Movie Review: The Running Man (2025)

The Running Man (2025) co-written and directed by Edgar Wright

Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is a hard-working man down on his luck. He's been fired from his last job when he tried to protect his fellow workers, an attempt where he got too hot-headed, a common problem for him. His wife (Alyssa Benn) works at some sort of strip club though she does not get involved with the clientele. Their daughter is sick and needs medicine that they can't afford on her salary. Ben looks at going on a game show to get money even though they are dangerous reality shows. The biggest show is The Running Man, where three contestants try to survive for thirty days, fleeing from Hunters sponsored by the show and from the general public, also sponsored by the show because they can win money if they spot any of the runners. Ben goes to the network headquarters to sign up for a lesser show but his physicality and anger make him ideal for The Running Man. He gets shafted into it with the promise of a lot of cash, especially early payouts that will help his wife and daughter. But no contestant has survived the show--the best record was twenty-nine days in the first season. Ben goes on the run, hoping to survive, with a side motivation of taking down the show or at least its sleazy producer (Josh Brolin). And to reunite with his family, who have been taken into protective custody by the show.

The simple premise gets very convoluted as the movie moves along. The setting is a future dystopia where television is run by the government and is focused on pacifying the general public into accepting the way things are (which is pretty miserable). The TV sets have cameras built in so they can monitor the viewers, though Ben knows a blackmarket guy (William H. Macy) who can set him up with a new identity and papers since he does all the blackmarket things, like selling old TVs without surveillance equipment. Ben runs into some more underground characters as the movie continues, filling out a bit of the world. But not enough to be convincing or to make a coherent whole. Many moments in the plot seem like they want to be wry commentary on the in-movie society and also our own society, but the comments are not very insightful or believable. The action sequences are fun and Powell is charming enough in the lead.

Compared to the Schwarzenegger version from the 1980s, this is a very unsatisfying movie. Schwarzenegger is much more charming and believable as the hero. The 1980s movie is kind of dumb but it doesn't have real pretensions to greatness or desires to have more than superficial comments on the dangers and lies of reality TV. This retelling wants to be more serious and hard hitting but it still has a lot of the nonsensical moments found in the earlier movie. The difference is the 1980s version aims for entertainment and hits the mark dead on. This version aims for a bigger message but is all over the place tonally and thematically. A lot of the characters want to "Fight the Man" but there's no real resolution of that for Ben or the society as a whole. Nothing really changes at the end, which could be an interesting statement like the ending of Animal Farm but the film just does a conventional wrap-up of the narrative threads. I wanted and expected more from this remake, or at least the same fun and action. The film did not make either goal, leaving it scoreless.

Not recommended.

Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) co-written and directed by Edgar Wright based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a Toronto 20-something slacker who is dating a high-school student, the 17-year old Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). His friends (i.e. his band mates) and his family are at best unimpressed with his choice, especially since it seems like he's on the rebound from a break-up a year earlier. Then Scott has a dream about a roller-skating, pink-haired girl who turns out to be an actual young woman--Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). She's just moved to Toronto from New York City and is working deliveries from amazon.ca. Scott quickly orders something just to meet her. He's smitten though he does not realize she has seven evil exes who will come fight him. He has to win all the battles in order to truly date her. The exes start showing up, causing fantastic fight sequences, as Scott deals (or doesn't) with the complications in his life.

The movie follows the visual spirit of the comics, with a lot of over-the-top visual flairs and action sequences. Wright is a brilliant director and has great command of the material, evoking a lot of laughter and wonder through his visual storytelling. The actors do a great job of keeping their characters believable in the unbelievable situations. The movie is fun to watch from the opening Universal Studios logo which is digitized and has an 8-bit music version of the Universal theme (the regular theme is used later for the entrance of one of the exes). Scott's character develops through the film, leading to the unsurprising but satisfying happy ending.

Recommended--highly if you are a fan of Edgar Wright or the comics.

Movie Review: Last Night in Soho (2021)

Last Night in Soho (2021) co-written and directed by Edgar Wright

Eloise (Thomasina McKenzie) is a small-town girl in love with the 1960s and fashion design. She's accepted at a prestigious design university in London and is excited to go live big-city life. College is not quite what she expected. Her roommate is overbearing and the party atmosphere of the dorm is too much for her. She finds a room-to-let with an old lady (Dianna Rigg) and things start to settle down. As Eloise sleeps one night, she has a vivid dream where she is Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), an aspiring singer who moves to London in the 1960s and wants to break into the nightclub scene. Sandie is a bit more confident and free-spirited than Eloise. Sandie gets help from Jack (Matt Smith) who has worked with other girls on their careers. Jack is smitten with Sandie and they do some passionate making-out. Eloise wakes up with a hickey on her neck though happy about her encouraging dream. Her fellow students tease her a bit roughly. Eloise starts designing a dress that Sandie wore. Eloise has more dreams and follows Sandie's career, which becomes darker and much less happy. The psychological pressure and Eloise's highly-empathetic nature wear her down. Is she going crazy? Was there really a Sandie who lived in that room? And what about that sinister guy on the street (Terrence Stamp) who is giving Eloise too much attention?

