A disturbingly familiar dystopia has resurfaced in Edgar Wright's remake of the 1987 sci-fi action film, The Running Man. Thirty-eight years after its release, the original's themes of a hyper-violent game show that dehumanizes participants are eerily relevant to our current media landscape.
In this bleak future America, reality TV programming has become a staple of mass entertainment, allowing people to tune in and participate in the exploitation of others. The top-rated show on the planet is still called The Running Man, but its format has evolved from a live broadcast game show where contestants must escape a colorful array of professional assassins, to a more sinister concept where participants must survive in the real world for 30 days while being surveilled by network TV camera drones and pursued by armed private police goons.
The film's protagonist, Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, is forced into this deadly game after a producer identifies him as "quantifiably the angriest man to ever audition." As he navigates his way through the treacherous landscape of America, Richards becomes a folk hero of sorts, with audiences cheering him on and filming him using their smartphones.
The new version of The Running Man is a commentary on our current state of affairs, where reality TV programming has become a staple of American culture. However, this commentary feels woefully inadequate and incoherent, as the film itself is often more cartoonishly satirical than genuinely subversive. The attempts to critique the media working hand-in-glove with the government come across as shallow, given that the film's own production company has ties to a pro-Trump media ecosystem.
Wright's remake also struggles to balance its satire with its product placement and commercial appeal, resulting in a tone that feels increasingly jarringly inconsistent. It's unclear whether this is an intentional commentary on our culture's priorities or simply a product of the Hollywood system's inability to resist the allure of lucrative franchise potential.
Ultimately, The Running Man feels like a cautionary tale about the dangers of embracing such exploitative forms of entertainment in the name of "entertainment." However, it's also impossible not to see echoes of our own world in this dystopian vision – where reality TV has become an accepted norm and the exploitation of contestants is viewed as harmless entertainment.
In this bleak future America, reality TV programming has become a staple of mass entertainment, allowing people to tune in and participate in the exploitation of others. The top-rated show on the planet is still called The Running Man, but its format has evolved from a live broadcast game show where contestants must escape a colorful array of professional assassins, to a more sinister concept where participants must survive in the real world for 30 days while being surveilled by network TV camera drones and pursued by armed private police goons.
The film's protagonist, Ben Richards, played by Glen Powell, is forced into this deadly game after a producer identifies him as "quantifiably the angriest man to ever audition." As he navigates his way through the treacherous landscape of America, Richards becomes a folk hero of sorts, with audiences cheering him on and filming him using their smartphones.
The new version of The Running Man is a commentary on our current state of affairs, where reality TV programming has become a staple of American culture. However, this commentary feels woefully inadequate and incoherent, as the film itself is often more cartoonishly satirical than genuinely subversive. The attempts to critique the media working hand-in-glove with the government come across as shallow, given that the film's own production company has ties to a pro-Trump media ecosystem.
Wright's remake also struggles to balance its satire with its product placement and commercial appeal, resulting in a tone that feels increasingly jarringly inconsistent. It's unclear whether this is an intentional commentary on our culture's priorities or simply a product of the Hollywood system's inability to resist the allure of lucrative franchise potential.
Ultimately, The Running Man feels like a cautionary tale about the dangers of embracing such exploitative forms of entertainment in the name of "entertainment." However, it's also impossible not to see echoes of our own world in this dystopian vision – where reality TV has become an accepted norm and the exploitation of contestants is viewed as harmless entertainment.
. Reality TV is still all about exploitation & profiting off people's misery. Shouldn't be surprised it's still a thing 38 yrs after The Running Man 
like they're literally predicting our future right now?! but at the same time, i'm kinda disappointed that it doesn't feel more subversive... i mean, i get what edgar wright is trying to do, but its like he's not quite hitting the mark 
the whole thing feels a bit shallow and formulaic. and dont even get me started on the product placement 
its like they're sucking all the life out of this supposedly "satirical" commentary. anyway, i guess its still worth watching just for the nostalgia factor and to see how far we've come (or not) in terms of media exploitation 
but come on, 38 years too late for this remake to feel relevant, you know? It's like they're trying to pass off some shallow commentary as if it's gonna change the game 
. I mean, I love Edgar Wright and all, but he can't even get the satire right 
. The Running Man is basically just a cautionary tale about being too lazy to put in the real effort to make something meaningful 
.
The themes are super relevant though, and it's wild how we've come full circle with reality TV being all the rage again. It's like we're watching a train wreck in slow motion - you know it's gonna hurt, but you can't look away.
. The film feels more like a shallow attempt to cash in on the original's success rather than a genuine critique of our society. And don't even get me started on the product placement - it's like they're trying to out-do each other with who can shove the most logos and sponsorships down our throats 
.
I mean, can't we have a film that critiques our culture without feeling like it's just selling us something in return? 
. The film's tone keeps jumping between satire and product placement, which makes it hard to take seriously. Maybe that's just the state of Hollywood right now, prioritizing franchise potential over meaningful commentary? 
watching this remake. It's like they're mocking us by making a film about a dystopia that's all too real. The way they're trivializing reality TV and the exploitation of contestants is just infuriating 