The Running Man

Worst Arnold. I don't know what the screenwriter was on, but at least he was definitely on Terminator, because the Resistance and "I'll be back" speak for themselves. The initially promising concept is destroyed by a pile of illogicalities, bearded Arnold and a hunting panopticon led by a Christmas tree. Madness to the nth degree, from which the presence of an Austrian oak in the leading role makes it incomprehensible phenomenon. (02/20/2006)

One of the highly controversial adaptations of Stephen King's literary work, which he published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The term "controversial" in this case does not necessarily mean bad, although it truly is, but rather contradictory to the spirit of the original novel. I have a feeling that even King himself could not have liked this adaptation, as he is otherwise masochistically accommodating toward the defilement of his work, selling rights without blinking an eye to even the biggest weirdos. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not resemble the novel's protagonist whatsoever. The world presented by Paul Michael Glaser does not resemble the King's, as in the novel the main character is a frightened little man who just wants to survive and uses his head - not muscles. That's not even mentioning the value aspect of the whole story. Moreover, the film doesn't even come close to the grandeur and sophistication of similar sci-fi movies like Total Recall. The ending is as awkward as a seizure of a person with epilepsy. So, all in all: I appreciated a few special effects and a few of the punches. Overall impression: 25%. (12/09/2007)

I love Bachman's novella and maybe that's why I avoided the film, which has nothing much in common with the book except the basic concept. The direction is lousy, but the 2017 dystopian future atmosphere has its charms and I completely understand its cult status. Arnold is in great form. The witty wisecracks and off-color humor may trump the message and turn it into brutal entertainment, but who gives a damn. Now, however, it might be the time to adapt it properly, according to the book, and in a way that makes the audience shudder at the end. (01/02/2024)

A colossal piece of crap that doesn't live up to its guilty pleasure ambitions or its ultra-guilty pleasure era. Compared to the likes of Commando, this is probably a hundred times cheaper and dodgier exhibition of Arnold's physical prowess, which also reprehensibly wastes an otherwise interesting futuristic theme. I don't know what is more moronic, the music, the chaotic editing, or the whole structure and execution of the gladiatorial show, but together it makes for a bitterly hard-to-watch spectacle. The only things worth highlighting are, as usual, the wisecracking Arnold and, despite the presence of a beautiful partner, the absence of any annoying romantic line. (01/18/2018)