I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute with a 2025er review, looking at THE RUNNING MAN, directed by Edgar Wright, starring Glen Powell. In a dystopian future, a man joins a killer game show in order to save his family.

3 out of 5

I came into this with low expectations after all the negative buzz last summer, but I enjoyed this! The first 2/3rds is fun, with good music, creative action sequences, and a game Powell. The film wanted to have a sweet realistic core but ALSO be an excessive gonzo 80s flick like Schwarzenegger’s RUNNING MAN. And those 2 tones didn’t mesh well. And why on earth did they not make the Hunters silly over-the-top American Gladiator-like individuals? And then 2/3rds of the way through the film, the movie has a monumental SHIFT that seems like an entirely different writer/director came in. The plot got serious and confusing, a new main character was suddenly introduced, and the coy satire of capitalism became obvious and overbearing. I’d love to read more about what happened here because any fun in the movie is leached out by that awful last third. I LOVE Edgar Wright movies and except for some flashes of creativity, this was a big miss.

Best Scene. The Michael Cera sequence is funny, touching, and silly, with some excellent action notes. This felt like what the movie this was supposed to be.

Best Performance. I’m sticking with Michael Cera. He played his loony character straight, which made it all the more funny and tragic. I do like Powell angry, but there wasn’t much more for him to do. I loved how all his costume changes called back to his wonderful performance in HITMAN a couple years ago.

Moments of brilliance in an IP mess, put on in the background some day!