New Stephen King Movie Continues Encouraging Rotten Tomatoes Trend

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Over several decades, filmmakers have transformed Stephen King’s literary masterpieces into spine-tingling movies on the silver screen. Not all of these adaptations have been equally successful, but many have received acclaim from critics and fans alike. Iconic films like “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Stand By Me,” and “Misery” are still adored by audiences today. With such a vast collection of works, King’s influence on directors remains strong. The year 2025 has been particularly productive for King adaptations, as four films based on his work will be released before the end of the year. The first two have received positive feedback, and the most recent addition is maintaining that momentum.

Prior to its launch next week, glowing reviews for “The Long Walk” are beginning to appear online. Currently, the movie boasts an outstanding 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, based on just 12 reviews. However, this figure may change as more reviews trickle in. Nonetheless, “The Long Walk” appears to be the third King adaptation of this year to receive positive feedback. The other two are “The Monkey“, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%, and “The Life of Chuck“, which debuted at film festivals in 2024 but didn’t hit theaters until this summer, with an 81% rating on the platform.

2025 Has Been a Great Year for Stephen King Adaptations

It’s no wonder that The Long Walk is receiving favorable ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Initial responses to the film on social media were overwhelmingly positive, with many complimenting Francis Lawrence’s powerful direction and the impressive performances of Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, who stood out among the cast. These early reactions suggested that The Long Walk could be one of Stephen King’s best adaptations yet, and it’s encouraging to see that the positive sentiment continues in the full written reviews. Hopefully, word of mouth will help increase ticket sales for The Long Walk, making it a successful contender during the fall movie season.

Over the past several years, adaptations of Stephen King’s works have faced a number of challenges. However, the situation began to change with the 2024 release of “The Life of Chuck,” which received the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival and earned a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (78%). Prior to this, the last King adaptation to receive such an accolade was “Doctor Sleep” in 2019. During that period, some of the films based on his works were met with widespread criticism, including “Children of the Corn” and “Firestarter,” both released in 2020 and 2022 respectively, which earned Rotten Tomatoes scores of 11% and 10%. Despite these difficulties, it’s heartening to see that King’s work has proven to be a solid foundation for compelling films, and it’s great to see the recent adaptations have been well-received.

It’s truly remarkable that the novel “The Long Walk” has received acclaim. At one point, the story was deemed impossible to adapt for film, but Lawrence and screenwriter JT Mollner managed to bring the narrative to life on screen in a captivating manner. Critics have described “The Long Walk” as a harrowing, emotional journey, making it effortless for viewers to empathize with the characters’ struggles. Interestingly, even Stephen King, the author himself, appreciates the film, providing much-needed reassurance to Mollner.

This fall, another adaptation of a King novel is coming: Edgar Wright’s remake of “The Running Man,” set to release in November. The original from 1987, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a favorite among fans, but even the action legend thinks that Wright’s version could outshine the original. It’s reported that Wright plans to stay truer to the source material, creating a film with a darker and more serious tone, while also infusing his signature blend of action and humor. Fingers crossed “The Running Man” can make it 4/4 for successful King adaptations hitting theaters in 2025, as Wright’s past work suggests.

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2025-09-02 18:44