The Long Walk: Trailer, Plot, Pros, and Cons

Contents:

• Plot twists and turns of the film
• The path of the film adaptation of "The Long Walk": from book to screen
• Film adaptations of Stephen King's works: a look at the adaptations of his literature
• Comparative analysis of the plot directions of the book and film adaptation
• Comparison: film adaptation and the original work
• What the film succeeded in
• Problems of adapting literary works to the screen

On September 18, Francis Lawrence's new film based on the novel "The Long Walk" will premiere in Russian cinemas. Nearly six decades passed between Stephen King's writing and the adaptation of this book.

Lawrence, author of four installments of the "Hunger Games" franchise, once again brilliantly demonstrates how power can turn the younger generation into bargaining chips. This time, teenagers are once again forced to fight for their lives within the framework of a brutal show, but without the usual bow and arrow. Film critic Timur Aliyev analyzes how this tense film explores the theme of survival under a totalitarian regime.

The Film's Plot Twists

In an alternate reality, American history is filled with significant cataclysms. Although the exact details remain unclear, it is assumed that a large-scale war took place. As a result of these events, an annual event called "The Long Walk" takes place across the country. It involves 50 young people representing each of the 50 US states, who gather to march along a road. They are overseen by the Major (played by Mark Hamill), a sunglasses-wearing officer who delivers patriotic speeches and encourages the participants no matter what happens to them.

Participants must maintain a minimum speed of three miles per hour. Stopping, slowing, or falling down results in a warning. If no violations occur within the next hour, the warning is cancelled. However, if a participant accumulates three warnings, they are placed under threat: a military convoy is on duty, ready to open fire at any moment. The winner is the last person standing. The reward will be a significant sum of money and the opportunity to fulfill one wish, provided that it does not contradict the law and does not require changing existing institutions (for example, it will be impossible to cancel The Long Walk for future generations).

The main characters of this story are two teenagers. Pete McVries (played by David Johnson) is a witty comedian who hides his heartache and loneliness behind a veneer of sarcasm. Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) is an innocent idealist from Maine who truly believes in the justice of the existing system and hopes for his own victory. In the past, the Major killed his father in front of Ray and his mother. Now, the young man strives to succeed so that he can use a carbine to kill the officer.

Ray and Pete's relationship serves as the main bulwark of "The Long Walk." The other participants, in turn, either form support groups or become predators, driving weaker guys to a nervous breakdown and, ultimately, to their deaths.

The Path to the Film Adaptation of "The Long Walk": From Book to Screen

The story of this novel's transformation into a film could form the basis for a separate film project. The book, written between 1966 and 1967, was not published until 1979 under the pseudonym "Richard Bachman", when Stephen King had already become a popular author. This path to publication perfectly illustrates King's complex relationship with the literary world. First, the publisher rejected the manuscript, considering it too dark. Then corporate restrictions stood in the way - at that time, writers could publish no more than one book per year. However, the most significant conflict was King's own: he doubted the quality of his work. The fame that came with the success of Carrie led to the development of impostor syndrome, and the writer decided to test whether readers could appreciate his work without a big name on the cover.

In 1987, the film rights to the novel were acquired by George Romero, who planned to create a vicious satire of American reality, but the project never came to fruition. Later, in the 2000s, Frank Darabont sought to adapt the book into an intimate psychological drama but encountered difficulties finding financing. Even when New Line Cinema brought on director André Øvredal to direct the film in 2018, the pandemic halted the project's development. It wasn't until 2023 that Lawrence, experienced in creating dystopian teen fiction, was able to bring the novel to screen life.

Screen Adaptations of Stephen King's Works: A Look at Adaptations of His Literature

Stephen King is one of the leading authors whose works most often become the basis for film adaptations. Over one hundred films and television series have been created based on his books. In 2025, the film Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston, was already released, and in the future, viewers can expect not only an adaptation of The Long Walk, but also a new version of The Running Man with Josh Brolin and Glen Powell, as well as the prequel series It: Welcome to Derry.

