Customer Reviews

Arena [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of my all time favorite B movies from the 80's. Not even given close to the recognition it deserves, this film is one of the absolute best cheap ass sci-fi movies out there. I too cannot wait for this to show up on DVD and quite frankly I'm shocked that isn't even being discussed to my knowledge. In the same genre..Killer Klowns from Outer Space made it to DVD..I truly can't see why this one cannot. I picked this film up at a local video store back in 1988 and just fell in love with it. Sure it's cheesy..but hey..if you are true B movie fan..then this one is for you. 3 thumbs up! I own the typical VHS version of this film and I'm crossing my fingers for a DVD sometime in the near future.

ARENA wages a battle beyond the stars, where warriors from across the galaxy compete in hand-to-hand combat in an intergalactic coliseum! Now, a human fighter must enter the competition in order to overthrow the corrupted system and earn the prize money he needs to return home to Earth. Paul Satterfield stars as Steve Armstrong in this ambitious and highly entertaining Sci-Fi adventure from Empire Pictures. ARENA features an array of incredible creatures and impressive set designs that are every bit as imaginative as the ones found in the STAR WARS series, with a surprisingly grand scale considering the size of the production. Like Rocky before him, Steve must train hard and earn the audience's respect in this underdog tale if he hopes to become the first human champion to win the event in over 50 years. The budgetary constraints result in a great deal of filler in between fights, but the excitement in the ring is worth the wait. B-movie fans that are looking for plenty of alien action and Space Age fun, the ARENA awaits you!

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

Only one night after witnessing the hilarious L.A. Street Fighters Sid stumbled upon fantastic b gold yet again. The very same channel offered up a fine dose of Sci-fi b from 1988 called Arena. After hitting the info button we knew this one had to be unreal just from the 2 sentence synopsis. Usually we wind up more in the action or horror B genre but have always welcomed a Science fiction entry, especially once we saw it was produced by Charles Band prior to him launching Full Moon. If that wasn't enough we then realized the main character looked very familiar and found out it was the Deke from Creepshow 2! Hey Pancho! That's one of Sid's favorites and will go down as once of the greatest spots yet to date.

In Arena we find ourselves somewhere far into the future, despite it's got 80's written all over it, where elite fighters from every planet battle in the ring in hopes of becoming the B champion of the universe. For a quite some time no earthling had been good enough to be a contender until Creepshow 2 Alumni Steve Armstrong comes along. He winds up getting himself into a mess and has to take on only the best and cheaply made alien creatures or an alien mafiosa will have to take him out. He becomes an underdog on the rise, much like Rocky Balboa, only with far less of a budget and an insane amount of more laughs.

Arena was easily a 5 star event from premise and budget alone. This is one of those gems that is so cheaply made and hilariously acted that you have no choice but to love it. That is unless you're some stuffy overly serious movie watcher that can't find the beauty in a great piece of B cinema. As long as you're going into it with the right expectations you will freaking love it. We suggest you get some of your favorite munchies, a nice substance of choice, and sit back for an hour an a half of laughs coupled with WTF moments. And don't forget to really take in the award winning performance by mighty Earthling warlord Steve Armstrong, or as we like to remember him as Pancho.

This is one of my favorite "B" movies. Cute story with an interesting cast. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. Can't wait till they put it on DVD!

Time again to counter the perfect reviews for the Justice Department.

Another prime example of "We have to pad out the film with 95% of something (nothing), because mostly it's not about the title."
One fight at start, one at end = 2 whole aliens in battle with 2 humans!!

I was a fool to have this immaculate vision it would involve the 75 animatronic/masked aliens in a UWF - Universe Wrestling Federation. I think 4 or so were animatronic, the rest were Lost in Space series face paint.

I understand the emotional can cover any film with enjoyment but I am emotionally handicapped so therefore am cursed to have the highest standard. And I'm not 12 years old

Arena is NonNirvana.