We all know Stephen King for his dark, brooding horror stories. But under his alter ego Richard Bachman, he once looked far into the future and saw a world completely twisted by media — a society thrilled by other people’s misery and even turning a profit from it. Fast-forward to 1987, when action megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped into the shoes of King’s protagonist Ben Richards. And now it’s the ever-charming Glen Powell taking a stab at the character who became famous as The Running Man.
RUNNING MAN (1987)
The original film only loosely followed the novel — and in doing so, it hit the cultural nerve of its time with laser precision. The dystopian action thriller is still an absolute must-watch. Schwarzenegger plays a good cop who refuses an order to gun down unarmed civilians and is promptly labeled the nation’s number-one enemy. Naturally, he ends up in the TV show The Running Man, forced to survive alongside other outcasts who refuse to bend to the system.
His stubbornness and authenticity don’t just turn him into a hero — they inspire the public to question the entire machinery of media manipulation, even those who are part of it. Personally, The Running Man remains one of the coolest films ever made — not just of the ’80s.
It’s rebellious, it’s anti-establishment, and its humor hands the audience a mirror without pointing a finger. Instead, it motivates you to question the world around you. The visuals and the soundtrack were ahead of their time, and so was the message. Who would have thought that one day we’d be so influenced by (social) media that we’d forget how to form our own thoughts and opinions?
RUNNING MAN (2025)
I admit it: I struggle with Stephen King novels. They have… so many pages. And he always introduces new characters right at the end — totally confuses me.
But the movie adaptations? I like those. Most of them, anyway.
The 2025 version is said to stick close to the novel. But that aside — what does the film actually offer, and is it worth your time? Or should I just pull out the original and watch it for the 20th time?
THE CHARACTERS
Glen Powell as Ben Richards
In the remake, Ben Richards isn’t a framed cop — he’s a union guy who stood up for his coworkers one time too many and gets punished by the system. Jobless and struggling to support his family, he enters The Running Man purely for the money.
Unlike the original, Ben is now completely on his own, running across a country where everyone watches the same show. TV and media are fully controlled and synchronized. That makes it nearly impossible for Ben to survive the 30 days he has to stay off the radar. Whoever catches him gets a reward.
The Hunters
And that reward is exactly what the Hunters want — especially Evan McCone, played by Lee Pace.
In the original, the Hunters were iconic characters with big introductions and even bigger personalities. In the remake, they’re faceless, forgettable figures chasing the hero. Well… that’s a choice.
The Showmaster — Josh Brolin
Every show needs a showmaster. Here Dan Killian is more of a behind-the-scenes puppet master, crafting deadly “content” to boost ratings. Josh Brolin is cool, no doubt — but he’s nowhere near the sleazy brilliance of Richard Dawson, who played the slimy Damon Killian in the 1987 film with absolute perfection. And the rest of the cast? Honestly… totally fades into the background.
THE RUNNING MAN VERDICT
The Running Man (1987) was always a matter of taste — partially because Schwarzenegger polarized audiences for decades. But regardless of criticism or underestimation, he starred in some of the most influential films of all time.
Fun fact: The Running Man was actually banned in Germany in the ’80s. Like Total Recall, it had a heavily cut youth-friendly version — and even the adult version was censored. Hard to imagine, considering we now see far more violent content on regular TV every day. What is this era trying to tell us? That we’re becoming numb?
Anyway: the original was about friendship, solidarity, sacrifice — and rising up against a dictatorship. Despite all the violence, it had genuinely funny moments, with quotes that are still cult classics among insiders. Plus, it was a sharp critique of media culture. Even wilder: it mocked shows like American Gladiators and Big Brother — long before they even existed. That’s cool. Really cool.
None of that survives in Running Man (2025). Ben Richards sprints across the country without leaving a single footprint — but he does leave so many plot holes that I don’t even know where to begin without spoiling it.
Sure, an action movie doesn’t need flawless logic. But it shouldn’t be stupid. And unfortunately, a lot of what’s happening on screen is exactly that.
The low point?
A scene where Richards lectures his hostage Amelia Williams (Emilia Jones) about her super-expensive scarf symbolizing human life. The comparison itself is fine — but her reaction is so absurd that I would’ve turned off the movie right there if I’d been watching at home. And that level of nonsense continues until the end.
THE GOOD MESSAGE
The only thing that really works is the social commentary — the rejection of constant filming, the “don’t broadcast your entire life” message, the critique of oversharing. That part is genuinely cool. The Running Man is still a story about staying true to yourself and standing up to injustice. That’s cool. But we didn’t need a remake to remind us of that — a restored version of the original would’ve done the job.
For me, the remake doesn’t come anywhere close to the ’80s version. So I’m not giving this one a rating at all — I’d just recommend waiting until it hits a streaming service. And when it does?
Watch Schwarzenegger’s Running Man. Or switch to Ninja Warrior. Or bake some Christmas cookies. All three options will bring you more joy.
Text: Marco Kokkot
Pictures: Sony, Paramount. All Rights Reserved.
