Review: The Running Man Is The Hunger Games But Watchable
- Aug 6, 2017
- 2 min read
The idea of the literal man hunt, that being the hunting of men, is an idea that became famous in fiction thanks to Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game, a 1924 short story in which a big game hunter is hunted by a Russian aristocrat on a remote island. And the concept has graced our screens ever since.
Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a convicted man. But he wasn't always locked away. He was once a law enforcement officer, one who refused to fire on a group of protesters, this being the action that landed him in prison. After an ill fated escape attempt, he is given a choice. Return to prison or compete in the next episode of a game show run by one Damon Killian (Richard Dawson) in which a competitor must navigate a maze as various themed psychos, known as stalkers, try to kill them. And so, Richards enters into the most difficult challenge of his life, The Running Man.
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, The Running Man is a pretty neat movie. Set in the dystopian future of, uh, 2017, it features some very cool action scenes, great characters and, of course, Arnold at his best. Between the stalkers, Subzero, a lethal ice hockey player, Buzzsaw, Texas Chainsaw on a motorbike, Dynamo, basically a human LED, Fireball, a flame throwing veteran, and the retired Captain Freedom, played by Jesse Ventura, you've got a whole range of villains for the big guy to battle. And my god is it glorious, giving some great puns along the way.
It even manages to fit in a revolt, thickly layered political satire and some scarily accurate predictions. While it isn't heavy on plot, and the characters, while fun, aren't exactly deep, it is a lot of fun. So you might be wondering, "Why should I watch this?" That's simple...
So what are you waiting for, check it out already.
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