‘The Long Walk’ Earns Strong Early Reviews — But Where Are the Major Critics?

The first reviews are in for Francis Lawrence’s “The Long Walk,” and they’re strong — critics are calling it a brutal, and riveting Stephen King adaptation. Here’s the problem, no trades have chimed in, neither have any of the papers, it’s mostly the likes of IGN, Collider, Slashfilm, ScreenRant, etc.

The wider pool of critics aren’t weighing in just yet, and I expect more reviews to come in the next few days, but there’s still enough of them for the film to have an 80 Metascore and 94% on·Rotten Tomatoes.

Based on King’s 1979 novel, the first he ever wrote, though it was later published under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, “The Long Walk” follows 50 teenage boys forced into a state-run endurance march where anyone who drops below 3 mph is executed on the spot. They walk until only one remains.

Cooper Hoffman (”Licorice Pizza”) and David Jonsson (”Alien: Romulus”) lead the cast as two of the Walkers, with Mark Hamill playing the officer overseeing the contest.

JT Mollner, fresh off the indie buzz of last year’s “Strange Darling,” penned the screenplay for “The Long Walk.” He’s a king superfan, knows the material inside and out.

As a quick refresher, I went back through Lawrence’s filmography and was reminded that he’s quietly built a solid, if unspectacular, studio career over the past 18 years. “Constantine,” “I Am Legend,” “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Red Sparrow” — all respectable efforts. Hardly masterpieces, but he’s proven himself a steady hand, and there are plenty of far weaker directors working at the major studio level.

“The Long Walk,” which has been in development hell for decades, will finally be released in theaters on September 12 via Lionsgate.