action movie in cinemas and Edgar Wright’s The Running Man gives that rush of a good old-fashioned action film to us and so much more.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
This movie is unlikely to blow you away, but for effective and entertaining blockbuster cinema-going, complete with a movie star at its center, you can’t go wrong here.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Never anything but likable and fun… There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
The Running Man is an undeniably entertaining Hollywood actioner.
— Jay Ledbetter, AwardsWatch
The Running Man is an entertaining, fun ride that doesn’t quite reach its potential.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
Don’t worry, old-school Arnold lovers: It’s so insanely different from the original movie that you can adore one without losing any love for the other.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
Those who love the 1987 original should still feel right at home in the new flick’s rambunctiously comedic tone… It does still have quirky one-liners, some absolutely bonkers action sequences, and a meaningful commentary on how seemingly over-the-top sci-fi worlds aren’t as different from the real world as they may seem.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Looking back at the original, Wright’s film often seems more like a restoration project than a remake, to the extent that the director has taken a bold step away from the quaint comedy that peppers his British movies.
— Damon Wise, Deadline Hollywood Daily
What elevates this adaptation above its predecessor is how sharply it confronts contemporary anxieties. The film does not simply ask what society would do to entertain itself—it asks what it is already doing.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
This take on The Running Man won’t dethrone Arnold’s film in the pop culture consciousness.
— Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho? A Geek Community
There is something to be said about how [the 1987] vision of King’s work, although lacking accuracy, has created a guilty-pleasure legacy of its own that may, in fact, make it more memorable than this.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
Wright has made one of his most approachable movies yet… [His] signature elements of impeccably synced-up edits and perfectly timed needle drops also feel right at home in The Running Man‘s wacky world.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Edgar Wright’s stylistic fingerprints are unmistakable… This is [his] most accomplished Hollywood film to date.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
Wright is able to make The Running Man feel exactly like something that makes sense for him… The most Wright’s style feels intact is before the final bits of the flick, but this is a definite good match for his sensibilities.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
This is more of a journeyman effort from Wright than usual, without the ricocheting momentum and clockwork precision of Baby Driver or the dazzling style and enveloping mood of Last Night in Soho.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
It doesn’t really offer Wright much of an opportunity to bring his own flair to the project — beyond the casting of Cera and some slapstick elements, it’s hard to get a sense of his own personal stamp on the material.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Edgar Wright creates solid enough action, but it’s far from the level of creativity we’ve come to know from him.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
Wright is a competent director, but may be better served going back to lower-budget original films to re-find his footing.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
It will satisfy those who love the book… [but] hardcore fans of the book may take issue is with the movie’s ending.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Readers who remember the book’s conclusion will be either giddy or gag at this faithful interpretation’s commitment to the bit.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone
It has the rebellious spirit of Stephen King’s original source material.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
What I think works incredibly well with this adaptation is the balance between the themes in King’s book while making sure the “game show” aspect of The Running Man is sold in vibrant colors and upsetting kills.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
As a Stephen King adaptation with something unique to say, it stops short of crossing the finish line.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
It comes off more as an aesthetic siphoning of King’s work than a meaningful adaptation.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
The film suffers similarly to other adaptations with overwritten dialogue and thinly veiled themes and real-world comparisons.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall efficaciously capture the twists and turns of corporate-backed news and manufactured consent.
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall take King’s work and craft a script rich with anti-authoritarian ideas. However, when it comes time to pay them off, the screenplay fails to deliver a truly profound message.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
The script is bogged down with overwritten dialogue and has some pacing issues that lead to its 133-minute run time.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
When it leans into its satirical edge, though, The Running Man works best.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Its biting commentary on the ethics of reality television and how that very same form of entertainment permeates the public zeitgeist makes for quite possibly Wright’s most politically charged and challenging movie yet.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
The movie looks beyond media satire to recognize how the people of a country obsessed with filming itself might be uniquely incapable of seeing each other clearly.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire
There is a Kardashians reality parody running in the background throughout the movie that speaks to Wright’s love for skewering pop culture, but it feels a little defanged.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
It has some very entertaining and inventive action set pieces. Some of these are oners, including some elaborate drone camerawork, which are unlike anything Wright has crafted before.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Each big action set piece has its own feel and a unique, innovative take. Wright never does the same thing twice, and within the confines of this go-anywhere, do-anything game show, he finds many ways to have fun and push boundaries.
