The Running Man (2025) – Edgar Wright’s Dystopian Revival

Dystopia is back in the cultural bloodstream — and so is The Running Man. This week on the Patreon feed we dive into Edgar Wright’s newly released adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel: a slick, neon-soaked chase movie starring Glen Powell as the reluctant contestant hunted across a hyper-surveilled America.

Where the 1987 Schwarzenegger version leaned into comic-book excess and gladiatorial camp, Wright’s film walks a stranger line: part faithful King adaptation, part nostalgia remix, part glossy Hollywood action vehicle. From its retro-futurist tech to its commentary on deepfakes, always-on entertainment, and algorithmic manipulation, this new Running Man aims to capture our 2025 anxieties — even when it doesn’t entirely stick the landing.

“He’s the Gordon Ramsay of The Hunger Games.”

HEAD TO PATREON TO LISTEN: https://www.patreon.com/c/JourneyThroughSciFi?vanity=user

Chapter Markers / Timestamps

(Approximate )

00:00:00 Cold open — “Welcome to The Running Man”.

00:00:37 Edgar Wright’s remake & King’s resurgence.

00:01:46 Why dystopia feels culturally relevant again.

00:02:58 Comparing the 1987 film & the new adaptation.

00:04:39 Uniforms, Squid Game echoes & world design.

00:05:50 The new Ben Richards: motive, anger & performance.

00:07:19 Glen Powell as action star — the towel scene.

00:10:04 The film’s uneven character writing.

00:11:38 Class divide worldbuilding & the “Exec Quarter”.

00:13:50 Retro tech & surveillance aesthetics.

00:15:17 Why the tech is intentionally outdated.

00:16:19 Big Brother televisions & the fear of being watched.

00:18:06 Edgar Wright’s visual restraint — where’s the flair?

00:20:19 The Michael Cera booby-trap sequence.

00:22:18 A game show that spans the entire country.

00:23:44 Designing deadly entertainment & the TV-industrial complex.

00:24:54 Deepfakes, authenticity & manipulation.

00:26:17 Reality TV satire via “The Americanos”.

00:28:04 King’s prescience & dystopia across decades.

00:29:22 Action sequences & 80s throwback dialogue.

00:33:01 Coleman Domingo & Josh Brolin as orchestrators of spectacle.

00:35:11 The masked hunter & lore of the show.

00:38:03 The rebellion, conspiracy streams & missed potential.

00:39:15 Altered ending — from sacrifice to survival.

00:42:32 Popcorn thrills vs dystopian depth.

00:43:56 Final verdict: fun, flawed, fascinating.

Show Notes & References

Films & TV

• The Running Man (1987)

• The Running Man (2025)

• The Hunger Games

• Squid Game

• Blade Runner

• The Expanse

• Home Alone

• Network (1976)
  

People & Concepts

• Stephen King / Richard Bachman

• Edgar Wright, Paul Machliss

• Glen Powell, Coleman Domingo, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Michael Cera

• Retro-futurism, surveillance states, deepfakes, reality TV

• Dystopia vs. spectacle

• Media manipulation & authenticity
  

Pull Quotes (for socials)

• “Glen Powell is the Gordon Ramsay of dystopian game shows.”

• “In The Running Man, entertainment isn’t the opiate of the masses — it’s the entire government.”

• “Retro TVs, deepfakes and omnipresent surveillance — it’s 1984 with better branding.”

• “Wright’s remake feels like a studio blockbuster wearing the skin of an Edgar Wright film.”

• “When reality TV feels indistinguishable from dystopia, maybe Stephen King was right all along.”

  
  

Credits

Hosts: Matt & JamesSeries: 

Brave New Movie Review / Patron Bonus

Episode: The Running Man (2025)

Produced by: Journey Through Sci-Fi

Next Time

More new sci-fi hits the cinema — and we’re diving in. Stay tuned on Patreon for the next bonus review, and strap in: genre cinema is having a moment again.