A group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as “The Long Walk,” where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot.
After many years in development hell, Stephen King’s true first novel (he wrote this while a student at the University of Maine, and eventually published it under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman) finally has a film adaptation of its own.
Directed by “The Hunger Games” series veteran Francis Lawrence, who is no stranger to dystopian films centered around competing youths, the setting of “The Long Walk” lacks a true sense of desperation. The competition itself is a terrifying ordeal: every contestant must maintain a pace of 3 miles per hour. Each time they drop under that speed, they’re given a warning. After three warnings, they are unceremoniously executed by soldiers under the command of The Major, played by a seriously miscast Mark Hamill, who struggles to convince as a villain who is supposed to be terrifying.
All the world-building and backstory explanation takes place through expositional dialogue. Though this is a serious flaw that leaves the story and its setting feeling flat, it’s sold well through commendable performances from Cooper Hoffman as Ray Garraty, who befriends fellow contestant Peter DeVries (“Alien Romulus” star David Jonsson). The two leads have genuine chemistry, and their friendship will remind Stephen King fans of another timeless coming-of-age classic, “Stand By Me.”
The various contestant death scenes are intense at first, but quickly fall into repetition and mean-spiritedness. By the time the ending rolls around, it’s so predictable and handled with so little fanfare that it’s almost insulting.
If you’re a fan of Stephen King and the way he writes fellowship between young men in dire situations, “The Long Walk” is worth a watch. But if you’re looking for a good dystopian horror film, you can skip this one.
In Theaters Friday, September 12th
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