Thanks to a VHS tape procured by an uncle, I became hooked into the spectacle of the UFC from the very beginning (early 1990s). My fandom has waxed and waned through the years, but the sport has fascinated me through it all. This documentary is a wonderful look at the 20-year history (circa 2014) of the premiere combat competition.
"Fighting for a Generation" does a really good job of covering all the ground between 1993 and 2014. It gives equal shrift to how the UFC concept was developed, the controversies surrounding it, and its rise to a world-wide phenomenon. That's a lot of ground to cover, but the filmmakers don't over or under-emphasize any particular area.
The production value here is incredibly high, as the doc is filled with great clips of past and present events, as well as interviews with key figures both inside and out of the octagon. Truth be told, this doc is less focused on the fighters themselves (though they get a say as well) as it is on the behind-the-scenes workings of the event creators.
About the only reason I can't give this the full 10-star ranking? This is very much a UFC-sanctioned or produced doc, so there isn't a lot of objectivity in terms of coverage of the main players. For example, one could tell very different stories about guys like Dana White or Tito Ortiz, if so inclined. Fortunately, the "hometown bias" isn't smothering or anything like that. It simply exists as a fact of production.
Overall, I enjoyed every moment of "Fighting for a Generation". I loved the nostalgic look back at those early events I so enjoyed, and I was able to "get caught up" on many of the sport's events that have transpired lately. The UFC has such an interesting backstory and arc to it that this doc could have been an hour longer and probably just as compelling.
"Fighting for a Generation" does a really good job of covering all the ground between 1993 and 2014. It gives equal shrift to how the UFC concept was developed, the controversies surrounding it, and its rise to a world-wide phenomenon. That's a lot of ground to cover, but the filmmakers don't over or under-emphasize any particular area.
The production value here is incredibly high, as the doc is filled with great clips of past and present events, as well as interviews with key figures both inside and out of the octagon. Truth be told, this doc is less focused on the fighters themselves (though they get a say as well) as it is on the behind-the-scenes workings of the event creators.
About the only reason I can't give this the full 10-star ranking? This is very much a UFC-sanctioned or produced doc, so there isn't a lot of objectivity in terms of coverage of the main players. For example, one could tell very different stories about guys like Dana White or Tito Ortiz, if so inclined. Fortunately, the "hometown bias" isn't smothering or anything like that. It simply exists as a fact of production.
Overall, I enjoyed every moment of "Fighting for a Generation". I loved the nostalgic look back at those early events I so enjoyed, and I was able to "get caught up" on many of the sport's events that have transpired lately. The UFC has such an interesting backstory and arc to it that this doc could have been an hour longer and probably just as compelling.
