Stephen King’s latest adaptation has now settled on Rotten Tomatoes, with the score breaking records for the horror author. King remains one of the most adapted authors in history, with Hollywood and audiences having long been interested in seeing his works brought to life on the big and small screens.
Older classics like Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), Stand by Me (1986), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994), among others, have all stood the test of time. Even though these films weren’t all box office successes at the time of their release, they were met with a positive reception.
With so many of his works having been adapted, though, there are also a lot of King projects that are less successful. 2022’s Firestarter, for example, was critically panned, as was 2020’s Children of the Corn. This year, Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey earned mixed reviews, and last year’s Salem’s Lot TV series also didn’t land.
In the back half of 2025, though, things are set to change, with two new adaptations on the way, including Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. It’s the other adaptation, however, that is already looking like the best King movie in years.
The Long Walk’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Sets A Stephen King Record
The Long Walk‘s score has now settled on Rotten Tomatoes, and it marks a new high for King. Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on King’s novel of the same name, the film follows a group of teenage boys competing in a contest in which they must maintain a certain walking speed or get sH๏τ.
Days ahead of The Long Walk‘s wide theatrical release, the film’s score has now settled on Rotten Tomatoes at 96% from 84 reviews, making it the highest-rated King movie of all time. Though this score could still fluctuate as more reviews are added, it sits ahead of previous winner Carrie, which has a 94% from 80 reviews.
Carrie may have dominated with critics, but its Popcornmeter score is a more lukewarm 77%.
No Popcornmeter score is visible for The Long Walk just yet, but one should take shape later this week after the film’s release. The bar is very high, however, as The Shawshank Redemption has a glowing 98% from audiences.
What This Means For The Long Walk
Though it’s not necessarily unusual for a movie to debut with a high Rotten Tomatoes score when only a few critics have seen it, it’s relatively rare for this kind of score to remain constant as dozens more reviews are added. For most critics, The Long Walk is holding up to scrutiny, delivering a tense and thrilling experience.
In his The Long Walk review for ScreenRant, Todd Gilchrist awards the film a score of seven out of 10, praising the film’s thoughtful character work and powerful imagery, even if Lawrence sometimes dwells too much on the violence. If there are clear standouts, though, it’s the stellar performances from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. As Gilchrist writes:
But Jonsson is working on a level that almost no one else in this film is, and further confirms, after his breakout role in Alien: Romulus, that he is one of the most promising young actors working today. It’s the nuance and complexity he lends to McVries that forms the film’s unexpected soul, even right next to Hoffman as its heart.
Most reviews generally agree, with Lawrence delivering a film that balances emotion with shocking moments of violence and tension. This positive critical response to The Long Walk suggests it could be a hit with audiences, setting the King adaptation up for box office success.
