Better Late Than Never on "The Running Man"

Another old movie I recently saw for the first time the other day was "The Running Man". I'm really excited for the updated "Running Man" directed by Edgar Wright, so I wanted to see the original to get an idea of what I will be getting myself into. I fully understand that Edgar Wright is going to make a more competent and better looking movie, and that these two movies are based on an older Stephen King book, but I often opt for movie interpretations over books. I usually see the movie first and then read the book. I know that's backwards for some, but that's how I do it.

Anyway, I was pretty excited to watch the first "Running Man" movie. I have found that, since I'm older now, going back to 80's sci-fi action movies is a ton of fun. They're so broad and zany and funny and I have such a good time watching them now. I recently rewatched "Total Recall" and was so much more into it now than I was when I first saw it as a kid. I used to be weirdly scared of movies like that when I was a child, but now I truly adore them. I had this feeling going into "The Running Man". And this movie was everything I wanted it to be.

Right off the bat it is no wonder why Arnold Schwartzenegger was such a big action star back in the day. He didn't have to say much, he was hunky and strong and he knew that action was his genre. He is so watchable. This performance was so similar to his work in "Total Recall" and I loved that about it. Honestly, you could watch any action/sci-fi movie from this era starring Schwartzenegger and it is the same performance. He knew what to do, the writers knew how to write him and the directors just let him go off. It is perfect for the genre and era.

Maria Conchita Alonso gave a very good performance in this over the top movie. She added a levity and she wasn't on screen just to be a damsel in distress or a love interest for Schwartzenegger. She was tough and knew how to stand up for herself. When she pulled her hair back in a ponytail after being dropped into the game, you knew she was ready to fight. I loved it.

Some of the "stalkers", the people dropped into the game to hunt the contestants, were absolutely wild. We had a dude with an axe using it as a hockey stick. There was another guy with a saw who hung out with a guy that could sing and use electricity to their advantage. And then we had Jim Brown, Fireball, who could fly and had a gun that shot fire, and Jesse Ventura, the washed up "stalker" who thinks he can still play the game. These guys were sadistic and wild. They were also hilarious. Each had a pun that they would say, and when Shwartzenegger would end them, he made sure to tell them his own related pun. It was very funny.

And then we had Richard Dawson. I only remembered him from "Family Feud". He always creeped me out when I watched reruns of that show. It felt like he was groping every female contestant. That is pretty much what he did in this movie, but this time around he was allowed to curse. He was evil and insane and he gave a good performance. I read that many people said this was just him in real life, so I guess it was an easy role for him.

All in all this movie was so fun. I didn't realize how funny the movie was going to be, and it made me kind of miss when they did action movies like these. I hope, and am pretty certain that the new movie will bring all of the fun that the original had.

"The Running Man" is a great and fun watch. I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially if you watched them when you were younger. Go revisit this movie, it is one of the better ones out there. And it has me prepped for the new version. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"Total Recall" (The Original) is Still a Great Movie

Recently I rewatched the original "Total Recall". I hadn't seen this movie since I was in my early 20's. I remember liking it then, but it had been awhile. I found it on Amazon and decided that last week was a perfect time to revisit the movie.

As I sat back, I kind of forgot most of the plot and the movie. But, in this rewatch, I was stoked at how much I still love the movie and how it still holds up. I was all in. When the movie started it all flooded back to me. Every little plot point and big scene came to the forefront of my mind. I could remember where I was when I first watched the movie and I was just as happy this time around. This is when Arnold Schwarzenegger was at his biggest point of stardom. He could do no wrong in the action movie genre. He was a heavy hitter and he barely had to act. He just had to emote, beat some bad guys and flex his muscles. "Total Recall" was a perfect movie for him to star in at that time in his acting life. Sharon Stone wasn't in it much, but she was great as well. But, this is all about Schwarzenegger. He did some great things in this movie. The action sequences were wonderful. The ending fight scene was pretty epic and awesome. He also had very good chemistry with both of the female leads. He also seemed to be having a good time during filming of this movie. When he got to do the scene where he was talking to his past self on the computer, that was pretty ahead of its time and executed very well.

This was also the time that Paul Verhoven was in his bag. He was crushing the ultra violent ultra intense action movie. There was no one better than Verhoven at doing this. To have the ability to make both "Robocop" and "Total Recall" in a short period of time, that is the work of a true professional.

I did managed to watch some of the updated remake they did, and it is not even close to the original. The newer one is dark and dreary. They take themselves too seriously. They aren't having the same amount of fun that the original movie had to its credit. It's just not the same. They didn't need to remake or update the original because the original is a classic. That was proven tenfold to me on this revisit.

I think a bunch of people are going back and watching old movies from their childhood because we are sentimental, but there's something unique and different and fun about the original action movies from the 80's and the 90's. They're campy and fun. They don't take it seriously. They understand how absurd these movies can be, and they just go for it. That's cool to me. I like that they were willing to have fun and enjoy themselves. Graphics are too good now. CGI is fully taking over movies, which is a bummer. And everyone wants to be brooding and moody in movies now. Actors, and I don't blame them, want awards. Not too many actors like to have fun and have a good time making action movies now, save for Keanu Reeves.

I definitely recommend going back and rewatching the original "Total Recall". It's from a forgotten time in Hollywood and it is a nice blast from the past when doing a rewatch. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.