Hey Mofos!

I went to the movies again! This time to screen the new film The Running Man starring that fine Glen Powell! 

I wasn't sure what the film was going to be about and then my dad mentioned that it was a remake of a 1987 film of the same name. Oh. 

Clearly I haven't seen the 1987 version, but this one was action packed from the moment we sat down in our seats. 

The new version, out this Friday, November 14, isn’t your dad’s version. It’s slick, stylish, and surprisingly smart. Director Edgar Wright really made a fan out of me with this one. But first let me tell you about the movie plot without any spoilers of course. 

Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, a working-class man desperate to save his sick daughter with the timeline being in the future. When life backs him into a corner, he does the only thing he can do to make money, he joins a violent reality competition where contestants have to survive being hunted on live television.  If that sounds wild, it is but tell me it doesn’t also sound like something we’d all tune into in 2025. Also, tell me this doesn't sound like today's economy when people are desperate to eat and for money. Can I pause right here to say his wife in this film is a Black queen (Jayme Lawson) that is GORGEOUS. 

Wright builds a world that feels a little too familiar. The screens, the spectacle, the social media blood bath because of course, everyone is still filming every little thing they see to post it online. It’s giving Black Mirror energy with a blockbuster budget. Powell carries the movie with the perfect balance of vulnerability and swagger, reminding you why he’s Hollywood’s favorite “next big thing.” He runs, he fights, all while looking sexy with blood on his face. I promise I'm not weird, that man is just gorgeous. 

The pacing and energy doesn't make the film seem like it's taking too long to get to the point. The action sequences kept the audience on edge, and the show commentary is a bonus in all of the right places. 

One of my favorite things in the movie aside from Glen Powell was seeing Coleman Domingo dressed to impress as usual as the host of the reality game show, and who isn't excited to see Spencer James, errr Daniel Ezra coming to the rescue as usual?

There were some cheesy moments that involved VHS tapes but I can overlook that. Overall,  The Running Man is about spectacle, survival, greed, and what happens when entertainment eats empathy. Sounds familiar doesn't it? 

There are several parallels to today's administration and the attempt to silence everything and everyone and paint a picture of "everything's all good, we'll show you what we want you to see even if we have to use AI or edited versions to rile you up, or calm you down or turn you against who we want the enemy to be."

Ben Richards is the instigator and I'm here for it. He is the one that bucks the system and it's insanity all to protect his family. It gets no realer than that. Love can conquer hate. 

I would say, definitely check out the film if action in a dystopian thriller is your jam. 

It's in theaters on 11/14! 

Let me know what you think! 

Until later, 

~Meik