The Running Man is a terrific movie but this is a TERRIBLE transfer to Blu Ray.
It was produced by "Olive Films" (product number 0F544) so avoid that one specifically.

The film is filled with specks and dirt, there is no stabilization so the screen shakes vertically, the entire display is cropped so the top, bottom, left, and right of the original print are missing. It's so bad you'd almost think it was at DVD quality. There are no closed captions available and no audio tracks in any other language.

It would almost be good as a bare-bones transfer of the original print if the cropping didn't cut so much out. I can't fathom why they did this. I would guess the only source material was a 4:3 transfer for standard-def television and they zoomed into the middle to make it fill the wide aspect ration of high-def. If that sounds terrible, I can assure you it looks terrible too.

I should have known something was up when the Olive Films logo sequence consisted of improperly deinterlaced video in the wrong aspect ratio. They couldn't get their logo right, or this transfer right. Total waste of money.

naw 2017 wound up with more deceitful and passive aggressive tactics from lawmakers to remove freedoms and rights using media as a tool to manipulate the masses similar to the lies told in the movie about the main character. the forceful stasi has yet to be implemented since the right to bear arms is still in effect. they can't control you completely until they can execute you without resistance.
the concentration camp prisons aren't quite established just yet in 2019. convicts in 2019 get better health care and cable services than the unemployed, mediocre, tax-burden-of-a-citizen who lives in their mothers basement chanting "socialism works!"
the Running Man shows dancers haircuts and outfits were also time traveled back to the early 80s which was also when hair spray was not yet clarified as an ozone layer depletion cause.
the masses are letting bartenders and enemies of the state become public officials who in turn, immediately turn into power hungry elitists and sway entire classes of children (thru their hippie teacher's advice) to tell a 900 year old senator that they must do "something" to stop global climate change, yet they don't have any idea of what this something is. the representatives squabble for years and waste millions upon millions of taxpayers money on their simple hatred over a president because he is upsetting their global domination plans and casting light on their evil ways. the public still believes these representatives are good people and ignore the facts these same reps haven't really done much in the their 50 years in office. on the other card, a presidential candidate who is obviously perverse, claims, after 50 years in service to the people, NOW he will do something as president and the masses cheer because they simply hate the current president who has years of track records of popularity and becomes so hated because the media portrays him in a certain way. media controlled by the elitists to indoctrinate you to their side...
i figure 50 more years of denying these archaic politicians are all liars and "bad people" before the Running Man becomes a real show, and i will be dead by then, so who cares? it's a movie from cocaine fueled minds of the 80s.
maria conchita alonsovarquez-whatever was always a terrible actress, so that was on point

This 1987 Arnold action/ sci if classic was written by Steven King and focuses on a depressing future in which the economy is terrible, a police state is enforced and in order to avoid social unrest the government creates a popular sport in which prisoners battle modern day gladiators to the death on television. Sound familiar? This movie is essentially the original Hunger Games minus the child characters and boring subplots. That said, this movie is a very entertaining and well made action flick with Arnold in his prime doing what he does best. The overall look gives this film an Escape From New York quality as well.

If you've never seen this but are going to watch it because of the King book, understand that this is 98% different than the book. A basic, very very very loose premise is similar as well as the name of the movie, and the name's of the main character and villain. That is it for similarities. Everything else in this movie is 100% different than the book.

That being said, it's still one of my favorite Arnold movies and at the height of his sci-fi action stardom. Absolutely fun movie and a blast from start to finish.

Running Man was a dystopian film featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a popular storyline the economy had collapsed and America was run by a dictatorship. To help control the populace a game show called the Running Man was created where people played for their lives. Schwarzenegger was a policeman who refused to fire on civilians during a food riot. His punishment was to be put in the Running Man game.

The first thing you notice is that the producer played with the film. For instance, Richard Dawson who was the host of the Family Feud was the host of the Running Man. Jesse Ventura also had a cameo as a workout coach on TV called Captain Freedom with a full head of hair. There are other hokey programs like Climbing For Dollars where a person tries to grab some money and climb up a rope before rabid dogs kills them. They even had Schwarzenegger say his famous line from The Terminator, “I’ll be back.” With all that it’s hard to tell whether the Running Man was a satire or a serious film.

Basically, if you love 80s Schwarzenegger than Running Man is for you.
C

This is a great movie set in a future gone wrong. It's no Blade Runner or Terminator, but still really enjoyable, and the first time Arnold had a lot of lines to say in a movie. Casting the game show host Richard Dawson as the host of Running Man was brilliant.

Other than recommending it, I don't think I have a lot to add. When deciding whether to upgrade my old DVD to Blu Ray the first review that came up complained about the transfer. This is definitely a Hi Definition transfer, and much better quality than the letter box DVD I had previously. What might throw you is that the opening graphics might have been cgi (1980s cgi) and the film looks like the cinematographer subconsciously wanted it to be black and white. The transfer was probably from a vault copy of the film, not the negative. Its a clean transfer of a clean copy of the film. It would have been a sound artistic decision to make this film in black and white, the film doesn't look like it had as big budget as it did, but it had enough budget that black and white would have been out of the question.

I have to confess that I love the SciFi movies that came out in the late 1980's and early 1990's, especially the Schwarzenegger vehicles, and Running Man is no different. Decent cinematography, ok plots, plenty of action, and just the right ratio of sleaze.

Running Man nails it. From Richard Dawson playing the scuzzy game show host, to the quasi romantic connection between Arnold and his babe, this movie has it all. If you appreciate this vintage of SciFi, you will love it.

The disc is great, the transfer quality is excellent, and it is as advertised. Another from the cheesy era of SciFi in my collection.

Who needs a deep plot and special effects from an 80's sci-fi/action and borderline comedy? It has freakin' Richard Dawson and Jesse the Body Ventura in it!!! It's full of cheesy one liners and great character acting and great comical moments like "Climbing for Dollars" and "Captain Freedom's Workout" scenes. Did I mention there's women in leotards too? That NEVER hurts a thing!!! I can see why younger people wouldn't like it but anyone from the 80's generation surely recognizes this movie as a classic of the era. Anyway, the special effects suffice for the level of film this is. It's not going for anything mind bending. As I mentioned in my headline, the characters truly make this movie standout. If for some reason you missed this one growing up, definitely check it out. If you were born in my decade I'd probably slap you for not having seen it at least once. I delighted seeing it again. Yeah, it's fairly predictable but I don't care at all. Long live Richard Dawson!!! He did a standup job in this. It's not like it was hard for his acting to stand out here :) He nailed it. Arnold was Arnold, is that a surprise?