Arena (1989) User Reviews

Cheesy goodness from the 1980s.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 3 August 2013]

Filmed in Italy by Charles Bands' Empire Pictures company, the likably cheese ball movie "Arena" is good fun for an undemanding viewer, comfortably predictable and with the usual assortment of good guys and bad guys. It's your basic tournament-based action flick, but with a twist: it takes place in a sci-fi setting, and most of the fighters are alien monsters. The champion among them is an egomaniac named Horn (Michael Deak, "Abominable"). Our hero is nice guy Steve Armstrong (Paul Satterfield, "Creepshow 2"), who only really wants to return to Earth. But when he needs to come up with some money in a hurry to pay off a smooth criminal, Rogor (Marc Alaimo, "Tango & Cash"), he agrees to participate in the tournament.

One gets no prizes for guessing what ultimately develops in this script, written by Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo, the guys who concocted "Trancers" among other comedies and genre pictures. But there's still a reasonable amount of fun to be had in watching this stuff. You sure don't have to spend any time exercising your brain. You just enjoy the comedy, the sets, the basically decent acting, and the impressive display of masks and makeup effects created by John Carl Buechler and company. There's a lot of variety in their work. Also lending his abilities is unsung talent Screaming Mad George. The fighting is never exactly that great, but it is good for some laughs here and there.

Supporting Satterfield are a group of familiar faces. Hamilton Camp ("Evilspeak") is four armed Shorty, Steves' loyal sidekick. The stunning Claudia Christian ('Babylon 5', "The Hidden") and Shari Shattuck ("The Naked Cage", 'The Young and the Restless') as irresistible eye candy, Armin Shimerman as Weezil (buried under heavy makeup a couple of years before assuming his signature role of Quark in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'), William Butler ("Night of the Living Dead" '90) as Skull, and legendary comedian Jack Carter as an enthusiastic announcer. Shattuck also gets to perform two songs.

Overall, an amusing 94 minute long diversion.

Six out of 10.

I thought it was quite good actually...

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 16 September 2006]

Arena is set on a huge space station where an intergalactic sports event known as Arena takes place, all shapes & sizes of alien creatures gather to go head-to-head in the arena where the aim is to simply beat your opponent in a test of strength, skill & stamina. There hasn't been a human champion for 50 years but professional fighter Steve Armstrong (Paul Satterfield) feels he has what it takes, when he beats up one of sexy fight promoter Quinn's (Claudia Christian) prize fighters he gets his opportunity in the arena. Coached by his buddy Shorty (Hamilton Camp) & guided by Quinn Armstrong is a revelation & quickly become the No. 1 contender for the title of champion which a nasty alien creature named Horn (Michael Deak) currently retains. However evil promoter Rogor (Marc Alaimo) fears that his man may lose & decides to use dishonest methods to fix the fight, but will Armstrong's spirit & determination see him through...

This Italian American co-production was directed by Peter Manoogian & was better than I had expected. The script by Danny Bilson & Paul De Meo which takes itself pretty seriously is basically an underdog tale, someone overcoming the odds & succeeding & in that respect it's all too obvious what's going to happen & how things are going to turn out. I suppose you could describe Arena as an intergalactic version of Rocky (1976) & in that sense it is quite successful. The character's are decent & the comic relief isn't too annoying & the dialogue is OK. The film moves along at a nice pace & is never that dull although I thought it could have done with a few more fights because as it stands there is only three which isn't really enough. Arena provides fair entertainment, it plays quite well & overall I liked it.

Director Manoogian does an OK job, there isn't much style to it but it looks alright. I was impressed by the aliens, there are loads of them & while some of the make-up/masks look a bit rubbery/spray-painted they show imagination & effort, I especially liked the huge Sloth creature who looks like a cross between a lizard, a slug & grasshopper if you can even begin to imagine that! Horn looked quite good as well especially his facial movements. The violence is very tame & the fights aren't that great which is the biggest disappointment about Arena really.

