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Genre Movies
DOWSE Guide to the
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by Tony Lee editor of
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Arena
93 minutes (15) 1989
review by Tony Lee
As science fiction, Arena is about 40 years out of date, maybe more. Produced
by Irwin Yablans for Charles Band's Empire Pictures, it's written by Danny Bilson and
Paul DeMeo, the creators of Zone Troopers. And, I must admit, it was their
involvement that got me interested in this in the first place. Sadly, unlike the
wonderfully cheap Zone Troopers, this has none of the wit or endearing lunacy
to make it work as a spoof for the post-Star Wars generation. Cut-price
cameraman, Mac Ahlberg does his usual best, but it's Peter Manoofian's pathetic,
TV-style direction (quite reminiscent of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) that
lets the side down, and is the film's biggest failing. The over-actors too, deserve
the most severe criticism, as they fill their roles with more ham than Mattesons!
The story? Well, if you must know - it's a cross between Flash Gordon
and Rocky, with a square-jawed hero (who looks just like a blond Christopher
Reeve). When he loaes his job as a cook in the space station cafe, he's offered a
chance to win a ticket back home to Earth, by fighting aliens and robots in the local
gladitorial combat games. After facing and beating one lumbering animatronic opponent
(a monsterous thingy called 'Sloth'), he's all set for a shot at the title. But, the
No.l champion is a cyborg...
So, if you're able to derive enjoyroent from the truly awful, then take your
seat ringside now, but don't say I didn't try to warn you.
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