About The Long Walk

Post 1974:

I judge people irrationally and unfairly. Not about normal stuff like politics or religion, but things that really matter. I try to live my life on an elevated level, basically, mostly because it’s who I am. My upbringing was also okay, I guess.

So it’s all good. Except when I ask someone why they liked a movie or a book and they tell me, “I don’t know, I just liked it.”

Infuriating.

They could also answer with, “It was really, really good. So fun.”

Nauseating.

I have nothing but judgment for people that give those answers, and it’s stupid of me for a couple of reasons. First, relax. Second, it’s okay to like things and not think too much about it. I think about stories maybe a little deeper, but that’s because I write them and always search for the magic and the crap in anything I see or watch. That’s my situation. But even with all that, sometimes I need to be reminded there are some things I just like.

The Long Walk is a movie I’d recommend. I might’ve read the story way back in the day, but I don’t remember. Anyway, I knew the premise going in and expected it to suck.

It does not suck. It’s also not perfect. It’s also sick and doesn’t make sense and more than some of it is ridiculous. But I like it.

As I was typing that last thing, I knew I was going against my nature. So be it. I like this movie. A lot of people won't. It’s not a masterpiece, but I can give a few reasons to justify my fondness. They’re really simple.

The characters are good.

It’s not boring.

That’s pretty much it. The overall story didn’t do much for me, but I don’t care. I feel satisfied, like I was treated fairly. They cared when they made this movie, and it’s not easy to adapt Stephen King. He’s a bit of a wildcard in that he can come up with great premises but tends to get wonky with the nuts and bolts. Actually, I think he’s a great character writer. The guys in this movie live up to his standard of realization.

People can take different things from The Long Walk. I won’t spoil it, because it’s worth watching. I’m not sure it says too much about society besides the blindingly obvious, but who cares. There’s some people doing a thing and I was interested in what happened. More of that. Thanks, weird movie! Cheers and see you after.