Produced by Empire pictures (maybe better know for it's horror output) & shot in Italy Arena is quite well made although I doubt it had a massive budget. The special effects vary, none are outstanding but you feel the filmmakers did the best with what they had. The acting was OK although Satterfield makes for a somewhat dull hero, Christian looked pretty sexy.

Arena was a decent film in my opinion & better than I was expecting, it certainly isn't a masterpiece but provides simple & undemanding entertainment. Could have been better but could have been worse, just about worth a watch if you can find a copy going (very) cheap.

Not Fantastic But Watchable

[no-skyline · 6/10 · 5 August 2005]

I haven't watched this film for a few years now but I remember it well as it was a real no brainer fun watch that I viewed several times on a battered old VHS copy. The plot is paper thin and not much above the usual T.V. sci-fi episode in fact I'm sure the an episode of Babylon 5 has a similar plot (TKO in series 1 or 2 I think a coincidence as Claudia Christian appears in both). The effects are basic the budget was probably minimal but this doesn't matter it's the vision of the future that sells this film you need to let go and use your imagination and when you do it kinda works. If you just let the poor effects go and some hammy acting in places you'll get some solid entertainment but you really do have to be in that B-Movie kind of mood to enjoy it.

The fights have to work around some ambitious (for the budget) alien anatomy and thats this films creates strength it tries to stay away from all aliens being basically humanoid shaped and throws the occasional curve-ball in there.

Solid not spectacular with a better budget a few extra sub plots this could have been very good as is a solid B-Movie effort no more, no less 5/10.

One man's dream. Is an intergalactic championship.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 8 January 2007]

Held in a space station is an intergalactic fighting competition that pits all kind of species in the arena of endurance, ability and strength. There hasn't been a human victor in over 50 years and Steve Armstrong decides to take up the challenge, after his friend finds himself in trouble. However to take that crown of champion he must defeat the hideously cocky Horn and overcome attempts by a devious promoter Rogor. Who's trying to stop Steve's advancement through the competition.

I really wanted to relish in "Arena", because for an extremely low budget production (it simply tells), it illustrated a colourful universe and a magnificent range of distinguishable species (think of Star Wars). Sure it doesn't have state of the art visuals, but those limitations didn't worry it and the overall junky and tackiness of it play into its own hands. Who produced this low-end Sci-fi romp? Well, no other than full moon's Charles Brand. So the campy richness and b-grade fixtures were assured from the get-go.

Though, I guess I better get to the point to why I found it to be lacking poise. From very beginning we know how the standard storyline will play out. An underdog theme trumps in as we watch our protagonist start small with obstacles standing in his way and then eventually end a big high note. This predictable pattern is made more foreseeable with the good guys vs. bad guys context. It's pretty old-hat stuff, but one gets used to after a while even if there's a change of scenery to the mix. But this was lesser of its worries. Its main showpiece was the arena and fighting competition itself. Too bad the fight scenes were too few and goofily staged. I was disappointed on this aspect. They lacked any real sort of adrenaline, force and at times completely drag with the same repetitive activity. The only real fight that stood out for me took place outside the arena, when Steve shows us what his made of. I wouldn't blame someone who thinks this is more so a costume show, as Steve is in one fancy looking nappy outfit.

Peter Manoogian's direction is workably sub-par, but lacks flair in his vision. The photography is quite stuffy and trumping in is Richard Brand's cornball music score. Those filming techniques might not blow you away, but they are acceptably achieved. John Carl Buechler's make-up is detailed (though not always perfect) and adds the to the film's spirit. The cold script is flooded with ineptness, but thankfully it's laced with agreeably witty banter. The performances aren't anything special, but solid enough. Paul Strathfield makes a likable working class heroine, if not much else. There's the familiar face of the succulent and biting Claudia Christian. Eye candy is in the shape of Shari Shattuck. Marco Alaimo goes out of his way to look and act real sinister as Rogor. Hamilton Camp and Armin Shimerman play the supporting roles in mostly a comical tone.

Dreams can come true, but that wasn't entirely the case here. Rather than be exciting, it's diverting at best.

