Baby Driver (2027) writer-director Edgar Wright’s latest action-adventure, The Running Man, starring Glen Powell, proved adequately entertaining at best.

The performances weren’t bad; however, in a movie about hunters chasing the contestants of a game show to kill them when caught, my chase-sequence-loving heart simply didn’t rate the film’s chase scenes as highly as the unforgettable one in Apocalypto (2007). 

To be clear, I’m not saying I wasn’t at the edge of my seat during certain scenes, but the execution of the film wasn’t as satisfying as hoped.

My main issue with Wright’s film is how tired the ‘my child is ill, so I make unwise decisions to save them’ premise feels. I’ve seen this too many times before, which made this rehashing feel lazy, even though it’s based on a Stephen King book written in 1973 and published in 1982.

Additionally, the world the film occupies felt unreal, but not in the way good sci-fi movie worlds are unreal yet interesting and exciting. Instead, I found myself wondering why more effort hadn’t gone into making the world feel distinct, interesting, and visually memorable, rather than vague and surprisingly dull.

I don’t remember much about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 The Running Man movie. Yet, I have a feeling I prefer it to this remake. 

Have you seen The Running Man? Perhaps you had a better time with it.

Happy Film Loving,

G