Today’s quick review: Arena. David Lord (Kellan Lutz), a firefighter mourning the death of his pregnant wife, catches the eye of Milla (Katia Winter), a scout for a website that streams real gladiatorial death matches. Kidnapped and tortured, David is forced to fight and kill in the arena. But as David is drawn in deeper, he sacrifices his humanity for a shot at Kaden (Johnny Messner), his tormentor, and Logan (Samuel L. Jackson), the man behind it all.
Arena is a budget action movie with a basic premise and plenty of gore. Though not a strong film, Arena delivers what it promises: brutal action on a low budget, a pinch of sex, and just enough plot to hold it all together. Arena’s specialty is melee combat, and David tackles his foes with weapons ranging from fists to swords to hammers. Samuel L. Jackson gives the film a dose of star power, playing the website’s arrogant mastermind.
As far as quality goes, Arena is poor but not atrocious. The fight choreography is nothing special, but the hits are hard and the intensity is high. The acting and writing are on par, not that good but not bad enough to detract from the action. The low budget shows itself in minor ways, from the quality of the costuming to the use of stock footage, but just enough polish remains to make the movie feel cohesive.
Watch Arena when you are in the mood for a gory action flick and don’t particularly care about quality. For fans of the budget action genre, its an easy watch that neither impresses nor disappoints too greatly. Anyone else should skip it in favor of something better. For a big-budget movie with better action and storytelling, check out Gladiator. For other violent schlock of various calibers, check out Battle Royale, Death Race, or The Tournament.
4.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for watchable action with limited production values and fairly niche appeal.