Arena: 80's cheesy fun

[Platypuschow · 7/10 · 23 April 2019]

I remember watching Arena back in the day when I was nothing but a sprog, it stuck with me but I long since forgot the name of the film.

I came across it again today and the nostalgia came flooding back. They often tell you not to rewatch the classics from your childhood as they could not possibly meet your expectations based on how it made you feel at the time. On this occasion, it's as good as I remembered.

With goofy Star Trek-esque alien races, Jim Henson looking monsters and a cast including Armin "Buffy/Deep Space Nine" Shimerman and Claudia Christian this is a fun little gem of an 80's movie.

It tells the story of a young man who finds himself becoming a hero for Earth when he joins an intergalactic fighting tournament. But as if he doesn't have enough to worry about on the mat, there are powers that be behind the scenes that don't want him to win.

Sure it does follow a real tried and tested "Fight movie" formula, but it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's silly, it's over the top, and it's a lot of fun.

To me this will always be a classic, a cheesy cheesy classic.

The Good:

Fantastic creature effects

Really fun movie

The Bad:

Could have used additional time

Pure B-film scifi fun.

[amesmonde · 13 August 2015]

All bets are off at a corrupt intergalactic fighting competition where a system removes the fighter's advantage, no matter what species and puts them on an even standing.

Made and released in the UK in 1989, like Robot Jox, Crash & Burn, Oblivion and other Charles Band productions the lack of money is obvious but this B-film captures the imagination which many larger budgeted films fail to do. Arena taps into a time when fighting films had peaked and Rocky was deep rooted in the conciseness along with WWF specials. Director Peter Manoogian offers plenty of showdowns. His direction is fine and many of the makeup and special effects still hold up.

In a cast of outlandish aliens Claudia Christian features as Quinn and the Christopher Reeve-a-like Paul Satterfield's Steve Armstrong works as the stereotype hero.

Despite its clichés and the fact it was never going to win any Oscars its many references to other science fictions and fresh concept makes it an enjoyable low budget science fiction.

Fight Movie Clichés in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaace.

[JoeB131 · 4/10 · 23 June 2012]

Hey, flailing writers of movies, know how to make a good Sci-Fi movie. Just take a genre, and re-write it as a space movie.

This is a better film that it deserves to be in that it stole a bunch of Clichés from fight movies, and it was made in Italy (almost never a good sign when everyone in the closing credits has a name that ends in the letter "i". )

So what are its good points? Well, it has three actors known for their roles in good Science FIction. Claudia Christian from Babylon 5, and Marc Alaimo and Armin Shimmerman from Star Trek:Deep Space Nine. They take what could be cardboard characters and breathe some life into them.

The special effects are vintage pre-CGI, and some of the creature effects look good, others look kind of hokey.

So not Shakespeare or even Star Wars, but frankly, I found more sympathy for these characters than any of the people standing in front of Green Screens in the Phantom Menace wondering what their motivation was...

Great when I was 10!

[danielaustin-735-484497 · 7/10 · 8 August 2012]

When I was 10 I loved this film. It's a bit like Kickboxer meets Star trek meets Rocky. I managed to get a copy a few years back now and watched it again with a few friends.

To say it was weird was an understatement. It's actually rather funny at how bad the acting and effects are. i remember it being really exciting and packed with action. Watching it now I realised it was slow with little action and what action there was was just actually very funny.

To be honest they could do a remake which if done properly could be really good.

If you like sci-fi 'B' movies then this is the one for you.

Good old 80/90's fun!

I smell a rat....I smell a Weezel....

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 23 July 2015]

An intergalactic fighting competition between champions of various worlds has traditionally been won by a species much larger and stronger than humans.

Entering the contest, a human finds he has to battle against not just his opponents and his self-doubts, but the corrupt system.....

If you've seen this movie before, you'll already know how bonkers stupid the whole thing is. This is one of those films that I saw trailered on many a straight to video action movie 25-26 years ago, but then when it left the video shelf, it vanished without a trace, and to my knowledge, it's never been on TV or had a DVD release.

