Talk about your timely releases. With reality TV at its peak (and hopefully its downfall soon enough), we get the 1987 Arnold favorite Running Man on special edition DVD. Artisan went all out for this release, much like they do almost all of their releases. Though the special features are questionable, the new print and remixed sound make for a more than worthy purchase.
The government has completely taken over in 2019. Everything is censored. Everything except the most popular show on TV of course. The Running Man is the futuristic equivalent of Survivor, taken to the extreme. Criminals have a chance at getting pardoned if they can survive for the duration of the game, but to do so, they must avoid the stalkers. These guys will do all they can to make sure the contestants/hardend criminals have no chance at making it out alive. Of course, Arnold gets caught up in the mess for a crime he didn't commit and must not only survive the game, but prove his innocence as well.
This is one of those movies where half of your brain is in shock that your actually watching this, while the other half just goes right along for the ride. It's almost a B-movie in its execution, but you can't help but be enthralled by its goofiness. With Richard Dawson as the shows host, Jesse Ventura as a stalker, and a big fat guy wearing a diaper with Christmas lights attached to himself trying to kill Arnold, how can you go wrong? It's not going down as a classic, but you'll surely walk away with some fond memories after watching this one.
Artisan has went all out to remater this one. This 2-disc set offers the widescreen version on disc 1 and those who are too stubborn to change get full screen on disc 2. The print is outstanding, only dropping a notch during sequences of extreme color. The print has a hard time with bright reds (which the movie has alot of), but every scratch and other imperfection has been completely taken care of.
Even thought the video is impressive, the sound slaughters it. Remixed in both 5.1 EX and the unbelievable 6.1DTS-ES, this is the greatest sounding 80's movie I've ever heard. There's always seems to be SOMETHING going on in the rear channels for the entire running time. It's the most immersive soundfield imaginable. If you ever wondered what it would be like to be in a game show audience, well, here's the perfect way to find out.
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