As we march closer to The Long Walk’s release on the 2025 movie schedule, first reactions are coming in, and they’re complimentary yet horrific. That makes sense for this film about a group of boys who are walking for their lives and will be killed if they stop. However, there’s more nuance to this general consensus. So, here’s what journalists are saying after the first screenings of the highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptation.
This upcoming Stephen King film is all about a group of boys who are sent out to walk for their lives. The trailers for The Long Walk alone are tragic, so it’s not a surprise that Francis Lawrence’s film packs an even heavier punch. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff noted that emotional intensity too, as she wrote on X:
[The Long Walk] is easily one of the most intense emotional wallops of the year. I’ve read that book quite a few times. You’d think I’d be prepared to stomach the story’s themes and most gut-wrenching moments. Nope. I’m exhausted - and the movie earned it.
She specifically gave “much respect” to the film’s screenwriter, JT Mollner, and its director, Lawrence, for “not holding back” when it came to showing just how dark and disturbing this story is. She also complimented the film’s “heart,” saying that while the subject matter is horrific, the project is still “soulful.”
CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg shared a similar sentiment on Blue Sky. He called this movie a “perfect adaptation” of the book that left him with a knot in his stomach, he wrote:
I had an hour-long drive home after my screening of THE LONG WALK, and I couldn't listen to music or an audiobook; I just had to sit in silence with the knot in my stomach. It's a powerful, gripping and shocking film that is a perfect adaptation of the Stephen King source material. Unforgettable.
He specifically praised the film’s “excellent performances,” calling out the leads, Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, as well as Mark Hamill and Judy Greer.
Journalist Courtney Howard also praised Hoffman and Jonsson, writing on X that the two leading men on the walk were “exceptional.” She also compared this new and emotional film to classics like The Outsiders and Full Metal Jacket, writing:
[The Long Walk] houses pitch perfect, exceptional performances from Cooper Hoffman & David Jonsson. Visceral, gripping, emotional & provocative, a brilliant Stephen King adaptation & 1 of the year's best films. A towering achievement reminiscent of The Outsiders & Full Metal Jacket.
“Exceptional” was also a term journalist Rendy Jones used to describe Hoffman and Jonsson’s performances. He called out The Long Walk’s R-rating too, noting that it allowed Lawrence to explore themes he’s addressed in The Hunger Games in an even more visceral and violent way. He wrote:
[The Long Walk] lets Francis Lawrence go HUNGER GAMES mode with a hard R-rating. Heavy, gory, and soul-wrenching adaptation with the flair of an 80s studio thriller bounded by two exceptional performances. Cooper Hoffman is great but David Jonsson sprints with mesmerizing charisma.
It cannot be understated that those who have seen this movie love it, but were also emotionally eviscerated by it. As someone who can’t even get through The Long Walk trailers, I already know I’ll be a mess. And after reading Inverse’s Lyvie Scott’s reaction, I’m 100% certain that will happen now:
[The Long Walk] tore my heart out. It’s a stunning, shocking, endlessly evocative road trip that’s not a road trip with two flawless performances at its center. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson were born to walk beside each other. Someone’s getting my therapy bill!!
Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia’s reaction was a bit more critical than the above responses. However, he was still overall complimentary of the King adaptation, writing in part:
THE LONG WALK finally brings Stephen King’s 1979 dystopian novel to the screen in an adaptation that preserves its core essence while making a few surprising changes that not only worked for me but also made this impactful story resonate even more for our dark and troubled times. Mark Hamill leans a bit too heavily into the Major’s villainy, but Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson deliver powerful, magnetic & relatable performances of remarkable depth, grounding the film in profound emotion and humanity through their characters’ brotherhood in the face of totalitarian oppression & certain death.
He called the “journey” “exhausting yet gripping,” and that seems to be the overall consensus among those who have already gone on The Long Walk.
Well, there you have it, first reactions are overwhelmingly positive for this upcoming horror movie, however, they also make it clear that viewers should proceed with caution if they go to the theaters on September 12. The Long Walk pulls no punches, and fully leans into its visceral, jarring and disturbing story while still having a heart, which is exactly what it needed to do to be great.
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