So thank heavens for NetFlix, as I have now seen one of my legendary lost films that I thought had vanished forever.

And it's just how I thought it would be,man absolute cheese fest featuring a non-existent lead who makes Van Damme and Lundgren seem like Olivier.

To describe the film is a very heady thing to do. Take The Running Man, Tron, Bloodsport, Barbarella, with the budget of a Troma film, and your almost there.

We basically have a guy who can become the next world champion of the titular sport, but I order to do so, he has to fight lots of people in suits, claymation, and puppets. That's the premise of the film.

And there's a subplot involving a man with silver paint on his face risking losing everything if our hero wins.

As you can imagine, the fights are non existent, so the majority of the time we see our hero from his adversaries perspective, and someone behind the camera hitting him with rubber hands, and it's as fun as it sounds.

The effects are dazzlingly awful, but the puppetry is actually rather good for such a low budget film.

It's a shame that this wasn't more widely recognised, because this could have been a wondrous TV series.

A must for all bad movie fans everywhere.

When a SF buff sees the cast, they'll do a double take.....

[David_Powell3006-1 · 6/10 · 6 January 2012]

Yes, one could argue it looks a bit cheesy today, but hey, I like the 80s atmosphere, & one neat thing about this movie is the cast.

If you are a Sci-Fi buff you'll find yourself going "No way!" a lot as you meet the actors playing these characters. A lot of the main cast ended up on other space stations a couple of years after they made this movie, namely Babylon Five and Deep Space Nine. In that way it has a bit of a neat "When Worlds Collide" vibe for the TV Speculative Fiction buff. Claudia Christian eventually became a regular on B5, and Shari Shattuck made a stopover there too. Both Armin Shimmerman and Marc Alaimo ended up doing yeoman service on DS9, Shimmerman as a regular and Alaimo as a recurring guest. It is neat to see them all together in this one a couple of years before they hit those series roles, and they and the rest of the cast seem to be having fun with it too.

Well it does feature a nice assortment of aliens, but the fights are lacking.

[Aaron1375 · 4/10 · 7 June 2005]

This movie is sort of like "Robot Jox" in that it has a tournament. It isn't like it, in that it is fights between aliens. The alien in this case being a rare human ready to become the first human champ in some time. All the standards are here for this type of movie with a villain, betrayal and all that good stuff that make movies of this type so predictable. It does not help that the fights are lacking any real punch as they are nothing like the high energy fights you get in an anime or any Jackie Chan movie. Still though you have loads of alien creatures to look at and some attractive female leads. That, however, does not a movie make so for the most part it is a by the numbers sports movie with an alien twist.

Suspend your Disbelief

[drummerboy_1066 · 9/10 · 6 June 2006]

Overall, a highly enjoyable and truly wonderful film. Yes, the effects are shabby, the acting stilted, the story disjointed, but this film does something quite rare, it transports you into a world where these things don't matter. It's a world that is truly believable in the way that modern sci-fi flicks simply are not (I use the recent Star Wars outing as my authority). In the same way that the cantina scene from the original star wars film caught the imagination, this movie does the same. You get a glimpse into a strange and weird world where men in leotards wrestle with giant slugs with a dwarf with four arms as your best friend. Truly unique and amazing fun.

A fun romp into Sci Fi past

[machrf · 7/10 · 18 December 2020]

It has so many great actors from Science Fiction movies, comedies, others that I am surprised I missed this and that they were all together in one movie. Did Babylon 5 steal Claudia's look from this movie. This is a watered down version of her B5 uniform and makeup. The best surprise was Marc Alaimo, Gul Dukat. Then there is Armin Shimerman and so many others. I dont know if I would have enjoyed it back then. It does not live up to the standards of Star Trek, Babylon 5, or Star Wars, but for today, it is a blast from the past. Enjoy.

