Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life (2020) User Reviews

The director loves himself too much and the athletes are not natural

[Zooha-47207 · 5/10 · 2 March 2024]

I love the other Generation Iron documentaries, but this one feels quite average in comparison. Also, echoing what another reviewer mentioned, the producer seems to be quite self-absorbed, frequently inserting himself into the film, which is a bit distracting and takes away from the focus on the athletes.

Additionally, I share the skepticism of many viewers regarding the natural status of these athletes. It appears that some might be undergoing cycles of performance-enhancing substances and then stopping in time to pass the competition testing. This aspect raises questions about the authenticity of their performances and the integrity of the competition, detracting from the documentary's credibility.

This director loves himself

[kmdatpq · 1/10 · 5 March 2023]

The amount of shots of the director walking in slow mo with his Gucci outfits is hilarious. No one is watching this for you my guy. Did he just make another one of these so he could try to make himself into some kind of star?

Besides that - Editing, lighting, pacing are all awful. Follows people getting ready for a competition but does an awful job of building any kind of suspense. Introduces people to comment without any background of who they are or why I should care what they have to say. And then we are forced to listen to voice over from this director the entire time.

Just go watch pumping iron instead.

Good depiction of natural bodybuilding

[elijaholson17062 · 10/10 · 18 October 2023]

Someone else gave the movie a 1/10; I'll even things out by rating it 10/10.

It was enjoyable to see the "behind-the-scenes" life/lifestyle of the natural bodybuilders, and it seems like it takes just as much--if not more-- devotion to their sport than the enhanced bodybuilders, male or female.

The documentary pointed out the unfortunate fact that natural bodybuilding isn't nearly as popular as the enhanced bodybuilding, but many people's objections to bodybuilding (e.g. Unnaturally large, too disproportionate, etc.) doesn't apply to the natural bodybuilding field.

Like they said in the documentary, I think it's going to take an Arnold Schwarzenegger level personality to get natural bodybuilding off the ground and into the mainstream.

Also, just as an aside, I was totally expecting a different ending for the winner of the show.