‘The Running Man’ Is a Total Blast ... Until It Loses Its Nerve

‘The Running Man’ Is a Total Blast ... Until It Loses Its Nerve

Header Image Source: Paramount Pictures (via YouTube)

Although it was published in 1982, Stephen King was onto something when he set The Running Man in the year 2025. In a dystopian US divided by extreme wealth and destitution, a television network pacifies the masses with irresistibly violent game shows that promise a chance to reverse your fortunes at the risk of your life. Even setting aside the year, churning out a modern adaptation now is an easy and timely choice on every thematic front. From Squid Game to The Hunger Games , audiences show up for dystopian death game fiction, and it sure doesn’t take much to update The Running Man to meet our cultural moment. It’s a ripe text to play with, and Edgar Wright l