My brain lied to me

[tone_e2000 · 3/10 · 16 January 2007]

If I were to rate this film based on my memories of it when I was ten years old, it would be a straight nine out of ten. Unfortunately, I'm not going to do that, since I watched it again just last year (I'm 26 now). Anyway, it turns out this film is actually a badly acted, poorly produced and boring effort. The fights which impressed me so much as a child now reveal themselves for what they are - a funny looking blonde guy pretending to use martial arts on a man in a rubber suit (a technique recently revived for the atrocity that was Alien Vs Predator). The script is badly written, and does no credit to what is actually a pretty good premise for a sci-fi action movie. There are certainly some interesting ideas. Perhaps a remake should be considered?

Another Charles Band mediocrity...

[buchass · 2/10 · 6 May 2010]

"Arena" its an awful film. Its stupid, incoherent and boriiiinnnggg... The lack of money is obvious. The main characters are ridiculous, a Californian surfer look a like and his friend kind of Bilbo Baggins... well, they are just terrible. The arena scenes are dull, very dull believe me...

Its a soulless sci-fi ultra low budget film. The script and the acting its just for the laughs, the special effects are just awful, i think the only thing credible in the film, are the aliens faces. If your are a really, i repeat, a really sci-fi fan, you might like this film, but if you are not, don't waste your time. An episode of "Babylon Five" its much better then the entire "Arena".

Rewatched after thirty years. Cringe worthy but still cheesy awesome goodness.

[stevenrotherforth · 6/10 · 4 November 2019]

Arena

I fondly remember watching this movie as a kid with my dad. The good old days when you had to go down to the video store and pick your Friday nights entertainment. Funnily enough I rediscovered this gem from my childhood on Netflix. It's not the same as having the physical videotape cover in your hand and being all excited as a youngster. As an adult I was hesitant at revisiting this movie but I'm glad I did. 'Arena' is best described as being a mashup of both 'Rocky' and 'Star Wars'. Set in the distant future where intergalactic species battle one another in an Arena designed to make the fights fair. It's all a bit silly but still hugely entertaining if you don't expect too much from this 80's cheesefest. Because cheesy this movie certainly is!

Starring Paul Satterfield as Steve Armstrong, the first human contender in fifty years. He takes on all kinds of weird looking creatures in an attempt to become champion of the universe. Managed by Quinn played by Claudia Christian, Armstrong soon works his way up the ranks and heads for a showdown with the menacing champ called Horn played by Michael Deak. He was menacing when I was thirteen, now he just seems like a bit of a tit. This film is ludicrous and I cringed several times throughout my revisit. The supporting cast also consists of Hamilton Camp as Shorty. A four armed alien who is Steve's sidekick. Armin Shimerman and Marc Alaimo play the villains dead set on stopping Armstrong from becoming champ. The cast is completed by the utterly gorgeous Shari Stattuck as Jade, the villainous love interest with a heart. I remember after watching this film as a teenage boy I had a major crush on her. That said the acting by everyone is terrible but not as bad as Shari Shattuck's singing and the nauseating musical score that sounds constantly high pitched and out of tune. Direction is also feeble as is editing and dialogue.

This film is in truth poorly made. But who cares! What isn't poorly made Is some of the makeup and prosthetic effects. It is obvious that this movie had a measly budget but some of the creature effects are pretty decent. Set design is ok for the time of production even if the special effects would look dated for a film produced in the 70's never mind the late 80's when this movie was actually made.

On Netflix this film was presented in 4:3 aspect ratio but did look like it may have had a minor restoration. Image quality wasn't as bad as to be expected baring in mind the last time I watched this was on VHS thirty years ago. Sound was also ok. There was plenty of stereo effect from the crowd during the Arena scenes. Also Shari's out of tune singing came through loud and clear. I forgive you Shari because I think I'm in love again!

All jokes aside 'Arena' is a film that has a place in my heart. Call it Nostalgia. The young audience of today would laugh at how bad this film is. But for those of us who grew up watching it. It's a nice trip back down memory lane. With all the pointless remakes and reboots Hollywood is churning out. Why not give this movie a new lease of life?