The fish-out-of-water comedy set-up of the film quickly morphs into a more challenging psychological horror. Eloise lost her mother early and is haunted by memories of her, often seeing her mom in mirrors. In her dreams, Eloise shows up (mostly) as the reflection of Sandie, which starts as fun but becomes a lot more uncomfortable as Sandie's prospects and expectations changes. Eloise struggles with her identity and her place in the world, much like most university students. Some people are helpful to her but others are awful and she doesn't have enough life experience to sort things out, creating a lot of high drama and jeopardy for her. It's fascinating and hard to guess where it's going.

The movie is very creative visually. In addition to the thematic use of mirrors, it also takes full advantage of the 1960s fashions and club scenes. The color palette is very deliberate, sometimes imitating Vertigo. The movie is also very unnerving--I was worried about half-way through that this would be the "feel bad" movie of the year, much like 2019's Joker. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion for at least some of the characters.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017) written and directed by Edgar Wright

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a getaway driver who's in debt to a crime boss (Kevin Spacey) and is about to pay off that debt with one last job. He's the best driver in Atlanta and has always come through for the boss. But he also looks forward to being out of the obligation, especially since he's met a cute waitress (Lily James) with whom he hopes to make the ultimate getaway.

With all these cliches, Baby does have one thing going for him--he has tinnitus, a constant ringing in his ear from a childhood accident. To get rid of the noise, he constantly listens to music on iPods, often using the music as inspiration or motivation in his driving...or walking....or whatever he's doing in life. In the hands of director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim), this idea becomes the central conceit and artistic muse of the movie. Every car chase (and there are plenty) is set to music, along with foot chases, dramatic scenes, and comic moments. The film is not just edited to the music. Often long tracking shots also sync up with the beats and the lyrics of the songs. Visually, the movie is amazing.

The story is a bit formulaic but the cast makes the most of it. Even when they are cliched, the characters are still interesting and do have occasional moments to step up and be more human and more individual. There's nothing really deep in the movie, but it is very entertaining and well put together.

Recommended.

Movie Review: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead (2004) co-written and directed by Edgar Wright

Slacker Shaun lives a boring and repetitive existence. He wakes up, has a chat with his even-more-of-a-slacker flatmate Ed, goes to the local convenience store for a soda, and heads off to work. After work, he hangs out at his favorite pub, The Winchester. Shaun's girlfriend Liz is tired of the routine and finally dumps him. Shaun also has trouble with his mum, who remarried when Shaun was twelve. Shaun has never gotten on well with his step-dad, who is constantly badgering him. Meanwhile, the zombie apocalypse starts in the background. After the dumping, Shaun and Ed go to The Winchester to get drunk and commiserate over Shaun's losses. Back at the flat, Shaun writes himself a note before passing out. The next day, the same routine starts and Shaun doesn't realize people aren't acting the same. By the time he gets back from the store, he and Ed realize things are amiss. Shaun sees his note telling himself to get Liz back and go visit his mum. He realizes this is the opportunity to turn his life around by actually doing something. Anything.

The movie's simple premise allows for a lot of creativity in storytelling. The movie has a lot of visual repetitions and call backs that are funny and show changes in the characters and situations. Shaun winds up improvising a lot of his plan along the way with comic results. The movie also has enough drama in moments where it needs it (like when loved ones need to be killed) to feel well-rounded. Since it is a zombie film with overtones of George Romero, the gore is strongly R-rated. The movie also has a very British feel to it, with pragmatism and propriety clashing in interesting and comical ways. The mash-up of romantic comedy and zombie horror works surprisingly well.

Highly recommended, as long as you can stand some serious gore.

This movie was discussed way back on episode 20 of A Good Story is Hard to Find.

Movie Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Ant-Man (2015) directed by Peyton Reed

Dr. Hank Pym was a scientist back in the 1980s who discovered the Pym Particles which he used to power a super-suit. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to buy his technology but he refused to sell. After this brief introduction, the movie jumps to the present day where Scott Lang is let out of prison after serving three years for a white-collar crime. He wants to go on the straight and narrow so he can see his daughter, but his ride from prison is not her mother--it's his ex-cell mate. The cell mate lives in a sketchy San Francisco neighborhood and has sketchy friends as well. Scott moves in temporarily till he can get back on his feet. Scott tries to get a decent job but can only get one by lying about his criminal record. That soon comes out and he considers pulling a heist with the guys. A friend of a friend of a friend let the cell mate know that a rich man's safe will be left unguarded while the man is out of town. They plan a heist that gets them into the safe, but the only thing inside is a crazy suit and jars of liquid. No money or valuables! Scott takes the suit anyway, then tries it on. He pushes a button and BAM! he's shrunk to the size of an ant. A voice starts talking in his head, encouraging him and providing guidance. Scott breaks back into the man's house to return the suit only to get busted by the cops. While in holding, a much older Hank Pym visits him and offers him a job--use the suit to rob Pym Technologies because his 1980s research is about to become public in a bad way. Another heist is in the works.

