Arena
Arena (1989)
God I loved this film as a kid. As a massive Wresting and Sci-Fi fan this just ticked all the boxes. A human fighting Creatures in an Arena to become Champion of the Universe… Give me a Hell Yeah!
As an adult, it’s still thoroughly enjoyable, but I can’t help but feel it could have been a little more. That’s not a criticism as its still a low budget Italian Sci-Fi from the eighties so I don’t have wild expectations, but its one of those movies where the concept is greater than the end product.
However, the movies still got a lot going for it. The monster mashes are unlike most things I’ve seen. The world building with the Arena ship and all the entertainment on board is cool. I like the relationship between Armstrong and Shorty. Plenty of future sci-fi stars from Babylon 5 and Star Trek are involved. It’s got a certain charm about it which I like.
The creature designs and makeup are the standout aspect to me. We’ve got Wolfs, lizards, fishes, robots, all in fighting form, it’s great fun. Feels like a hybrid at times as well with plenty of Golden Aged looking sci-fi stuff like Spinner, the costumes, and room designs, mixed with the campy fun and themes of the eighties.
It doesn’t quite do enough with the oppressive ruler and under dog story, but what you going to do? The main villain is very villainy, his rat/weasel sidekick is slimy, and the femme fatale is exactly that. The movie hits all the beats you’d expect from a low budget Rocky in Space, and as mentioned, has plenty of good ideas along the way.
It was a film I always wanted to rewrite myself. I saw a remake was made many years ago but from the screenshots it doesn’t look anything like this––so maybe my dream of remaking it myself is still alive lol.
Arena definitely has its place in that post Star Wars Sci-Fi world. There aren’t enough Sci-Fi sports movies in the modern era, and I found this one of the better ones back when they were being made. It’s not a classic, but it’s not complete trash either. It sits nicely in that sweet spot where it’s still very watchable and a decent sci-fi to chuck on from time to time.
