The Key to a Good Life is to Have No Expectations

The last film I watched in 2025 was Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man.

The way I tend to watch films now is in about 20/30-minute chunks, so when I sat down to watch it with my breakfast one Saturday, I expected to finish my beans on toast, drink my coffee, then go about my day.

But for the first time, probably in years, I watched a film the whole way through, excluding when I’m in the cinema and British politeness forbids me from leaving.

I bloody loved it!

Dystopian future, cheesy dialogue, running, shooting, explosions… what’s not to love?

And then I looked at the Internet, and discovered that so many people hated it, calling it one of the worst films of 2025.

Don’t Have Expectations

From what I was reading, people didn’t like The Running Man because it wasn’t like other films by Edgar Wright.

Granted, it certainly wasn’t Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, but it was still good. At least to me.

And I think that’s why I enjoyed it.

Where other people were expecting another Edgar Wright film, complete with his complex camera work, unique storytelling, and killer soundtracks, I went in with no expectations at all.

I hadn’t even seen the original film, so had nothing to compare it to. And consequently - with zero expectations - I loved every minute of it.

Without the expectation to see something specific, and then without the disappointment when I didn’t, I was free to enjoy the film for what it was: a slightly cheesy action flick with explosions.

Not to be one of those “this is what the birth of my first child taught me about B2B sales” people, there’s a lesson there.

When you don’t set expectations, you can’t be disappointed. You can take things as they are, without a set of assumptions and beliefs framing how you enjoy an experience.

Without expectations, you’re free to enjoy the film, not worry about the outcome of the project, and generally be happy no matter what happens.