History shows that Stephen King usually does not interfere in the adaptation of his works for film. At the same time, while giving directors the opportunity to creatively interpret his work, he always shares his opinion on the final results. One of the few cases in which he puts film above the original text is the adaptation of Brian De Palma's "Carrie." Unlike the book, the film uses a linear narrative, which avoids the fragmentation typical of the epistolary style. Additionally, the outstanding performances of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie brought an emotional intensity to the story that King felt was difficult to express in writing.

Strangely, Stanley Kubrick's cult film The Shining is the film Stephen King dislikes the most. The writer compared it to "a beautiful Cadillac without an engine." In the film adaptation, Jack Torrance's character doesn't undergo a transformation: he is immediately presented to the audience as mentally ill, while in the book, his gradual degradation makes him a more tragic figure. King believes the film lacks the emotional depth and empathy inherent in the original work.

The author of The Long Walk has a special connection. The novel was written during his student years, inspired by the events of the Vietnam War and social changes in the United States in the 1960s. In the preface, Stephen King states that this work is the cry of a young man watching his generation become the plaything of politicians and the military. The epigraph, taken from the British philosopher Thomas Carlyle, vividly underscores the author's central idea:

"In my experience, the universe was a lifeless, aimless, and will-less place, which showed neither hostility nor concern." It was like some huge, dead, and incomprehensible Steam Engine, spinning in its indifferent existence and destroying me piece by piece."

Read also:

Horror movies based on the works of Stephen King: the most memorable films and TV series.

Comparative Analysis of the Plot Directions of the Book and the Film Adaptation

The screenplay for The Long Walk largely preserves the spirit of the original work. The main plot line is almost entirely faithful to the book, and many of the characters' lines were transferred to the screen with minimal changes. Lawrence masterfully recreates an atmosphere in which the state generously offers its citizens a spectacle full of cruelty - cameras record the suffering of those doomed to death, turning the torment of young people into popular television programs.

At first, the young people perceive the situation as something absurd: they laugh at the military convoy, parody the major's speeches, make ambitious plans for the future and discuss the wishes they plan to make at the end. However, the long kilometers of the journey begin to take their toll. Their feet become covered with painful blisters, and their eyelids open with difficulty from fatigue. The deaths of the first participants become a turning point, and the jokes stop. The joyful group of teenagers who previously ridiculed the soldiers and dreamed of prize money turns into exhausted, frightened young men who cling tightly to each other as if they were their last support.

King raised the question of how society is severing ties with its own future, and Lawrence reiterates this point. The screen unfolds in a country where residents turn the deaths of children into an annual spectacle. Cameras mounted on military vehicles record the events around the clock. Occasionally, spectators appear on the side of the road: some cheer the participants, while others laugh and curse. Gradually, from this chaos, the image of a Kronos-like state emerges, which not only devours its children, but also encourages its citizens to rejoice at this terrible spectacle.

Comparison: Film Adaptation vs. Original Work

In the book, The Long Walk, exactly 100 participants took to the starting line, while in the film adaptation, their number was reduced to 50. This change is likely due to the fact that it would be difficult to reflect and remember such a large number of characters in a full-length film. Furthermore, the speed of movement has also changed: in the literary work, the participants walked at a speed of four miles per hour (6.4 km), while in the film it is three miles per hour (4.8 km). A pace of four miles per hour is difficult to maintain for 24 hours, and in both versions, The Walk lasts approximately five days. Slowing the pace down to three miles makes the marathon more believable, but no less grueling.

The main difference is the absence of Ray Garraty's inner reflections. In King's works, the protagonist recalls moments when his father taught him how to fix a car, when he kissed his girlfriend, Jan, at prom, and how his mother tearfully saw him off to the show. Ray contemplates the nature of death, analyzes the actions of other participants, and dreams of a future in which both prizes and the Major await him. In the film, many aspects of Garraty's character were shortened and not properly developed, and some of his inner thoughts were transferred to dialogue with other characters.

