Many already believe this is one of the best Stephen King adaptations, and perhaps it is. The bar can be rather low sometimes. Francis Lawrence was the right man for the job here, having already conquered a dystopian future with the Hunger Games (which Quentin Tarantino is apparently NOT a fan). So asking Lawrence to once again direct young actors in a situation where only one survives, and the government is responsible, is spot on. So if you’re signing up for a long walk, could it be even better? Yes.

the movie takes place in the future where a post apocalyptic America is struggling to come back, and every year young men from all over the country submit for this Long Walk where if they win, their wish is granted, and they are showered in wealth. Everyone else dies.If you slow down too much, you get two warnings, and on the third, you get shot. They must maintain a pace of three miles an hour, no stopping. this does present interesting challenges for using the bathroom, and also walking up a hill, but some handle it better than others.

If I could give Francis the kind of advice no one else gave him, it would be to absolve this film of needing to have a lead. We meet Cooper Hoffman’s Ray as he rolls up at the check-in with his mother (Judy Greer). No one else seems to have parents around, and there aren’t any young stars more famous than Hoffman. So, Ray feels like the de facto lead the whole time, as we move through his character’s hopes and dreams. He does seem to pair well with David Johnston’s Pete, making them the most interesting duo of fifty kids. Imagine if we had gotten to know ten or so different players, without one ever feeling like the central focus until the numbers significantly dwindled. the whole film feels like you’re waiting for everyone else to die. A few of the others have some little moments, which shape their characters a bit. I really liked Ben Wang here, even more than I did in Karate Kid Legends. But it was clear we weren’t meant to focus on him. the focus is on Ray, or at best pete and ray.

Ray certainly has the compelling reason to be our central character, as he’s here to avenge a death in the family. Of course, none of that means that Ray necessarily is the survivor, or that he gets his revenge, but you can’t help but notice that he is the focal point as far less developed characters are picked off one by one.

The acting here is excellent across the board, with Johnston being a standout. This is the same actor formerly tasked with being a rather dull android in the most recent film. Here, he has a level of stoicism that reminded me of Red in Shawshank Redemption. He keeps everyone around him going,not by pushing against the system, but by force of will motivation. More importantly, he keeps Ray going. Mark Hamill is effective as an underdeveloped villain, reminding us that he’s excellent no matter the screentime. I do wonder if Neon had bothered to open The Life Of Chuck in awards season, would he have had a real chance?

If you like your dystopian horror, The Long Walk is certainly worth a viewing, but I’d be remiss in mentioning the film feels deeply predictable, and if Francis Lawrence had really analyzed his film, he could have thrown us a big curveball by opting to not have a lead.

A compelling cautionary tale with a host of bright young stars of tomorrow, in a brutal and unforgiving Stephen King adaptation I’m surprised took this long to get to the big screen.

Fresh: Final Grade: 6.7/10