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/movies/111712/arena
Review of Arena
by Joseph Sheldahl
Posted on April 20th, 2022
Positive 7
Overall Rating
 
+
there's really two kinds of bad movies, the earnest ones and the ironic ones. the ironic ones (samurai cop, the room, etc) hold very little entertainment value for me, personally, but are kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion, or a dog who can't catch a frisbee. the earnest ones however, (lifeforce, galaxy of terror, etc) have plenty of genuinely redeeming qualities, but can't clear that bar of standards that makes a movie all-around good. one can only imagine how a movie like big trouble in little china would've been received with a lesser talent behind the camera, and a lesser-known in front of it. it probably would've been a bargain bit cult hit. fun and imaginative, but lacking that special ingredient x to make it a legitimately good movie. arena is lacking that crucial element, but make no mistake- it's an earnest bad movie. it is a lot of fun, even if none of it holds up to scrutiny. it has a surprisingly high production quality to it, overall. it's a cut above your average roger corman joint. the sets are well made and atmospheric. never once did i feel taken out of the movie by the props or the sets. the special effects were also decent, but the puppetry and animatronics were simply fantastic. shout out to the man, screaming mad george of guyver fame. these elements are things you take for granted in a big budget movie, but in a low budget flick, there's less cash to spread around behind the scenes, necessitating more creativity to make things look convincing. examples of misfires and failures are aplenty, but movies that click, and can at the very least convince you of their own concept? those are kinda special- especially in this corner of the sci-fi genre, where low budgets rule. arena isn't great, but it's endearing. it makes me nostalgic. this is absolutely the kind of movie i would've rented over and over as a kid. the hero has to fight giant aliens and ugly monsters hand-to-hand. of course, it's rocky by way of star wars, but that's why it's so much fun. it marries the outlandish sci-fi visuals of the era to the can't-mess-this-up underdog tournament template. whatever it does wrong is excusable, seeing as how it gets all the important stuff right. if a charles band produced movie is watchable, that's a hurdle cleared. if it has good pacing? another hurdle cleared. the fact this also has a charismatic lead, some decent acting, and solid action scenes, is all just one big cocksure victory lap. arena isn't a 'good' movie, but it's such an earnest one that i enjoyed the hell out of it. it's like store brand potato chips, sometimes you just want that kind- it's comforting in a weird way. so is arena.


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