The film barely touches on the personalities of those who gather along the route of the Long Walk. Unlike the book, where fans actively photograph the participants and even bet on the winners, this topic is practically absent in the film. Francis Lawrence, apparently decided to focus on the isolation of the characters during their journey, so these aspects were omitted. The political motives in the film faded into the background. Stephen King's original text contains many details about the functioning of this deadly system, why Americans silently watch the murders of teenagers and the painful economics of a bloody show. Lawrence only hints at these questions.

What the film succeeds in

The realism in "The Long Walk" makes a depressing impression. At first glance, creating a gripping film based simply on walking seems impossible. However, cinematographer Joe Willems, known for such films as "The Hunger Games," "Red Sparrow," and "American Gods," captures the atmosphere beautifully. For nearly two hours, the viewer is treated to dusty roads, dead animals lying by the side of the road, gray skies overcast with clouds, dilapidated buildings, wrecked cars, and the occasional passerby with empty stares. A sense of decay and desolation pervades the film—it is, in essence, an America in decline.

Against this backdrop, the performances of the young actors stand out. The bond that forms between McVries and Garraty is far deeper than in the literary original. The chemistry between Hoffman and Johnson is so natural and harmonious that it feels as if they've known each other since childhood, not just for a few days. Garraty begins with naive hope that the system will be fair, but eventually comes to the realization that joining forces is the only way to survive. McVries supports his friend, even when he himself is struggling. Their friendship becomes the only sincere light in this soulless world, and the performers convey it with amazing sincerity.

The work of the director should also be noted. Lawrence managed to create a film that stands apart from The Hunger Games, despite long being considered merely the creator of that franchise. Many people assumed he was "the creator of one successful project." A similar situation occurred with Daniel Radcliffe after his role in Harry Potter. Nevertheless, Lawrence has a knack for extracting tension from even the seemingly most insignificant details.

As time goes on, you begin to closely observe the characters' every movement, every bump, pebble, or overhead wire, fearing that at any moment they might lose their balance and receive a warning. The camera masterfully captures the changes on the young people's faces: at first they smile, then their expressions become more serious, and closer to the end their gazes become empty, as if before them there is only an abyss, and thoughts of victory no longer matter.

The Problems of Adapting Literary Works to the Screen

One of the main shortcomings of "The Long Walk" is its predictability. Even without prior familiarity with the work, it is easy to guess how the plot ends. The film premiered against the backdrop of such projects as "The Squid Game," "Battle Royale," and "The Hunger Games," as well as many other dystopian films, many of which have acquired cult status. In most of them, the central characters are young people who are forced to fight either among themselves or against an oppressive government. "The Long Walk" doesn't break the established conventions of the genre or offer anything fundamentally new. From the very first minutes, the film's central metaphor is clear, and King's anti-mobilization stance is easily grasped. However, the film's nearly two-hour running time creates the feeling that many scenes drag. Shots of the teenagers walking along the road sometimes feel too similar and monotonous. The topics of their conversations and conflicts are constantly repeating: discussions of winning, questions of appearance, thoughts about family, worries about the lack of food and water, difficulties with finding a toilet, and then returning again to thoughts of winning...

Unlike King, who boldly criticizes the military-industrial complex and pro-gun advocates, Lawrence is more cautious. The director seems wary of possible political accusations and is likely aware of the current polarization in American society. His film touches on these issues only indirectly, and the malicious sarcasm that the writer so readily uses is absent in this film.

Despite all its shortcomings, the film adaptation of "The Long Walk" is a very successful adaptation of a complex literary work. Lawrence has created a film that evokes discomfort and makes you think, leaving a deep imprint on the memory. After watching, you want to ask yourself a lot of unpleasant questions that can cause embarrassment. Perhaps that's why it took the novel half a century to see the light of day on the screen: our society has finally become ready to comprehend the themes that 19-year-old Stephen King touched upon more than fifty years ago.