REVIEW: The Running Man (2025 Film) Starring Glen Powell

Review by Jon Donnis

Edgar Wright's 2025 adaptation of The Running Man brings Stephen King's dystopian vision into a sleek, modern action thriller, but it is a strange mix of spectacle and missed opportunity. Set in a near-future United States ruled by a media network that pacifies the poor with violent game shows, the film follows Ben Richards, played with solid charm by Glen Powell, as he is coerced into the titular competition to save his sick daughter. Powell brings grit and determination to the role, making Ben both sympathetic and compelling as he navigates a deadly landscape populated by professional hunters and a bloodthirsty public. Josh Brolin is suitably menacing as Dan Killian, the charismatic producer who manipulates the game for maximum ratings, while Lee Pace's masked Hunter, Evan McCone, adds a cold, methodical threat that keeps the tension high. Supporting turns from Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, and William H. Macy provide light relief and a touch of humanity amidst the carnage.

The film is undeniably entertaining. Wright delivers some spectacular set pieces, from explosive firefights in Boston to high-speed chases through New York and tense sequences in isolated bunkers. Cinematography and visual effects are impressive, giving the world of The Running Man a polished, futuristic sheen, while the pacing rarely lets up. The narrative manages to balance personal stakes with wider social commentary, highlighting economic disparity and the dangers of media manipulation without feeling too heavy-handed. There is a satisfying arc in Ben's journey, culminating in a final confrontation that provides a clear sense of justice and catharsis.

But there are drawbacks. The film lacks memorable dialogue or quotable lines, and the villains, while competent, feel flat compared to the over-the-top antagonists of the 1987 version. Much of the humour and camp that made the original film so endearing has been removed, leaving a more serious, but also more forgettable, tone. The insertion of modern political commentary sometimes feels forced, undermining the otherwise thrilling spectacle. For fans of the original, these changes make the remake feel unnecessarily safe and polished, stripping away much of the charm that gave the 1987 Running Man its cult status.

The Running Man is a slick, fun film with solid performances and plenty of action, but it suffers from being a remake that removes the soul of its predecessor. It works as a popcorn movie and is enjoyable in its own right, yet it begs the question of why a modern update was necessary when a wholly original dystopian action story could have delivered the same excitement. Despite its flaws, it is still an entertaining watch, earning a fair 7 out of 10.

Out Now on Digital

https://apple.co/4q4pprK

REVIEW: The Pickup (2025 Film) - Starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer

Review by Jon Donnis

The Pickup arrives with a clear promise. A noisy, star driven action comedy built around a bad day, a worse plan, and a pairing that should clash in entertaining ways. For the most part, it delivers something close to that brief. Not spectacular, not disastrous, but watchable enough if expectations are kept firmly in check.

The set up is enjoyably simple. Russell Pierce, a long serving armoured truck driver edging towards retirement, finds himself paired with Travis Stolly, a jittery rookie who dreams of a police badge. Their routine run turns into chaos when they are ambushed by Zoe, a criminal mastermind with ambitions that stretch far beyond the contents of the truck. What begins as a hostage situation mutates into a revenge driven heist, complete with betrayals, emotional confessions, explosions, and a steadily rising body count of bad decisions.

The film's biggest strength is its energy. Tim Story keeps things moving at a brisk pace, rarely letting the story linger long enough for its logic to collapse completely. There is a sense of fun running through the better sequences, especially once the plan to steal an armoured vehicle rather than its contents is revealed. The story may be familiar, but it is put together with enough momentum to remain engaging.

Keke Palmer is the standout. As Zoe, she brings confidence, sharp timing, and just enough emotional grounding to sell the character's backstory without dragging the film into melodrama. She dominates every scene she is in, balancing menace and charm with ease. The film belongs to her far more than it does to its nominal leads.

Eddie Murphy, meanwhile, is something of a curiosity here. Visually, he looks astonishing, with immaculate make up and styling that shave decades off his age. It is distracting in its own way. Performance wise, he is restrained to the point of frustration. Casting Murphy as the straight man in an action comedy feels like a waste of one of cinema's most charismatic comic presences. He is perfectly competent, even likeable, but rarely allowed to cut loose.

Pete Davidson fares less well. His Travis is written as awkward and emotionally muddled, but the performance leans heavily into the character's least appealing traits. Rather than providing contrast or comic friction, he often grates, and the romantic subplot with Zoe never quite convinces. It is hard to escape the sense that he is miscast.

The film's emotional core, centred on Zoe's revenge against the casino that failed her father, is serviceable if blunt. It gives the plot a motive beyond greed, though it is resolved with a neatness that feels unearned. By the time the final chase erupts and alliances are settled, The Pickup seems more interested in wrapping things up cleanly than interrogating any of its ideas.

Ultimately, this is a paint by numbers Netflix film. It is competently made, intermittently entertaining, and easy to forget once the credits roll. There are laughs, a few decent action beats, and one genuinely strong performance holding it together. What it lacks is ambition, and a willingness to let Eddie Murphy be Eddie Murphy.

The Pickup earns a generous 5 out of 10. Ninety minutes of mild distraction for the evening when scrolling feels more exhausting than settling.

Out Now on Netflix

REVIEW: Predator: Badlands (2025 Film) Starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Review by Jon Donnis

Predator: Badlands arrives with a fair bit of expectation tucked under its armour, and you can see why. Dan Trachtenberg knows how to make this universe feel gritty, textured and alive, and the seventh entry has a bold confidence from its opening moments. What you get is a strange mix of spectacle, character work and franchise reinvention that sometimes thrills and sometimes makes you sigh.

