The Running Man (1987)

the Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast

You gotta check out this rad episode where Krissy and Nathan are reviewing the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action flick – The Running Man. It's totally tubular and will have you stoked!

They start with a brief lowdown of the 1987 dystopian film set in a totalitarian future where convicted criminals are forced to compete on a deadly game show called The Running Man. They compare it to other gnarly movies of the era like Robocop that deal with big ideas of capitalism, sensationalist media, and police states gone wild.

The duo gets down and dirty with the ridiculous premise and plot holes of The Running Man, asking how contestants normally win the game if they don't kill the stalkers. But hey, they still love Arnold's iconic one-liners and puns after defeating each gladiator ("Sub Zero? More like Plain Zero!"). That's totally bodacious!

Krissy and Nathan shoot the breeze about whether the film is still dope today and whether audiences would flip on the show as quickly as portrayed. They give mad props to Richard Dawson's over-the-top performance as the villainous game show host Killian and discuss the wacky tonal shifts between extreme violence and campy dance numbers.

Krissy and Nathan also cover other far-out topics such as comparisons to The Hunger Games franchise, questionable fashion choices and costumes, recurring images of spandex and 80s flair, the cheesiness of Arnold's "love story" romantic subplot, and the importance of an editor on the rebels' team. They debate the realism of the crowd turning so dramatically and appreciate the running time being padded out by extended dance sequences. Totally rad, right?

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