Silly gem from a silly era of film making

[Agent10 · 4/10 · 30 January 2022]

What can be said about this film that already hasn't been said? In the grand scheme of things, this film is another in a logjammed era of apocalyptic or dystopic films. The 80s was rife for this sort of material, mainly due to the popularity of Mad Max. But how did this silly movie mix in with the rest of the dreck?

Well, first and foremost, they had a tough protagonist named Steve. Any time Steve is not meant as a silly derogatory character is a win in my book. Plus, despite the low budget, they did have some decent effects in the movie. The creature effects were pretty solid and despite this being a straight to video type affair, it really worked. I was also surprised to see how many actors from my favorite sci-fi shows were involved with the making of this film. It was definitely a "before they were famous" moment for me.

Of course, the silliness of the movie is going to restrict it to the Rifftrax world of comedic excellence, at least it was a well made train wreck that people can actually enjoy. It's not a miserable experience, which is key for any good-bad film out there.

Man Punches Aliens in the Face

[RJR99SS · 7/10 · 28 September 2009]

Arena is a crappy, low budget B movie...but it's one of the best crappy low budget B movies ever made. Actually, it's what passes for a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, in terms of B movies.

The saving grace of the film is the quality of the special effects that go into creating some of the alien species in the film, they're actually pretty darn impressive. Of course, it's sometimes hard to be impressed with the film, such as even though the special effects are cool, the costumes the characters wear look like cheesy leftovers from the wardrobe of "Space Mutiny".

The main character is an unlikeable, one dimensional, somewhat confusing, and laughable muscle hunk. However...he's not AS unlikeable or laughable as most other B movie leading men, such as the many incarnations of Reb Brown. It tend to ads to the fun though, that you don't really like this character, and you actually would like to see a hairy alien kick his head in.

Similarly the acting and plot are definitely mediocre. However, being just mediocre is a huge step up from some of the B movie cousins of this film.

If you were to grade the film on a "normal movie" scale, i suppose it would only be a 3 or a 4. However, it's like the Special Olympics here, you cant really class it with normal films as it's quite obviously B movie cheese. And as far as B movies go, I'd give it a 7.

Let battle commence

[JohnSeal · 5/10 · 1 March 2010]

Remember when the future was going to look exactly like the 1980s? The makers of Arena did--which is probably not terribly shocking, considering the film was made in 1989. In fact, you might say that Empire Pictures was already on the cutting edge of retro-'80s chic: Arena completely fails to acknowledge the coming of a new decade and wallows in big poofy hair, big poofy shoulder pads, and big poofy monster make up. It's terrible, of course, but enjoyable nonetheless, especially if you pay close attention and pick up on the various movie references laced throughout the script. Besides ripping off Star Wars endlessly, Arena also works in a reference to This Island Earth (the interocitor seems to have survived the crash landing of Exeter's spaceship), and the Marx Brothers' secret Horse Feathers password, 'swordfish', is here, too. In short, it's a kitsch delight for those who enjoy extraterrestrial camp.

Bloodsport in Space

[The-Evil-Dead · 7/10 · 2 July 2009]

They just don't make them like this anymore. Yeah, it's a total schlock fest... But what an idea. Some dude has to fight it out in the intergalactic ring against all sorts of aliens ( AKA dudes in rubber costumes ), in classic cheesy 80's direct to video sci fi fashion. We're simply not blessed with such cornball films that are this fun anymore.

There's not really much in the way of story. We get some blondie no name actor playing Steve Armstrong, giving those super tough guys in rubber suits a really hard time in the intergalactic fighting ring. Will the golden boy make it out alive in the ring, fighting against the behinds the scenes corruption and overcome his underdog status to become champion? You'll just have to waste some time and find out.

Yeah, everything about it technically is fairly awful, but it's a fun film. Highly recommend if you spot it on cable and you enjoy cheese-fest flicks. There's some slow moments and awful dialog throughout, but the fights are all entertaining in a goofy way, just as most of the film is. It's B grade schlock, don't go into this film expecting something amazing and you'll have a fun time.

