The Running Man (2025)

An exhilarating, kinetic adaptation that positions Glen Powell as a potential successor to Tom Cruise in a stylish, go-for-broke action film with strong showmanship.

Wright modernizes the prescient King story into a furious action thriller about totalitarian America, with Powell channeling class-war anger in a rare Hollywood film that aims to leave audiences fired up.

The review calls it Edgar Wright's biggest and boldest film yet, a scathing satire with expansive world-building and retro-futurist style that delivers fizzy blockbuster fun. It praises Powell's grouchy, punchy lead performance while noting it is less funny than the director's earlier work.

A brashly entertaining, rousing blast of propulsive popcorn entertainment in the vein of Paul Verhoeven, though not especially sharp in its insights or tidy in its plotting.

The adaptation stays closer to the book than the 1987 version but feels caught between action thrills and commentary, with mordant humor in the first hour giving way to a less clever and overstretched finish.

Wright’s propulsive and generally fun movie rips into reality TV but misses the mark by not focusing on the internet as the true villain, resulting in a toothless social commentary and a messy ending.

Edgar Wright produces plenty of nerve-jangling kinetic set-pieces and Glen Powell proves a charismatic hero in this big-budget Stephen King adaptation. The episodic plot with its variety of disguises occasionally leads to lulls in pace and tension.

The film is likable and fun with full-tilt chase sequences, a punk aesthetic and sugar-rush soundtrack, but never actually disturbing as intended and the ending is fudged and anticlimactic.

Edgar Wright’s updated take on Stephen King’s novel features propulsive set pieces and a starry turn from Glen Powell but skews closer to the original while eschewing real social commentary in favour of bombastic action. It runs out of steam before making any lasting impact.

Edgar Wright’s slick adaptation of the dystopian Stephen King novel fails to tackle key issues of our age or bring anything new to the death sports arena. It is weighed down by too many bad or boring decisions and plays too much by the book.

Edgar Wright delivers a glowering, passable sci-fi action flick that lacks his usual tightly calibrated pop-art house style and plays against the strengths of lead Glen Powell. It features rote set pieces and feels like it could have been made by any number of less gifted filmmakers.

The critic deems it a disappointing Stephen King adaptation that wastes its potential despite some fun action sequences and Glen Powell's star power. The film is muddled, poorly paced, with thinly drawn characters and an inconsistent world.

The critic finds the film a near-total failure that strips away the source material's prescient bite, resulting in something bland and miscast. Glen Powell's lead performance feels particularly ill-suited to the role.

A phenomenally dull, po-faced and witless blockbuster that is simultaneously cloth-eared and a mindless studio product with nothing to say.

Delivers bracingly manic energy, ebullient enthusiasm for satire and high-speed peril, but comes undone in a confusing coda.

The critic finds Wright's faithful adaptation of the book too tame and lacking rage, gore or fun, making it a smudged reflection of current realities rather than a sharp funhouse mirror. Powell fronts the action but the film limps into theaters despite timely relevance.

Edgar Wright’s faithful adaptation delivers skilful action sequences, winking gags and topical social commentary on inequality and media manipulation, powered by Glen Powell’s star wattage. It stumbles in a convoluted final act due to fidelity to the novel’s difficult ending.

The film has plenty of action but feels hollow overall, with Wright delivering a journeyman effort lacking his usual momentum and precision while Glen Powell struggles to fully embody a compelling lead.

The critic finds an insistent bouncy quality in this dystopian thriller about a deadly reality TV game show in a fascist near-future America. Wright sticks closer to King's novel, restoring the protagonist's family and emphasizing the premise's satirical edge.

The review calls it better than the 1987 Schwarzenegger version but notes King's tale has little future shock left today; Wright overelaborates the concept into something showy yet restrained compared to his prior work. Powell brings a mix of viciousness and sweetness to the lead role amid crisp staging and mayhem.

The critic finds it a capable and entertaining remake that is more faithful to the source novel than the 1987 version while delivering Wright's signature action set pieces. They single out the topical political commentary on reality television and the strong lead performance by Glen Powell for praise, while noting the crowded cast and tidy ending as drawbacks.

The review finds the film largely entertaining with a strong performance from Powell but criticizes its third act for running out of steam and its ironic messaging about opposing media conglomerates while being released by one.

The critic praises Wright's muscular reboot of the 1980s sci-fi hit for staying closer to Stephen King's original story and showcasing Powell's strengths as a vulnerable everyman, though notes some issues with the ending and AI themes.

The critic sees Wright's update as an urgent, distinctive take on the material suited to the post-truth era, blending action spectacle with King's cynicism despite some unevenness. They highlight the film's clever play with realities and images, along with Powell's natural charm.

The critic calls it a vibrant, faithful adaptation and slick dystopian thriller with strong world-building, kinetic action and good turns from Powell, Domingo and Cera, but notes the story turns repetitive in the second half. They praise the satirical portrait of corporate America and revolutionary spirit.