— Germain Lussier, io9.com
Whenever the movie begins to drag, we’re hit with a brisk and kinetic action beat that explodes with marvelous pyrotechnics and ferociously convincing stunt work.
— Jarrod Jones, Paste Magazine
The Running Man harkens back to the Harrison Ford days when you always knew you were in for a good time with one of his action movies. And I’ve missed this kind of action film.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
The action is surprisingly a hit-or-miss, especially given Wright’s impressive technical prowess seen in Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver.
— Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania
The action scenes leave a lot to be desired, riddled with overediting that makes it hard to follow what’s going on. There are a few more successful longer takes that really immerse you into the fight, but they are few and far between.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
Production designer Marcus Rowland nails the tricky aesthetic of five-minutes-in-the-future, mixing the gleam of technology and the beaten-down neighborhoods of the downtrodden in a way that feels both relevant and organic.
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon makes the dilapidated art deco of the Boston slums look more full of life than our brief glimpses at the tony part of town. He shoots the areas outside the city limits with a vivid sense of entropy.
— David Ehrlich, IndieWire
While Chung Chung-hoon’s cinematography doesn’t reach the heights of his work on The Handmaiden or even Last Night in Soho, his lens still elevates the film’s action set pieces, which stand as its true visual highlights.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Wright and director of photography Chung-hoon Chung have to do a lot of work visually to make this film compelling, mixing the drab, gray cityscapes with more colorful lighting.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
It looks… fine enough.
— Jay Ledbetter, AwardsWatch
The reason The Running Man is worth seeing is its leading man…Powell’s take on anger is made even more compelling because of the charisma he exudes on screen.
— Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho? A Geek Community
His portrayal as Ben Richards is everything you would want from a dystopian protagonist.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Powell is, as always, charming and captivating even with rage bubbling beneath him at all times.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Powell proves he can navigate chase scenes, stunt-heavy action sequences, and a clothing-optional escape that owes a debt to Harold Lloyd as good as anyone getting paid nine-figure salaries today.
— David Fear, Rolling Stone
Glen Powell turns in a high star wattage performance.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
Delivering a pure adrenaline-fueled movie-star performance, Powell’s charm and magnetism are on full display as he brings The Running Man’s chaos to life.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
A career-defining turn… Glen Powell proves again that he is Tom Cruise’s rightful heir as cinema’s new favourite action man.
— Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
Powell is really making his case for being one of the few true movie stars of his generation, bringing a manic glee to the screen that gives him that special spark beyond being really really ridiculously good-looking.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
It fails to erase lingering doubts about Glen Powell’s viability as a leading man.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
Colman Domingo as The Running Man host Bobby T is worth the price of a ticket alone. If anything, like most films, it could’ve used more of Domingo.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
The real showstopper is Colman Domingo… [His] confidence and swagger oozes through the screen in his limited role.
— Cameron Ritter, Geek Vibes Nation
Coleman Domingo and Michael Cera are scene stealers, while Josh Brolin feels wasted as a cookie-cutter corporate villain.
— David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
Michael Cera [gives a] gleefully unhinged, scene-stealing supporting turn as the young rebel who helps Ben. The entire scene that pairs him with Powell’s Ben is easily the movie’s most memorable moment.
— Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania
Katy O’Brian and William H. Macy stand out as impeccably talented performers who aren’t given nearly enough to do.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
The 133-minute runtime reveals a few glaring issues I find hard to ignore, beginning with its erratic pace, which could have used a tighter edit.
— Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania
Where the new The Running Man stumbles is in getting Ben to the finish line; the longer he stays alive, the more danger he’s in, which means the tension should build. Instead, we get side-quests… that should support the film’s narrative throughline but wind up diluting it instead.
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
It’s never actually disturbing in the way that it’s surely supposed to be and the ending is fudged and anticlimactic.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
One area of the movie that feels underdeveloped is Ben as a character.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
The biggest issue that The Running Man has is its ending. Entirely chaotic, it feels like it was constructed by Hollywood to let the audience leave happy.
— Kate Sánchez, But Why Tho? A Geek Community
The Running Man has a bizarre climax that probably felt clever in the writers’ room, but lands with a disorienting clunk…It starts strong. It middles strong. It ends badly.
— William Bibbiani, TheWrap
The Running Man opens in theaters on November 14, 2025.
