‘The Long Walk': A Real Casper Movie Lover’s Review

It is no secret that I am a cinephile, or in Layman’s terms, a huge fan of movies. Often I find that professional film critics don't share the view of the common man (or woman). Because of this, I like to share my thoughts on films, particularly those that I think don't always get the shine that they deserve.

Case in point is "The Long Walk". Adapted from a book by the king of horror, Stephen King, it was actually the first book he ever finished. Now, I'll be honest, I haven't read the book (yet), but I think that's a good thing, because other than the trailer (which you can view below), I didn't know anything about the film version. Sometimes reading the source material can sour your view of the film.

The movie stars Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. It also features Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), as The Major, who for all practical purposes is the antagonist of the film. Other than voicing the iconic Batman villain, The Joker, I don't think I've seen Hamill play a bad guy, and he nails it!

 *Some very light spoilers ahead, although nothing major - proceed with caution*

As a movie that is based on a Stephen King film, it does fall under the horror genre, but only barely. IMDb has listed under several categories, including: psychological thriller, psychological horror and dystopian sci-fi, and in my opinion, it successfully hits all those. Think "Hunger Games" meets "The Purge".

What I was expecting was the intense wave of emotions I go whilst watching the film. Some  of the characters that you may initially hate, if you're anything like me, you'll end up feeling empathy (and sometimes sympathy), for them later. I didn't know it was possible to cry so many times during a film based on a Stephen King novel. For the record, I mean real tears, not teary-eyed. I full on ugly cried at a few different movies in the film.

As you can probably surmise from the trailer, not everyone is going to make it. The horror aspects come from how some of the characters get their "ticket punched" (actual vernacular from the movie meaning getting killed), and some of the deaths are pretty gory, so be prepared for that.

Other than the gore, the language is also pretty vulgar (it's fifty teenage boys... duh!), so be aware of that. I will admit, I let my 12-year old watch it with me, but I wouldn't advise letting anyone under that age see it.

How do I rate "The Long Walk" on a scale of 1 to 10?

I give it a 9.5! As a matter of fact, the only reason I don't give it a perfect ten is because many of the cast members are English, and often during the film, their UK accents can be heard. That is literally my only gripe with the film. Other than that, it's perfection. I stand on that too. This is one of the top ten, if not top five, movies of 2025. I said what I said. If you don't believe me, watch it for yourself and reach out to me directly if you think differently.

Anytime a film can elicit actual emotion, that is a testament to the writing, the acting and the directing.

Get our free mobile app

Most reviews have been favorable, but the all the ones that I noticed that weren't, were people that had read the book first. I will say, if you have read the book, be prepared for changes. Some King himself asked for, while others he "okayed". The biggest one is the ending. I will not give it away (especially for those that haven't read the book or seen the film), but be aware... the film's ending differs greatly from the source material.

Again, this movie is a must-see, but have the Kleenex ready.