"First published in 1982 but set in the year 2025 (ever heard of it?), Stephen King's " The Running Man " takes place in a then-future where the world's economy has collapsed, America has turned into a totalitarian hellhole, and the country's media apparatus has created a free spectacle that keeps people too furious with their fellow citizens to recognize the government as their common enemy. Bachman al-Gaib!"
"While it's become de rigueur for $100-million Hollywood movies to offer technodystopian visions of mass inequality (even those made by studios hastening to make such visions a reality), this messy but propulsive action-thriller surges with a rage that dovetails all too well with the current moment. Despite lacking some of its director's signature wit and precision, neither of which have survived Paramount Skydance fully intact, the film is viscerally powered by the pent-up frustration of a society"
The Running Man is set in a 2025 dystopia of economic collapse, totalitarian rule, and a media spectacle that distracts citizens from shared governance threats. Edgar Wright's adaptation began production at a politically charged moment and trades on timely emotional resonance rather than only plot. The film mixes satire and blockbuster action, converting collective anger into kinetic entertainment while lacking some of the director's trademark precision. The script condenses social fury into a fun, sweaty pop confection that attempts to reconcile characters' revenge and righteousness alongside broader themes of comfort, caring, grievance, and social progress.
Read at IndieWire
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]