Hideo Kojima shares lengthy review of Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, and it sounds like he's a huge fan: "It's a meta, philosophical film about friendship and growth"

Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson at gunpoint in The Long Walk
(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Hideo Kojima has once again taken to Twitter with a movie review, and this time he's sharing his thoughts on Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk.

The movie stars Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson as teenage boys who enter a deadly competition called the Long Walk, which involves being the last man standing to win a cash prize and a wish. The Hunger Games' Francis Lawrence directs.

"I watched The Long Walk on the plane. It was great. I was imagining something like The Running Man, another King adaptation – a 'reality show' esque sci-fi story of the 1980s era of TV broadcast dominance (a critique on media) – but it was completely different," Kojima wrote. The Running Man was also released this year, starring Glen Powell as Ben Richards, a man who enters a game show where he is hunted down on live TV.

"The direction is very different from The Hunger Games. Director Francis Lawrence is clever. Within the absurdity of this game, the youths help each other, understand one another, reflect on their past, and come to realize the 'path' that stretches toward tomorrow. Dropping out isn't just the end of one person – it's passing the baton and entrusting their 'will' to the winners. It's a meta, philosophical film about friendship and growth and also a declaration of war against the adults."

Kojima concluded his thoughts by drawing a comparison to another King adaptation and praising the lead actors: "In a way, it's close to Stand by Me. David Jonsson, a big favorite of mine, gave an amazing performance too. Cooper Hoffman was also great. And of course, Mark Hamill, too. I’ll watch it again in theaters. Highly recommend."

Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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