Intro: A month ago I went back to Italy and stayed for three days at my cousin's in Igea Marina. The second night I was there we decided to watch a movie and eat piadina, and this is what the streaming platform could offer in terms of entertainment. Not necessarily what I would have watched otherwise, but one of the best options available anyway.
Film 2468: "The Running Man" (2025), Edgar Wright
Watched: From the TV
Language: Italian
Watched with: Fre, Giamma
Thoughts: I mean, I heard it wasn't good and that it flopped hard at the box office last year (this movie cost $110 million just to produce), but I didn't expect it to be bad, in a way. I love Edgar Wright's previous movies like "Hot Fuzz", "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", "Last Night in Soho" and especially "Baby Driver", so I was sure he could deliver a decent film. Additionally, this story is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, so overall this whole "The Running Man" experience seemed to have potential.
Reality is, there's just too much going on here to be enjoyable. The pace is so fast that there's barely any time to process what you've just watched before the story immediately pushes you to the next plot point. And it doesn't help that the screenplay throws so much at you that it's almost impossible to let it all sink in. It's simply overcrowded.
It also doesn't help that this is far too similar to things we've seen before and seen done better: "The Hunger Games" franchise, "1984", "Squid Game", and, more recently, "The Long Walk" (also adapted from a Stephen King novel) immediately come to mind. It's clear that this movie has potential; the idea is there and so is part of the execution, but overall it feels too overcrowded with characters and plot points, resulting in a story that somehow feels both half-baked and overlong. I wonder how it would have worked if this movie had been split into two separate films that actually took the time to tell the story properly, slowing down the pace and allowing us to sit with the characters, what they go through, and how they react to the environment they're immersed in.
Unfortunately that isn't the case, and what we're left with is a fast-paced science-fiction action film that includes dystopian elements while barely addressing the implications of its own themes: social inequality, privacy, voyeurism, and the extent one would go to achieve their goals.
On a personal side note, it's impossible not to notice how Glen Powell's career seems to be losing momentum rather quickly. He's not a bad actor by any means, and he's clearly a perfect fit for a product like this, but I think his recent flops ("The Blue Angels", "How to Make a Killing" and this one) are testament to how willing Hollywood is to bet everything on a new face before they've had the time to prove their value. Again, this isn't a dig at Powell, who does a decent job here, but rather what I consider an interesting example of how quickly things evolve in the world of cinema and how it's becoming harder and rarer to find new actors capable of reaching that A-list status which, back in the day, almost guaranteed box-office success and long-term career stability.
Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O'Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin.
Box Office: $69 million
Worth a watch?: It's not so bad that it's unwatchable, but it's definitely not a good movie. Everything happens too fast, there's no time to process any information before we jump to the next scene, and it's overcrowded with characters. There's potential in there and the main idea behind the story is interesting, but the consequences and implications of having to survive on a lethal reality television show aren't fully addressed. Instead, the spectacle overshadows any meaningful commentary on relevant issues, which are only explored at a very surface level.
Awards: /
Key word: Flu medicine.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
Watched: From the TV
Language: Italian
Watched with: Fre, Giamma
Thoughts: I mean, I heard it wasn't good and that it flopped hard at the box office last year (this movie cost $110 million just to produce), but I didn't expect it to be bad, in a way. I love Edgar Wright's previous movies like "Hot Fuzz", "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", "Last Night in Soho" and especially "Baby Driver", so I was sure he could deliver a decent film. Additionally, this story is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, so overall this whole "The Running Man" experience seemed to have potential.
Reality is, there's just too much going on here to be enjoyable. The pace is so fast that there's barely any time to process what you've just watched before the story immediately pushes you to the next plot point. And it doesn't help that the screenplay throws so much at you that it's almost impossible to let it all sink in. It's simply overcrowded.
It also doesn't help that this is far too similar to things we've seen before and seen done better: "The Hunger Games" franchise, "1984", "Squid Game", and, more recently, "The Long Walk" (also adapted from a Stephen King novel) immediately come to mind. It's clear that this movie has potential; the idea is there and so is part of the execution, but overall it feels too overcrowded with characters and plot points, resulting in a story that somehow feels both half-baked and overlong. I wonder how it would have worked if this movie had been split into two separate films that actually took the time to tell the story properly, slowing down the pace and allowing us to sit with the characters, what they go through, and how they react to the environment they're immersed in.
Unfortunately that isn't the case, and what we're left with is a fast-paced science-fiction action film that includes dystopian elements while barely addressing the implications of its own themes: social inequality, privacy, voyeurism, and the extent one would go to achieve their goals.
On a personal side note, it's impossible not to notice how Glen Powell's career seems to be losing momentum rather quickly. He's not a bad actor by any means, and he's clearly a perfect fit for a product like this, but I think his recent flops ("The Blue Angels", "How to Make a Killing" and this one) are testament to how willing Hollywood is to bet everything on a new face before they've had the time to prove their value. Again, this isn't a dig at Powell, who does a decent job here, but rather what I consider an interesting example of how quickly things evolve in the world of cinema and how it's becoming harder and rarer to find new actors capable of reaching that A-list status which, back in the day, almost guaranteed box-office success and long-term career stability.
Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Katy O'Brian, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin.
Box Office: $69 million
Worth a watch?: It's not so bad that it's unwatchable, but it's definitely not a good movie. Everything happens too fast, there's no time to process any information before we jump to the next scene, and it's overcrowded with characters. There's potential in there and the main idea behind the story is interesting, but the consequences and implications of having to survive on a lethal reality television show aren't fully addressed. Instead, the spectacle overshadows any meaningful commentary on relevant issues, which are only explored at a very surface level.
Awards: /
Key word: Flu medicine.
Trailer
#HollywoodCiak
Bengi
