The Running Man (1987) - Page 2

I'm still shaken by the fact that Sven Ole Thorson actually survives the movie.

I'm just dismayed every time I see crowds of people talking about how awesome an incredibly awful film is. It seems like, for most people, anything they saw under the age of twenty is automatically praiseworthy, regardless of its actual merits. It's a pretty depressing way to go through life.

Contrary to your pointless take, though, people have actually expressed WHY they enjoy the film, rather than just saying it's something they liked as a kid and therefore like now. You don't need to make a straw man to criticize a bad movie, so why do you bother doing so?

Beyond that - and this is probably a point for an entirely new thread - I love the completely GenX-led fear of sentimentality. It's not wrong to enjoy something that you enjoyed as a kid purely because it reminds you of that feeling you had when you were however old. It's a natural human emotion, and not one that's only useful to people who are currently living unfulfilled lives. Equally as pathetic as the guy who can't escape childhood is the guy who denies himself pleasures of sentimentality because he's afraid that it's a weakness. Everything is a weakness in too large of doses, including cynicism and irony.

Thanks, Doctor. Let me know when there's a pill for that.

Like it or not, a large part of the point of these boards is serious film discussion. Liking or admiring a film out of pure nostalgia is anathema to serious film discussion. It demonstrates an attitude that simple diversion is enough to merit praise. That's going to be enough for a water cooler discussion. Around here, it's going to draw ire. Much like your dime store attempt at pop psychoanalysis.

Bachman, yes, I apologize. I am a fan of both King's early work and Matheson's I Am Legend. I fucked it up.

I legitimately like the Running Man. I do not think it's gen-x nostalgia (I was born in 83). I've watched both Commando and The Running Man within the last 6 months. Maybe my tastes are awful. Again, an apology.

Why do I like the Running Man? The game-show dynamic is way ahead of its time (although I don't think that's the most important element). The media-as-manipulation aspect is something I really appreciate (They Live! is the other 80's film I love that comes to mind when I think of this). The coarsened society, illustrated by the vicious and temperamental grandmother, is loads of fun. The bad guys are awesome, in a 'WWF at its height' kind of fashion, and most of them die gruesome, hilarious deaths. The Resistance is as silly as the premise, but hey . . . the world is ruled by an evil media conglomerate, and the show takes place in L.A.s earthquaked ruin. I can buy it . . . for a dollar.

Arnold is great it in it, he wears a fantastic spandex costume, his one-liners are non-apologetic and entertaining. As I said before, he crashes the bobsled into the TV host (recalling the >Bachman< ending). The lengths companies are willing to go in the name of profits and ratings are pointed to - this comes before the advent of cable TV, so I think the movie deserves significant points for that. The death of Arnold and the girl, via computer generated fiction, is also pertinent and ahead of its time. Arnold's real death is cheered by the audience. That's a good one.

I like 'The Long Walk' more than both the Running Man novella and the movie, but you know what, I like both of those quite a bit as well. These are my reasons. 'Common sense' is going to demolish a huge swathe of enjoyable, occasionally relevant entertainment. 'Common sense' says Godzilla is garbage. Godzilla isn't my thing, but I understand the value. I think judging things based on some ivory tower concept of absolute worth, instead of occasionally getting down and dirty with the 'masses,' is a pretty depressing way to look at things. Yes, good sir, the great mass of humanity is overwhelmingly idiotic and ignorant. Go fly a kite.

I love Terrence Malick as well. Whatever. Like it or not, a large part of the point of these boards is genuine love of film. Watch some Tarkovsky, I'll enjoy the Clooney remake.

I just wish we could have seen Arnold ride an Airliner into a skyscraper like in the Bachman book.

I didn't psychoanalyze anything. At least not any more than you did by saying a) anyone who likes this film is only doing so out of childish sentimentality and b) that doing so is a depressing way to live.

And like it or not, the great majority of these boards are NOT devoted to serious film discussion. What the fuck boards have you been on? There's as many threads about Madonna's bush as there are which actually dig into serious film discussion (note for the hyperbolically impaired - that was an exaggeration).

If you were someone that serious about film criticism, wouldn't you then come into this thread and attempt to provide some (not that you can, but the attempt can be made), rather than make some glib dismissal of those who like the film (actually ignoring the film itself)? How can you not be self-aware enough to recognize the irony there?

Like THOR. And Salma Hayek's tits.

edit: D'oh! Beaten to it by Guttenberg.

I had wanted to watch this tonight but the dvd from Netflix arrived cracked. Dammit.

Sure, I liked seeing Arnold nail some motherfuckers, back when I was younger and dumber, but this film needs to unfuck itself before I hurt my eyeballs with it, again.

Was flipping around the dial a few days back and came across this as the closing the credits were playing. I had never heard the whole routine done by "The Running Man" studio announcer at the end of the credits. Funny, funny stuff.

I was able to finally watch it. It could use a remake. Arnold has far better one liners in Predator.

Jesse Ventura just seems wasted here. I expected him to actually face down Arnold and not some bullshit body doubles.

All the one-liners here made me cringe. The only thing that really stood out from other dystopian 80s action movies, for me, is the 15 second shot of Jesse Ventura talking directly to the camera in the locker room, looking like he was drawn for a comic book: suit, hair, biceps, swagger used ironically. I didn't think he was capable of that, a Hulk Hogan-in-Gremlins-2 level of self-awareness. Dawson shouldn't have interrupted him.

But on seeing this for possibly the first time, I feel the indifference predicted above and none of the anger. Wish someone would adapt my nostalgia for the book.

We pulled this out and watched it last night.  And it is amazing how relevant some of the topics are, especially how enraptured folks are with the reality TV show where you're essentially watching someone kill someone else.  And they predict the world economy will collapse in 2017...they might be closer than they think.

 

Watching it in HD (even with a non-HD disc), I noticed a few things--Dynamo has hair...for some reason I thought he was bald; in the battle with Buzzsaw, you can clearly see the chain saw is off most of the time, and then right after they would cut to a new scene with the chain saw, for a split second, the chain saw is off, then would start again as the scene started; Plastic goggles probably not the best thing to wear if you shoot fire at people; still waiting for the Asian takeover of hockey as evidenced by SubZero.

 

Watching it with my niece, she kept saying, "This is just like the plot to The Hunger Games."

"I'll be back."

 

"Only in a rerun."

I love The Running Man it's so unashamedly terrible that it's one of my favourite comedies of all time. The cheapness, the Arnoldness, the costumes, I love it, all of it. I just revel in the kitchyness of the whole thing.

dude Hallenbeck, The Running Man is...Awesome!  It is clearly one of Arnold's Good Films.  Maria Concheta Alonso is also...Hot As Hell in the film.  Richard Dawson is terrific as the...Maniacal Game Show Host as well!  The Puns, are all top notch.