The Long Walk – Movie Review (4/5)

THE LONG WALK is a new horror movie based on a Stephen King novel. Set in a dystopian post-war USA, this feels eerily current. Also, it will make most viewers cry, so consider yourself warned. Read our full The Long Walk movie review here!

THE LONG WALK is yet another horror movie based on a Stephen King story. Unlike the previous Stephen King adaptations of 2025, The Monkey and The Life of Chuck, this one is based on a novel.

Also, while The Life of Chuck was a fantasy drama about the wonder of life, The Long Walk is a dystopian horror movie about survival in a world where there is no respect for human life. Certainly not poor people.

It’s very dark (not unlike The Monkey) and yet, it is also about the wonders of life (and friendship) in a roundabout way. Remember to bring tissues, as this will bring tears to the eyes of most who watch it.

Continue reading our The Long Walk movie review below. Find it in theaters from September 12, 2025.

Just keep walking…

While I realize “just keep walking” might make you think of Finding Nemo and Dory’s “Just keep swimming” mantra, I assure you, The Long Walk is a very different beast.

In fact, the “boots” poem featured in 28 Years Later is more relevant.

We’re in a dystopian post-war USA, where people are poor and most seem to be struggling. That’s why a competition has been created to help “boost morale” and give everyone the chance to be rich.

All you have to do is keep walking. A representative from each state is selected. Only young men can participate, and they do volunteer. Of course, when this competition is your only chance to get ahead, it is truly a choice?!

Once you’ve received the great honor of being selected, you receive a letter stating when to show up at the starting line. This is the opening of The Long Walk. Then we see all the young men arrive, and the walking begins.

Not until over 20 minutes into the movie does the title card come.

Brutal and emotional

Once the walking begins, there will be no stopping until only one young man is left standing as the winner. You’ll have to do whatever you need to do while walking. Whether that’s eating, sleeping, or relieving yourself.

You do not stop walking, nor do you slow down too much. Don’t worry, unless you cannot continue, there will be warnings and umm incentives to keep you going!

What makes The Long Walk work so well – other than the strong core premise – is the casting. We have to find heroes and villains among these walkers, while also recognizing that the world that created this race is the true villain.

We have David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) and Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) in the two absolute lead roles as Ray Garraty #47 and Peter McVries #23, respectively.

And yes, Cooper Hoffman is the son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, which you can tell in terms of both genes and talent!

As other key participants in the never-ending walk, you can look forward to amazing talent. This includes Charlie Plummer (The Clovehitch Killer), Tut Nyuot, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing, Joshua Odjick (IT: Welcome to Derry), and Roman Griffin David (Silent Night, Jojo Rabbit).

To name just a few!

As The Major, who leads the walk and is in charge of all the oppressive and brutal elements, we have the iconic Mark Hamill. Oh, and there is also one woman: Judy Greer as Ray Garraty’s mom, who drives him to the starting line.

The storytelling power of Stephen King

As mentioned earlier, this is the third feature film of 2025 based on a Stephen King story. With this movie, we’re closer to the darkness of The Monkey than the wonder of The Life of Chuck.

The Long Walk is very much a dystopian horror movie. 

It’s very dark, and yet, it does also manage to touch on the wonders of life and relationships. Maybe because we (and they) all know that the ending is near. Speaking of death, remember to bring tissues.

The Long Walk will bring tears to the eyes of most who watch it.

Tears of grief come from love

Of course, this Stephen King adaptation comes from a director who has given us quite a few genre films that also brought tears to our collective eyes. I’ll get back to this later (promise!).

For The Long Walk, the heartbreaking moments come from getting to know young people and hearing about their struggles and hopes, only to see most of them die a violent and vicious death.

The tears will be of grief (both those of the characters and the audience), which is closely related to love. You cry because you’ve lost a loved one. Yes, even if it’s a character you just met.

Tragically, only one person can win The Long Walk contest. This is a dystopian horror story from the mind of Stephen King. It’s very rarely the origin of “happy endings” or a feel-good resolution.

On the other hand, I’m sure certain politicians will watch this and think it should be a real event! That’s just one reason why this movie feels eerily relevant and very current despite taking place in an alternative USA.

Watch The Long Walk in theaters now

The director of The Long Walk is Francis Lawrence, who also directed several movies in The Hunger Games franchise. And yes, there are some obvious comparisons between the two.

Of course, while Hunger Games is a colorful spectacle of a TV show, The Long Walk is a simple and brutal walk until the very end.

In terms of remembering tissues, when watching this horror movie, you should know that Francis Lawrence also directed I Am Legend (2007), which has a scene that always makes me (and many others) cry.

The screenwriter is JT Mollner, who also wrote (and directed) Strange Darling. As already mentioned, this is based on a novel by Stephen King. Apparently, this was the first-written novel of King, though not the first-released.

In fact, he didn’t even release it under his own name. He used Richard Bachman as he did for many others. Including The Running Man, which is coming out in November this year, marking the fourth movie adaptation of a Stephen King story in 2025 alone.

Plus, there’s the MGM+ series The Institute.

This is truly the age of Stephen King… and the world clearly needs reminders that it can get even worse (or better) depending on what you do. That may be the key message of The Long Walk as well.

The Long Walk is out in US theaters from September 12, 2025.

Details

Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay: JT Mollner
Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill