When the beloved, the best -selling author boasts a body of work that is adapted at least ten times every year, it can be quite difficult to keep. Well, Steven King is one of those authors whose books are often translated into high -profile projects all the timethat include Mike Flanagan's highly expected adaptation to Kerry and the reworked translation of Edgar Wright's "run man". If we look back in large editions of King's works, many of them did well in the box office ("IT", "Misery"), while others They were flying under the radar despite being uniquely competent (such as the really cold "Doctor Sleep" on Flanagan).

Currently, the king's new thriller broke a massive record of rotten tomatoes, sporty Impressive 95% of the tomatometer Before the theater edition of the film. The film in question is Francis Lawrence's "Long Walk", which climbs America's dystopian image with its intestine exploration of what it means to be a teenager robbed of choice and autonomy. It is worth noting that Brian de Palma's "Kerry" still holds the second highest aggregate (for the king's adaptation) of rotten tomatoes (94%!), Followed by "Stand by Me" and "1922" (where both sports rating of 92%).

/Film BJ Colangelo praised the "long walk" for his visceral emotional influence, along with the fact that he valorizes "friendships cherished between and from boys, allowing them to carry the same weight as any romantic Lovebow story" (You can read the full review here). Based on similar reviews that represent a critical consensus, it seems that Lawrence's adaptation to King's original material intimately understands the need to reshape and reintegrate the story to create a more authentic (albeit heart) cinema experience.

Without further advertising, let's take a look at what makes King a "long walk" so special in the first place.

King has announced "Long Walk" Under the mysterious pseudonym of Richard Bachmann In 1979, but it was among the first novels he began to write during his first year. The novel is truly pessimistic in tone, and this darkness is doubled because of its inspired roots in reality, where the metaphor is unpleasantly crystal clear than getting. When young people like Ray Garates are thrown into a situation of life or death without giving them a choice, they are trying to romanticize these brutal circumstances, as this is the only thing that pushes them to continue to go.

You see, the premise of the novel is that the walk must take place after the previously agreed route, while participants (unprepared) participants are covered by guards, with repeated warnings leading to instant death. When these young boys start dying and their lives are rejected for no reason, the horrible despair that appeared on the faces of the viewers bites our own. It is not easy to turn such a frightening premise into a 400 -page thriller with constant emotional stakes, but King does so with great skill and talent. Each character, even those that appear in a short time, make their mark, because every life lost in the name of this annual competition was cruel running.

The "award" at the end of this walk is not really important, as the promised paradise at the end of the line is not worth it and is colored with death, destruction and sadness. Lawrence and "Strange Darling" writer/director JT Maller seems to have used this comprehensive heart attack to encourage the narrative, where the subsequent absence of each character has hit and further endangers our protagonists with every step they take.

I think no previous knowledge of King's novel is needed to experience the full emotional weight of Lawrence's latest thriller. That said, you can absolutely visit - or rethink it - King's "Long Walk" after watching the film, but there is a solid chance for the novel to end up feeling occasionally and fatal than ever.

The "Long Walk" is released in theaters on September 12, 2025.