The Running Man (2025) (Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Edgar Wright

Cast: Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace

Release Date: March 3, 2026

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis:

THE RUNNING MAN is a fun, unhinged deadly game show where contestants must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Working class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is coerced into the competition by the show’s ruthless producer (Josh Brolin). Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into a fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system.

‘The Running Man’ accompanies family man Ben Richards who is angry at the state of the dystopian world he and his family struggle to survive in. When his infant daughter becomes increasingly ill and they’re unable to afford the needed medication to help her, he tries out for one of the big shows run by the Network; the only job he’s not blacklisted from. After auditioning Ben is selected for The Running Man which sees three contestants provided thirty days with multiple teams and hunters along with all of the population attempting to kill you or report your location for their own reward, but if you can survive long enough you’ll earn a hefty sum yourself. Now Ben must try and find a way to stay alive for a month and fight off everyone trying to stop him while staying a step ahead of a clearly rigged game.

Directed by Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) from a screenplay written by Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street 2012) and Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright, and based on the novel by Stephen King, Wright does a nice job at the helm of ‘The Running Man’ guiding along this new adaptation with style, thrills and even some heart and humor. The film’s cast includes Glen Powell (Twisters), William H. Macy (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), Lee Pace (Captain Marvel), Michael Cera (The Phoenician Scheme), Emilia Jones (TV’s Task), Daniel Ezra (TV’s All American), Jayme Lawson (Sinners), Sean Hayes (Is This Thing On?), Colman Domingo (Dead Man’s Wire) and Josh Brolin (Weapons), along with more and they offer generally capable and solid performances in each of their respective roles.

This new adaptation of ‘The Running Man’ serves up a wildly enjoyable, darkly comedic and consistently thrilling ride into chaos and violence. It should be noted that even as a big fan of Stephen King, oddly enough I’ve never had the pleasure of reading this novel, nor of seeing the previous iteration of the film so my thoughts on this one are based solely off of this film itself, and I will of course therefore be unable to offer any comparisons between. That being said, this version of ‘The Running Man’ was quite a blast and while perhaps not every element and tidbit lands flawlessly, it does a terrific job of going all out and keeping things surprisingly fun, even with the bleak subject matter and storyline. It also never allows the fun tone to detract from the more brutal moments which often come full force and without warning which helps to keep newcomers like me on their toes and ready for just about anything.

I’ve become a big fan of Edgar Wright over the years who manages to deliver one insanely fun and rewarding movie after another, and I’ve had a soft spot for Glen Powell since his hilariously ridiculous role in the television series ‘Scream Queens’ therefore the involvement of both did nothing to deter me or take away by any means. Powell does a pretty solid job taking on the bitter and violently angry character of Ben and holds his own very well throughout the majority, while the other big stars each help contribute more fun to the mix. The capable world creation within, the near constant tension and excitement and some wildly exciting chase and fight sequences all come together to make ‘The Running Man’ an absolute blast that’s so much  fun it’s easy to overlook many of its minor issues which aren’t many.

Overall, ‘The Running Man’ is a thrilling ride that’s stylish, fast-paced and packed with tension, heart, humor and a whole lot of bloody and violent chaos, not to mention some timely themes and a handful of surprises along the way. Guided smoothly along for the most part by notable director Edgar Wright and his capable work behind the camera is repeatedly complemented by a competent cast and enthralling story that comes together into a pretty fantastic futuristic tale that may have a few minor hiccups along the way but keeps the violent and twisted turns coming at full speed nonetheless and delivers an immensely enjoyable time that shouldn’t be missed. ‘The Running Man’ is definitely recommended for any fans of director Edgar Wright, the source novel by Stephen King or of the notable cast led by Glen Powell who should each find plenty to love about this new adaptation.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Running Man’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks spectacular as a whole and it provides a sharp, clean and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any significant issues or faults arising along the way. Detail is tremendous on characters and the various surroundings and landscapes as locations shift, with the Dolby Vision HDR fine tuning many tidbits such as coloring on jumpsuits, stage designs and more, while black levels remain suitably dark and deep throughout. Overall, this is a fantastic Ultra High Definition presentation that looks terrific at every turn and shouldn’t disappoint fans or first time viewers.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a great deal of fun itself and it offers a crisp, clean and notably aggressive audio presentation throughout. It constantly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send everything from music and crowd noise to bullets, explosions and debris, vehicle effects and a great deal more repeatedly whipping throughout the various speakers, and never resulting in any simultaneously occurring dialogue or other audio elements becoming distorted or negatively impacted in the process. Overall, this is a spectacular Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that delivers splendidly throughout and repeatedly contributes to the fun and tension of the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Running Man’ is packed with hours of entertaining extras that delve into the process of bringing the new film to life. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Edgar Wright, Actor Glen Powell, and Writer Michael Bacall’, in addition to some ‘Deleted and Extended Scenes’ from the movie (running approximately 11 minutes in length combined) and numerous Behind the Scenes Featurettes including ‘The Hunt Begins’ (running approximately 11 minutes), ‘The Hunters and the Hunted’ (approximately 16 minutes), ‘Welcome to The Running Man: Designing the World’ (17 minutes) and ‘Surviving the Game: Shooting The Running Man’ (28 minutes), plus a ‘Stunts Compilation’ (2 minutes) and ‘Hair, Make-Up and Costume Test’ (26 minutes). Also included are the full videos for many of the in-film shows and content including ‘The Running Man Commercials’ (2 minutes combined), ‘The Running Man Show’ footage (4 minutes altogether), ‘The Runners – Self Tapes’ (14 minutes altogether), footage from ‘Speed the Wheel’ (2 minutes), plus ‘The Americanos: Title Sequence, Episode and Promos’ (approximately 8  minutes overall) and 2 episodes of ‘The Apostle’ (4 minutes altogether). ‘3 Theatrical Trailers’ and ‘3 Digital Spots’ (8 minutes combined) are included as well.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10

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‘The Running Man (2025)’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Combo Pack, 4K UHD Steelbook, DVD & Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘The Running Man (2025)’ on 4K Steelbook at Amazon HERE!

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