The first reactions to The Running Man have arrived. Directed by Edgar Wright, the movie is adapted from the 1982 Stephen King novel. The story follows Ben Richards (Glen Powell), who participates in a deadly game show called The Running Man where he fights to stay alive while Hunters try to find and kill him.
Just over a week before the movie’s theatrical release, critics got to see The Running Man early, with the overall consensus being that the movie meets the hype surrounding it. Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff praises the adaptation for being “more faithful” to the source material than the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and for concluding a stellar year of King adaptations on a strong note.
The Mary Sue‘s Rachel Leishman declares that “Edgar Wright really bottled magic” and has delivered “an instant classic” with his “action packed, emotional” take on King’s novel.
JoBlo‘s Jimmy O compliments Powell’s performance and notes that this adaptation is “vastly different” from the 1987 version. He acknowledges that it “runs a bit too long with a few too many characters” but still manages to be “a crowd pleaser.”
Kathy Paz of WSVN 7News emphasizes Powell’s “powerhouse performance” and how he makes Richards a Stephen King protagonist worth rooting for, while also noting that the film is “heart-pumping and adrenaline-inducing, from start to finish.”
ClutchPoints‘ Andrew Korpan is impressed by how this adaptation improves on the source material, as Wright “trimmed the weakest parts of the book and even took swings and improved upon it” and “Glen Powell brings more humanity to Ben Richards.”
One of the consistent takeaways from these reactions is the strength of Powell’s leading performance. He seemingly not only does Ben’s character justice, but even manages to make him more human and worth rooting for than in King’s original novel.
Wright’s direction receives a similar amount of praise, leaving no question that his approach works better than the 1987 movie. This aligns with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own Running Man review, telling Powell that he “was so excited” by the new adaptation and that it is “incredible.”
As impressive as Powell’s performance and Wright’s direction are, there is the matter of The Running Man‘s cast having too many characters across a potentially overlong runtime. In addition to Powell, the cast includes Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, David Zayas, and Katy O’Brian.
At 2 hours and 13 minutes, it is not as long as many modern blockbusters, and not all critics are taking issue with the pacing, including those finding the pacing strong from beginning to end.
The overwhelmingly positive reactions bode well for more positive reviews to follow ahead of The Running Man‘s November 14 theatrical debut, along with chances of the film becoming a box office hit.