The Running Man Early Reviews Are in…How are they?
Next week the latest Stephen King adaptation and the latest film from Edgar Wright, The Running Man drops in theaters. This is a film that I’ve been very excited to check out. Last night was the London premiere where critics saw the film and we got the first reactions to the film. Let’s talk about them!
- “The Running Man is absolutely fantastic. Edgar Wright and Glen Powell deliver a nonstop thrill ride (with a killer supporting cast and soundtrack) that I’ve been dying to see again. Powell has officially cemented himself as Hollywood’s next leading man.” - Thomas Ellinidis
- “Happy to report that Edgar Wright’s The Running Man has a heavy dose of Verhoeven-flavored camp & satire. A big, loud movie led by a physical Glen Powell performance that lets him flex his leading man charisma in new ways.” - One Gooch After Another
- “I loved Stephen King’s book, but Edgar Wright’s The Running Man floored me. He trimmed the weakest parts of the book and even took swings and improved upon it. I love that Glen Powell brings more humanity to Ben Richards. A total blast. See it in theaters.” - Andrew Korean
- “The Running Man is glorious, a brilliantly old-school blockbuster: fast-paced, action-packed yet character-driven, with a chaotic energy reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim. Glen Powell burns up the screen, angry, masculine, funny, with a proper film star charisma. Loved it!” - FilmLand Empire
- “The Running Man is an action-packed thrill ride. Heart-pumping and adrenaline-inducing, from start to finish. A fun watch that’s also full of heart. Glen Powell delivers a powerhouse performance, and he gives us a guy worth rooting for. Edgar Wright knocked it out of the park.” - Kathy Paz
- “What a year for Stephen King adaptations! The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, IT: Welcome to Derry, and now The Running Man is also fantastic…Not only do Edgar Wright and co deliver big on the front, but he managed to do a while making feel like an Edgar Wright movie. He’s got a remarkably firm handle on the style and tone of the film…As expected Glen Powell is just the perfect Ben Richards.” - Perri Nemiroff
My Thoughts: All around, the early buzz for The Running Man is extremely positive. There’s several more quotes and Tweets I could’ve included but all of them were saying basically the same thing: it’s action packed, thrilling, exciting, with a great performance by Glen Powell. I saw a lot of them saying that it’s Powell’s best performance to date. I think all of the positive early buzz will only help this movie financially and have good legs. This was one of most anticipated movies of fall 2025 and all of this early buzz only solidified that this looks like a great time at the movies and a movie that I’m going to have a blast with. I’m excited to see Glen Powell continue to establish himself as one of the big movie stars in Hollywood and that he’s going to have a bright career ahead of him.
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