The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 24, 2025

The all knowing internets inform confidently (as they so often do) that so-called Young Adult Fiction is primarily geared toward readers from ages 12 to 18. In that regard, it may be salient to note that one Suzanne Collins was more or less 17 when Stephen King's novel The Long Walk was released in 1979 (under his frequent pseudonym Richard Bachman). Collins herself has evidently been silent about the, um, similarities between King's work and her own vaunted series, one which helped propel the very term Young Adult Fiction into everyday usage. But in a way that might be jokingly compared to how Green Acres flipped the general setup of its progenitor The Beverly Hillbillies while still maintaining a "fish out of water" underpinning with socioeconomic subtext, The Hunger Games similarly "flips" certain aspects of King's original formulation, while maintaining a dystopian proto-Fascistic contest where, to coin a phrase utilized by (in this instance the appropriately named) Survivor, a bunch of kids need to "outwit, outplay and outlast" each other. The central difference here might be boiled down to the fact that The Long Walk is a tale of attrition rather than cold blooded murder, but there's probably an undeniable emotional similarity to the two properties, in part due to the broad outlines both tales share.

Dystopian alternate America? Check. Military enforcement the norm? Check. "Reality tv" competition featuring kids dying in droves? Check and double check. So, anyhoo, are we talking about The Hunger Games or The Long Walk? Making this perhaps even funnier, if also more "brandable" in a way, is that this film adaptation was helmed and co-written by Francis Lawrence, who famously helped shepherd The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and (just for good measure) the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which is imminent as of the writing of this review. Some curmudgeons might suggest that one way or the other Lawrence is eminently suited to tackle this project, since he's repeatedly dealt with many aspects of it previously.

The two focal characters here are Ray (Cooper Hoffman) and Pete (David Jonnson), part of a cohort of fifty young males who compete in an annual televised event meant to inspire a beleaguered populace (again, the mirroring of plot points becomes almost comical after a while). In this case there's no combat between "players" leading to death, but instead a relentless march that has a "minimum daily requirement" but no real "finish line" in that the competition continues until there's only one person left. A martinet Major (Mark Hamill) oversees the proceedings. That person wins a cash prize and the fulfilment of one wish. Aside from the lack of a "co ed" competition, this film also departs admittedly significantly from The Hunger Games in not really showing the "broadcast", and instead the perspective here is relentlessly on the participants rather than any perceived viewers.

The result is then perhaps understandably more based on the interrelationships between the characters rather than an ostensible "action element" intruding. The "Bataan Death March" aspect of it all allows Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems to craft huge, sweeping tracking and aerial shots that in and of themselves help to propel the story forward. Performances are quite effective, though I have felt since I first saw him in Endeavour and Murder is Easy that David Jonnson's hangdog facial expressions can make him look like he's continually passing a kidney stone.

The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Long Walk is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa 35 and a 4K DI as the relevant data points. While the 4K release from Lionsgate probably inarguably improves detail levles, this 1080 version is quite impressive on its own merits, something that's especially commendable given how peripatetic the camera tends to be throughout the entire film. Fine detail on the outfits the boys wear is precisely rendered, and all of the background material has great detailing on everything from the ubiquitous foliage to the occasional carrion (human or otherwise). Rather interestingly, there may be less difference in palette highlights between this SDR version and the HDR / Dolby Vision grades on the 4K disc since the palette is so intentionally tamped down throughout almost all of this tale. There's a slightly unreal look to a lot of the backgrounds in terms of colors never really popping despite frequently brightly lit daytime material that probably subliminally adds to the unease the story fosters. Some of the nighttime material can have slight deficits in shadow detail, though there's some surprising shadow information available in the rain drenched finale.

The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Long Walk features a consistently immersive Dolby Atmos track that makes the most out of the fact that virtually the entire film takes place outside. From an opening car ride to long vistas of the young men toiling to make it through another day (and night) of walking, the surround channels are regularly engaged with an inviting (and occasionally disturbing) array of ambient environmental sounds. Everything from rustling breezes wafting through fields to a torrential rainstorm offer nice verticality along with activity in the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Ever Onward: Making The Long Walk (HD; 1:14:52) is an in depth multi-part look at the production.


• Theatrical Trailer #1 (HD; 2:22)


• Theatrical Trailer #2 (HD; 2:26)

A digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

The Long Walk Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's simply no denying the tethers between The Long Walk and The Hunger Games, even without mentioning the "meta" connection vis a vis Francis Lawrence. That said, it's perhaps then especially surprising that this film manages to offer real suspense and some nicely nuanced performances. Technical merits are solid and the on disc supplements appealing. Recommended.