The Running Man is a new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel from 1982. It was written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was filmed in 1987 as an action hero flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for a long time, that version is what was found in my memory banks.
Now, they have made a new version. Did they have to? Couldn’t we have settled with the existing version? I suppose we could, but why should we? As you are well aware, there is a constant debate about whether the remakes Hollywood makes these days are to be or not to be. I have often expressed my disappointment with the non-creativity this brings. I think they’re here to stay now, but if you do it like in this new version of The Running Man, I’m all for it.
This is a version of The Running Man that has very little to do with the 1987 version. It’s still set in the future, and all that, but the premises have changed. In the original movie, the contestants were supposed to enter four areas during a three-hour period. In the new version, they are supposed to keep under the radar for a whopping thirty days. And it’s not a gaming area either; it’s in plain society.
The totalitarian society is even more dystopic in this version, I think. It seems more realistic, and it’s clearly a more modern film. If you go back and watch the older version again, you might find it nostalgic, but it hasn’t aged very well. It’s filled with one-liners, and it’s more or less a way to promote Arnold Schwarzenegger. This new version has nothing of that. It’s more of a grim tale. A society that can’t handle those who dare to think outside the fold. If you have a different opinion or deviating political beliefs, you are the enemy of society.
This is about survival rather than revenge, even if there’s also a revenge element in there as well. There’s a whole different tone in this. I like the approach, and I like that the network or the corporations behind the network don’t shy away from anything. It doesn’t matter how many innocent people get in the way of the bullets intended for Ben Richards (the runner that it’s all about). Everyone is considered expendable. The resistance, of course, but also the general public and even the hunters can be betrayed in a heartbeat if there’s some gain to be made for the network.
The show is still away for people to disconnect themselves from reality so that they don’t waste energy thinking. That way, they are less of a threat to the ruling community. I have not read the book, but as far as I understand it, this version follows the original idea pretty well while the earlier version had almost nothing to do with the original vision.
The Running Man was a movie that surprised me. I didn’t think I would care much for it, but it’s actually a pretty good action film!
