“RUN”: A Promising Premise That Trips Before the Finish Line

Director: Chris Stokes

Writers: Chris Stokes and Marques Houston

Starring: Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh, Marques Houston, Erica Mena, Drew Sidora, Erica Pinkett, Ken Lawson, Claudia Jordan, and Obba Babatundé 

First Impressions: A Strong, If Fleeting, Opening

Once in a while, I walk into a movie knowing nothing but the poster or tagline, a blank slate that can sound exciting or disappointing. RUN starts with a bit of energy and promise, will with it’s first kill by one of the aliens. Also, there is Melissa (Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh), blood-soaked, terrified, and hobbling toward safety to escape the extraterrestrial threat. Her eyes were tear-filled, and her limbs were trembling, immediately setting up for fear that threatens human existence. I thought: this could be something. But the film abandons this setup almost as quickly as it introduces it.

Tone and Tread: Relationship Drama Over Alien Astonishment

Instead of leaning further into the alien horror it teases, RUN pivots to a relationship dilemma: Melissa cancels her wedding to Andre (Marques Houston). What follows is a back-and-forth that feels more like a therapy session than a survival story. Repetitive dialogue drains the interest and momentum, making their emotional crises feel manufactured rather than something the audience would genuinely care about.

Performance: Earnest, Yet Underpowered

The cast does their best, but the material doesn’t support them. Their performances feel flat and lifeless, lacking the spark that might elevate their scenes from rote to riveting. With better writing and more confident direction, this could have been the kind of so-bad-it ‘s-good cult film, something with the campy charm of Sharknado or The Toxic Avenger. Instead, it lingers disappointingly in between. I imagine it trying to capture the same self-aware tone as Heart Eyes, a film that successfully balances a rom-com with horror, but it doesn’t.

Alien Aesthetic and Imagined Potential

For a story involving extraterrestrials, actual screen time for the aliens is sparse, which can work and has been seen in films like M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. So when the aliens finally show themselves again, the novelty has worn thin. The killings are predominantly strangulations, which lack flair or brutality. Still, I can see how the film might have tried to evoke a Hitchcockian feel, as he employed similar techniques in his films. Worse yet, the chosen antidote to this invasion? A cell phone. In a genre defined by imaginative weaknesses, which includes sunlight, water, or birds often delivering the final blow, this modern solution was not impressive. With the final location being a cabin in the woods, the options are limitless.

Technical Glimmers Amid the Gaps

Visually, RUN isn’t without its merits. A few long aerial takes and forest scenes display genuine beauty. But these moments are often undermined by disorienting spin shots that feel distracting and pull focus from the scene. The costumes and set design work well in the beginning, but the costumes of the aliens show an early promise of decent quality that later declines, along with the CGI. 

Poster vs. Picture

Ironically, the poster is arguably the film’s most compelling asset. Fans of indie and B-horror cinema, myself included, especially those who love the scrappy ingenuity of Roger Corman or the kind of drive that made Melvin Van Peebles do his thing, may come in expecting thrills. RUN gives some, briefly, but doesn’t quite stick the landing.

Not Worth the Dash

RUN may catch a second life on streaming platforms and generate social media chatter, but as a theatrical piece, it’s not the best suggestion. If you’re drawn to alien horror, prepare for lengthy discussions about broken relationships and love difficulties instead, with a payoff that is not fulfilling. For all these reasons, RUN is a disappointment that struggles to earn its brief moments of promise, a fleeting dash of potential that quickly fades, and for that, I give it a rating of 4/10.