The story follows Dek, a Yautja runt who has never had his father's approval and ends up exiled to the savage world of Genna. The film wastes no time plunging you into its nastier corners. You feel the sting of its hostile flora and the weight of its thick atmosphere. Dek's reluctant partnership with Thia, a damaged Weyland Yutani synthetic played with real feeling by Elle Fanning, gives the film its strongest thread. Their odd bond grows as they face the Kalisk, a regenerating apex brute that gives the film its best action beats. The moment Dek finally squares off with the creature, loses, survives and winds up in corporate captivity is handled with a surprising amount of heart, helped along by Dimitrius Schuster Koloamatangi's quiet determination.

Visually, the film is a treat. There is a lovely blend of practical work and digital support, and Genna's wide open vistas look properly dangerous. The fights are tight, clear and loaded with impact. Even the buddy elements land more often than not, helped along by the amusing presence of Bud, the native creature that ends up tying the plot together.

The trouble arrives when you step back and look at what this means for the franchise. The script leans heavily on familiar genre beats. You can feel when a scene is echoing something from other sci fi adventures rather than carving out something fresh. More than that, the film shifts the Predator from a menacing force into something closer to a sympathetic underdog. It puts the whole thing in buddy film territory, and the tonal drift will not sit well with older fans. Calling it softened might be a little generous. It feels as if the film is trying to reshape the mythology into something more palatable for a modern audience, and the result does blunt the creature's historic edge.

The adventure works, but the franchise framing does not always help it.

Predator: Badlands is a good time, and on its own merits it would be an even better one. The problem is that it sits in the shadow of a creature that once defined a genre. This film turns that monster into a troubled youngster working through family baggage, and the comparison to the brutal 1987 original does it no favours. Think small nervous dog versus powerful beast and you get the idea.

It is entertaining. It has heart. It has strong action. It is also the wrong fit for the badge on the poster. For that reason, a fair score is 7 out of 10.

Out in Cinemas Now!

Apple TV - https://apple.co/3Mwbuwd

PREVIEW: Space / Time (2026 Film) - Starring Ashlee Lollback, Hugh Parker and Pacharo Mzembe

Images Courtesy of spacetimemovie.com

Preview by Jon Donnis

There is something immediately gripping about a future that feels close enough to touch. Space/Time leans right into that mood. The film follows a world teetering on collapse while a group of scientists unveils a radical engine that bends space itself. Their breakthrough should have been a turning point. Instead the first test goes horribly wrong, the project is shut down, and the people behind it find their reputations in pieces.

Holt (Hugh Parker)

That is where Holt (Hugh Parker) steps forward. He is brilliant, ruthless, and unwilling to watch his life's work fade into obscurity. With his sharp minded assistant Liv (Ashlee Lollback) at his side, he slips into the criminal underworld to rebuild the device in secret. The tension rises as they rush to finish it before the authorities catch up. The device shifts from hope to fixation, and the closer they come to powering it up again, the more the question grows. Will it save the species or open the door to something far worse.

Liv (Ashlee Lollback)

Ashlee Lollback, Hugh Parker, and Pacharo Mzembe lead the cast, with Michael O'Halloran directing. The film runs for ninety minutes and brings together producers Adam Harmer, Jai Hogg, and O'Halloran. The script comes from Harmer and O'Halloran, and the whole thing arrives on 13 January 2026.

Harris (Pacharo Mzembe)

It looks set to offer a tight, sci fi story built on ambition, pressure, and the thin line between genius and danger.

Definitely one we are looking forward to. For now watch the trailer and get excited!

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4oRY4rD

PREVIEW: Witchboard (2026 Film) - Stars Madison Iselan

Preview by Jon Donnis

Vertigo Releasing has set the stage for the digital arrival of Witchboard, a fresh take on the 1986 favourite that marked one of Chuck Russell's early swings into horror. It also signals his return to the genre that helped define him, following the cult energy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and The Blob. This new film completes his trio of fantasy horror projects, something he approached as a chance to stretch the borders of familiar fright worlds while holding tight to the foundations that made them endure.

The cast comes packed with familiar faces. Madison Iselan leads as Emily, known for her work on the Annabelle and Jumanji franchises. She is joined by Jamie Campbell Bower, whose genre credentials from Stranger Things and the Twilight series fit neatly into this darker turn. Aaron Dominguez brings the sharp presence people spotted in Only Murders in the Building, while Charlie Tahan steps in with the grit he showed in Ozark. Mel Jarnson, recognised from Mortal Kombat, and Antonia Desplat, seen in Modi and Three Days on the Wing of Madness, round out a strong ensemble.

The story follows Emily after she discovers an ancient spirit board. The moment she brings it into her life, the people around her begin to die in sudden and unsettling ways. Her friends quickly realise they are dealing with something far older than superstition. Their only chance is to break the curse before it spreads further.

Russell produces the film alongside Kade Vu, Greg McKay and Bernie Gewissler. A large group of executive producers join them, including Eric Schiermeyer, Barry Brewer, John Paul Isham, Walter Josten, Patrick Josten, Marc Rousseau, Yannick Sadle, Robert Abramoff, Kevin Tenney, Jeff Geoffrey, Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier and JJ Caruth. Yaron Levy handles cinematography, while Camille Parent guides the production design. Véronique Marchessault shapes the costume design. Editing is shared between Alex Márquez, Joe Plenys and Émile Vallée, with Sam Ewing on composition duties.

Witchboard arrives on Amazon, Apple TV, Sky Store and YouTube Movies on 2 February 2026.