So far, we’ve already had a follow-up in the Predator series. This week, it’s the remake of The Running Man. Which movie of Schwarzenegger’s filmography will get the next sequel or remake treatment?
True Lies? Eraser? End of Days? Only time will tell.
This new version of The Running Man is a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel and the 1987 original starring Ah-nuld. It’s also one remake that does its best to stay true to the spirit of the original while avoiding disaster.
The lead hero in this one is Glenn Powell as Ben Richards, living in a dystopian America where media networks control and dominate nearly every aspect of people’s lives. The main form of entertainment consists of tawdry reality shows and a violent game show known as The Running Man.
The Running Man works by having individuals try out for the show, and if selected, they have to be on the run for 30 days. If they survive, they get $1 billion as a reward. That’s a billion with a “B.” Richards is only entering the contest to get his sick daughter the medicine she needs.
Josh Brolin costars as Dan Killian, the show’s sadistic producer, and Colman Domingo is Bobby “Bobby T.” Thompson, the show’s flamboyant host. Domingo is taking over the role made famous by Richard Dawson, but he doesn’t quite have the same magnetic screen presence.
Director Edgar Wright stages several elaborate set pieces that are surprisingly not chaotic, but rather look like a combination of practical sets and stunts, with some CGI interwoven. There are standard car chases and shootouts (some delivered with brutal intensity), but they’re also convincing and feel like they involve Powell and the other actors.
Powell is fine in the role made famous by Schwarzenegger, and Wright knows how to put audiences into the thick of the action, but sometimes it’s not very fresh and borderlines on routine at some points.
The movie is very heavy-handed in its satire, demonstrating how society is so desperate for escapist entertainment to take their minds off their daily grind. It’s uncanny and seemingly convenient that the movie is being released at a time when our country is dealing with an economic climate that’s slipping through our fingers.
The connection between the bread-and-circuses perspective and dystopian societies isn’t necessarily profound or original. It’s been used before and after The Running Man in other novels and movies such as 1984, V For Vendetta and The Hunger Games. Whether or not the satire is successful is debatable depending on your taste.
This new version of The Running Man is surprisingly more entertaining than I anticipated. I went into it with low expectations, thinking I was going to get a dull retread, but I got a rollicking joyride instead.
The climax does tend to drag the movie’s energy level down somewhat, but before that, the pacing is sufficient enough to keep it afloat, and Powell and Wright make a terrific combo for this reimagining.
I’m not sure if Schwarzenegger purists will find this to be a better version, but I think it’s a solid effort with all barrels blazing.
