Warning: This column contains spoilers.
The title of this column will probably be the only time I’ll claim that the ending of a movie was better than the book. However, this is definitely the case for The Long Walk.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, The Long Walk film came out in September of 2025. The movie is based on the book written by Stephen King that was published in 1979.
Honestly, I was weary going into this movie because how is someone supposed to be entertained by watching a group of walking men? To be fair, though, that’s basically the storyline. Yet, when physically seeing that the movie is over an hour and a half long, it hits differently. Nonetheless, I was curious to see how the movie would play out and if there would be any controversial changes made to the plot.
I won’t go as far as to say that the movie is better, but the film significantly improves the emotional impact of the story. The main character, Garraty, originally was driven to sign up to walk for vague social reasons. In the film, there’s a personal motivation behind why he chooses to walk. There are snapshots of his past that show the Major (the public face of the competition) killing his father, which led Garraty down a path of seeking revenge. His main goal was to win, ask for a rifle as his prize, and then murder the Major.
The bond between Garraty and his friend, Pete, who convinces Garraty to not murder the Major, is also emotionally moving. Maybe I need to re-read the book, but I swear their friendship wasn’t as strong until towards the end.
Speaking of the ending, this was my absolute favorite part of the movie. Unlike the underwhelming ending of the book where Garraty wins and simply continues to walk in a delirious state, the film added a plot twist. Instead of the main character winning, Pete wins after Garraty sacrifices himself. As an added bonus, although Pete talked Garraty out of revenge, he killed the Major to honor him. I’ll always be a huge sucker for plot twists.
Even though the ending was a huge improvement, there were, of course, things that the film butchered. If you want me to write a second part to this column . . .
Let me know in the comments!