The movie has an amazing blend of drama and comedy that somehow works so well. Marvel has the sense to make movies with human drama and the triumph of good over evil without feeling dark, cliched, or unoriginal. Scott's problems as a dad separated from his daughter could have been painfully obvious and cliched, but they don't go there. The daughter still loves him; the mom isn't rabidly opposed to him as a dad but she recognizes he needs to straighten his life out before he can be a father to his daughter. The mom is dating a cop which makes for some awkwardness all around, especially when he arrests him while returning the suit. The humor works well and fits the story naturally. Some moments border on the overly melodramatic but are scaled back with a little humor. The script writers included Edgar Wright (of Shaun of the Dead fame) and Joe Cornish (of Attack the Block fame), so the overall quality is great.

Marvel has done a great job making genre movies out of their superhero movies. Captain America: The First Avenger was a period film/World War II film. Iron-Man was a classic redemption story. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a 1970s-style political thriller. Ant-Man gives us a comedy heist film with superheroes. I hope they keep up the good tradition.

This is great popcorn fun and well worth seeing on the big screen since the hero gets so tiny. We saw this in 2D and usually I notice a scene or two that look specifically designed to be seen in 3D but I didn't notice any in this film. So don't bother seeing it in 3D.

Movie Review:The World's End (2013)

The World's End (2013) directed by Edgar Wright

Part of my on-going catch-up with last summer's films (i.e. Pacific Rim, World War Z, Much Ado About Nothing, Evil Dead, Man of Steel). I would have seen this in England but we left for America just as it opened. We came back two weeks later and it had already left the local theatres. It didn't open in America till a few months later.

The World's End is the third movie in the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy that began with Shaun of the Dead and continued with Hot Fuzz. The movies share the same director, writers, and stars but not the same narrative or characters. Thematically, they share the modern man's problem of growing up in a world that doesn't require him to mature.

In this film, Gary King (Simon Pegg) gets his friends back together to re-do a home-town pub crawl that they had attempted back in school. Gary is a bit of a wreck and a bit of a "lad" as they say in England. He likes to have a good time (mostly drink too much) and doesn't really care about other people so much. He likes to argue and will keep arguing until he wins, usually by wearing out the patience of the other person. He's trapped in adolescence, almost as if the pub crawl was his gateway out of childishness and he never made it through. The other guys have moved on to middle-class white-collar jobs and lives.

Going back to their home town, the lads discover things still look the same (all twelve pubs are still there) but things have changed. The first pub has been taken over by a larger company that owns a lot of "local" pubs which furnished the pubs the same inside. The pubs still have the local name and maybe the same staff but they offer pre-fab menus and national-brand lagers, not local dishes and ales from nearby breweries (living in England, I can verify this phenomena). The lads discuss the old times and how things have changed and how they've moved on. The movie is a fairly interesting character driven comedy to this point.

Then the big reveal happens. If you don't want to be spoiled (which may have already happened if you've seen trailers or reviews or, indeed, already watched the film), stop reading now. The twist is that the townspeople have been replaced with robotic versions of themselves. The lads find out in one of the pub's toilets where a big fight breaks out between them and some local lads. The robots' injuries reveal their true nature. They leak blue oil when they are damaged. Almost the whole town has been taken over by a larger organization with presumably nefarious plans. Gary convinces the guys they have to complete the pub crawl so as not to draw attention to themselves, thus allowing them to escape at the end of the night. His arguing skills win the day and they try to make it through the pubs and the night without too much bloodshed or oilshed.

Thematically this is a wonderful idea but the execution doesn't quite work. In the toilet fight, all of the sudden, in addition to robot locals, viewers have to buy into these middle-aged white-collar guys having amazing fighting skills. A bit too much comes out of left field at the same time. I found the rest of the film not as convincing or interesting as the beginning of the film, even though plenty of interesting things happen along the way. And it was still funny to the end, just not as strong as the other two films in the trilogy.

Parental advisory: Constant drinking (along with some driving); swearing; violent fights but the robots don't have gory damage done to them (though one does walk around with the top half of his head missing, which is played for laughs rather than horror); some conversations about sex and an extended scene of the lads making out with late-teen/early-twenties girls.