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Among the trailers that played before this movie was one for Marty Supreme, which is the latest film to star Timothée Chalamet. I have to say, at the risk of being cynical, that it felt a lot like what we were watching was a preview of Chalemet’s latest concerte attempt to get himself an Oscar. 

Then we watched Glen Powell in The Running Man which is most certainly not him trying to do the same thing.

This is not a criticism, but it seems pretty clear that Powell is more interested in becoming a movie star more than a celebrated actor. 

It has been said that Glen Powell wants to be the new Tom Cruise, and this may be fair. Cruise himself is actually getting an honorary Oscar this weekend but rather than this being for his acting (that he has been nominated for three times but to no avail) Academy President Janet Yang has said it is in recognition of his incredible commitment to the filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to stunt work. Powell too it seems wants to be known for blockbusters more than dramas. 

Powell has found proper success later than Cruise; he is already 37 by which time Cruise had already been a household name for well over a decade, and has spent longer working his way up through supporting and ensemble roles, including alongside you know who in Top Gun: Maverick, but now he is definitely focused on big leads in big films of the sort that win at the box office more than the podium. 

If you want to make your mark in Hollywood then, where better to go than to the work of Stephen King who has seen his books adapted more often that any living writer, and who in this respect is also given Shakespeare and Conan Doyle a run for their money. King’s 1982 novel The Running Man has already has one screen version of course but that wasn’t really in keeping with the sensibilities of the source material.

Here’s the thing though, neither is this one. 

Stephen King’s writing has a distinct bleakness. For this reason his non-horror writing is actually often the stuff that does get Oscar attention. Despite more closely following the original story though, this new film washes away the seriousness almost as much as the Schwarzenegger version. That one was grimy and violent but the author’s authentic message about popular media and consumerism got lost in a tale of dark dystopian militarism that seemed too outlandish and futuristic to matter. You’d think that now more than ever is the time for this element to really hit home; the book from forty plus years ago is actually set in 2025, but despite the obvious intention to the contrary they have flubbed it again. 

The subtext is here for sure. The idea of people rabidly watching a game show that emotionally pitches players against one another for entertainment, even to the death, is actually less relevant now in the age of Traitors, Love Island, Beast Games, I’m a Celebrity, Ninja Warrior and Squid Game: The Challenge, because we’ve seen it now a number of times. (King actually originated this idea with this and The Long Walk but too many have since followed in those footsteps.) The representations of deep fake videos, authorised yet untrustworthy militia on the streets, selfish media empires, an unquestioning wealthy populace and a manipulated underclass land better but it’s all a little obvious. The featuring of a viral YouTube video that proves key to the plot is a good inclusion for now (and one that King didn’t predict) but overall it this feels about as biting as an SNL sketch. Paul Verhoeven nailed the mix of satire and bombast this was going for in movies like Robocop and Starship Troopers but here Edgar Wright gets the balance wrong. He was wonderfully knowing when he was making smaller British films like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but this feels much more concerned with being entertaining than it does with being smart, at least that is how it has come out. (Perfect for Powell then.) It also goes right up to the front door of two of the darker twists from King’s novel but then steps away, only contributing to the feeling that all the sharp edges have been shaved off. 

Fortunately, in its aim to be a big fun film it does succeed. Powell has strong charisma and a great screen presence (the like of which performers like Tom Cruise and Dwayne Johnson care about but Timothée Chalamet doesn’t so much). The action zips along at a nice pace and Michael Cera is enjoyable in his scenes (although I’d have loved to have seen Macaulay Culkin in that part for reasons that will be obvious if you’ve seen the movie). Amelia Jones also adds some last minute value in a role that feels like it should have been padded out but still works. The mix of high and low tech that has come from adapting a 1982 novel in 2025 is also quite endearing. 

This is actually the fourth Stephen King adaptation to be realised just this year and while I understand he himself likes the film it feels the least like his work. There is no getting past the fact that if Julia Ducournau’s Alpha or Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love had been showing locally I’d have chosen to see them instead (watch out for them at awards time) but this diverted me well enough. 

That Chalemet film looks good too so there’s that.