By Ava Grippo – Entertainment Editor 

“The Long Walk,” a movie adaption of Richard Bachman’s Stephen King novel came out on September 12 and was directed by Francis Lawrence. Ray Garraty, the main protagonist, is played by Cooper Hoffman. Other notable characters were Peter Vires (David Jonsson), Hank Olson (Ben Wang), Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) Arthur (Tut Nyout), Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick) and lastly, The Major (Mark Hamill). 

The movie’s story follows 50 boys who signed up and then drafted to compete in the yearly Long Walk. The Long Walk is when boys around the country are chosen to walk and keep a pace of three miles per hour. If you fall under that limit, you get a warning; three warnings and you get your ticket, which consists of a gun shot to your head. The winner of the walk is granted one wish for the rest of your life, and a grand amount of money.

The movie follows Ray Garraty as he attempts to survive the long walk. Garraty joins the long walk with a plan if he wins and is determined to follow through.  He meets Peter McVries, Hank Olson, and Arthur. Together, the four of them bond and create a group, acting as friends and motivation to one another. 

Other notable characters include Stebbins, who keeps to himself, Barkovitch, who rubs the others the wrong way, and Collie Parker, who becomes friends with the main four. 

The Major acts as the protagonist and is written as a man with no backstory, only crooked intentions. “You walk as long as you can. But sometimes the body won’t listen. For some, your heart will stop. For others, your brain. And the blood will flow…suddenly. There’s one winner and no finish line,” The Major says. 

Unfortunately, The movie falls short when it comes to explaining the lore behind the Long Walk. Not much is said about the origins or why they wanted to compete. The movie would have been better if there were more backstory and explanation about the characters and plot. 

The movie does a good job keeping viewers on their toes with many warnings and gruesome deaths, along with a few different plot twists. There’s suspense when one of the boys gets their first ticket and horror in the ugly ways they die. 

There’s heartfelt moments throughout the movie as the characters repeatedly try to save one another. “Just walk with me a little longer,” Garraty says to McVries. 

The book differs in a few aspects from the novel, which could make fans of the book disappointed with the movie, or happy with the changes. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars