Thank you Redbox for so many promo codes (This review was written in
2011. Why so stingy now?). Netflix (DVD) may have had "Arena" (2011) in
stock, but with the vast library of suggestions, who knows if I would
have come across such a ridiculous feature.
I am familiar with two other films called "(The) Arena". The premise is
pretty much the same for each one. They are tales of a person's survival
through brutal one-on-one combat. The 1989 (brilliant) low-budget take is about a human fighting aliens and the 2001 use of the title was Timur Bekmambetov's
international debut about female Roman gladiators, and after further
investigating I found that was a remake of a Roger Corman B-movie from
1974 of the same name. With this history lacking luster (or lack of
interest), how can Sony believe this can possibly be a made-for-DVD gem?
Pick Your Three Words: Samuel L. Jackson or Sam "Motherfuck'n" Jackson.
Sony proves that I am not the only one to believe there is no such thing
as a bad feature from this legendary performer. With the amount that he
works, it makes me wonder why there have been any bad movies since
1988.
David Lord has a death wish after losing his pregnant wife in a bizarre
traffic collision, (An accident implies no one was at fault.) so he
decides to head to Mexico for an endless bender with a $100 bill his
only form of currency. If he was not an ex-marine, rugby-playing
firefighter, his desired fate would not have any trouble finding him.
Ironically, this skill set will not allow him a quick demise.
After being seduced by the mysterious Milla, he is kidnapped by Kaden
the Executioner to become the latest warrior for an online TV show
called "Death Games" where modern gladiators compete in bouts that are
nearly guaranteed to end with at least one fatality. The only problem
with his "recruitment" to this underground "sport" is that he has
nothing left to fight for. Certain that no one can continue to survive
the Arena, the arrogant BMF producer Logan has come up with a means to
motivate David.
If David wins 10 fights, he can go free. That is probably the only way
he will get a chance to kill Kaden and Logan, so it is not a tough
decision to become the most badass meme on the worldwide web.
I was still skeptical about renting "Arena" because for an actor like
Jackson who has starred in so much, but avoid made-for-video, it just
felt sad to see him make his DVD debut. Fortunately, Sam knows what the
market's viewers want and the creative team behind "Arena" is more than
willing to accommodate his scene chewing.
Graphic violence and abundant female nudity appeals to minimalistic
B-Movie fans, so the subpar acting is easily overlooked. The action
sequences are not much to write home about, at least in terms of the
action, but the deathmatch concepts they introduce are amusing enough to
ignore the other shortcomings. The fights are like "Mortal Kombat"
levels. As long as there is a pit to drop the opponent into, clunky
combat is forgivable. If these masterful compensations are not enough to
amuse you, the sophomoric references to modern classics at least argue
that the effort should be appreciated.
How this film still wound up costing $10 million to produce is beyond me. It did not go to the box art.
The low-budget style, clever effects and corner cutting make "Arena" a
fun film to experience. I suspect $9 million went to Samuel L. Jackson,
and I am comfortable with that. Thank you Sony for giving the most
prolific American actor a lifetime achievement award attached to a good,
quick flick.
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