Someone should take notice from the good ol' days of VHS and get the direct to DVD market going with fresh ideas like this, and actually have them be semi-competent productions like this film.

Do you have 90 minutes and nothing else to do?

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 24 December 2020]

Oh boy.

Here's the thing about 'Arena': almost everything about it is simply adequate.

Not good. Not bad. Not outstanding, or mediocre, or subpar. Just adequate. Sets, costumes, makeup, effects, lighting, acting, writing, fight choreography, editing, music, exposition, dialogue, narrative, suspense, sensuality... All those things of which the art of cinema is comprised are here. The film proceeds from beginning to end with clear, unremarkable lines from A to B.

And... that's about it.

Nothing particular stands out as being good or bad. It just is. There are moments that are clearly inspired by various sci-fi movies and TV shows, and scenes that obviously take their cues from stories focusing on sports, and boxing or martial arts specifically. I'm hard-pressed to say I like it, but nor can I say I dislike it. I certainly don't think anyone involved with this production set out to make a movie so very average, yet I don't think I've ever seen a picture that is this middle-of-the-road in every single way.

There are two things about 'Arena,' and two things only, that do stand out: Marc Alaimo and Armin Shimerman. A few years after this film they would go on to co-star together in the phenomenal Star Trek series 'Deep Space 9' as recurring antagonist Gul Dukat and series regular Quark, respectively. Between outfits, make-up, and prosthetics, I'm curious to know which characters took longer to prepare for on the set each day, those of DS9 or those they portray in 'Arena.' In any event, they are easily the best actors in this film; while I'm undoubtedly biased, I feel reasonably confident to say that should anyone find fault in their performances, it's most likely down to a lack of material for them to work with.

Even being aware ahead of time of Alaimo and Shimerman's casting, I otherwise didn't know what to expect of 'Arena.' It certainly wasn't this. I don't mean that in a good way, or in a bad way. I'm not amazed, or disappointed. Just puzzled.

'Arena' is a movie that will keep you watching to the end just to see if anything especially noteworthy happens.

What a curiosity.

A cool Alien Scifi Flick which you can watch without too much thought

[mark-814 · 10/10 · 8 February 2003]

Although it is probably ten years since I last saw this film I do have it in my loft along with hundreds of other films I bought from my local video rental shop. I found it very entertaining and yes although not the most serious film ever made you had to take it as was. Simply an action scifi made for a young teen audience. For a limited budget film I thought the creature effects and set design were pretty good and the acting was by far not the worst I have seen. So for me at a time when I was a 17 / 18 year old wanting to get into the effects business it touched a cord with me along with other scifi flicks and I am now working in the film industry and have been doing so for the past 5 years

Fun sci-fi boxing mash uo

[jellopuke · 6/10 · 20 October 2019]

Look, this is juvenile and cheesy, but it's charming and earnest in a way that most movies aren't anymore. It's not art, just a sci-fi rip off of Bloodsport. That said, it's a living video game and worth seeing once at least.

Horn Lives

[jdb111001 · 2/10 · 4 June 2005]

I stumbled across this movie one of the 5 million times that HBO showed it my Junior year of College...

If you like cardboard cutouts in the crowd...wrestling moves that are supported by visible wires...and a plot that a monkey could write...then rent this movie...

Terrible...awful...but not the worse...there is always Congo...where you want to make an ash tray out of the stupid monkeys head...but that is another rant...

If you want to see a good action space movie...that is brainless...see the motion picture classic and guilty pleasure Starship Troopers...lead by Doogie Howser...stay away from this piece of garbage that could of been shot in someones garage...

This movie defines; over the top 80s action

[KoolCatReviews · 5/10 · 27 May 2020]

This movie is relatively impressive. It had a compound plot, while chessey, is reasonably effective. Going into this movie you should know what to expect and if you do you will most likely enjoy it. You won't get amazing acting while the acting is cringy and the action is over the top. The Sci-fi element is very good and well thought out. This film is nothing special but great entertainment nevertheless.