Movie Review: "Arena Wars" (2024)
Arena Wars Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by Mahal Empire
Directed by Brandon Slagle
Written by Brandon Slagle, Michael Mahal, and Sonny Mahal
2024, 95 minutes, Not Rated
Released on June 25th, 2024
Starring:
Michael Madsen as Samson
Eric Roberts as Admiral Jordan
Robert LaSardo as Perez
John Wells as Luke Bender
Kevin Hager as Belladonna
BJ Mezek as Boggs
Mercedes Peterson as Domino
Sheri Davis as Holly Daze
Johnny Huang as Khan
Kylie Fulmer as Billie
Wesley Cannon as Minty
Robert Donavan as Moses
Review:
You know what we don’t get enough of anymore like we did back in the day? Arena combat movies. I don’t know why that is, either. That’s beside the point, though- what you need to know is that the good folks of the Mahal Empire have remedied that dearth with their latest outing, Arena Wars.
It’s the year 2045, and in the big fucking city (that’s what the title card says anyways) the major mover and shaker on television is Arena Wars. The concept is simple and the formula is a time-tested, winning one: seven convicts from death row are given a chance to win their freedom against a collection of seven deadly armed killers in gladiatorial combat. Arena combat has been popular throughout human history, but the audience has changed in 2045, and they’re growing tired of the same-old, same-old. It’s a weekly slaughter, and apparently even a good one gets old in the ratings after a while if the formula never changes.
The network response? How about an innocent contestant and former Marine who is sitting on death row because he wouldn’t rat out a superior officer! That’ll make for some killer tv where you could really pull for the hero. Luke Bender (John Wells; Bermuda Island) leads a group of assorted criminals and killers into the arena for a showdown that will change the course of Arena Wars history forever.
There’s a cohesiveness in style and substance in Mahal films. Even when the plot may be a little far-fetched, the excellent cinematography, use of location, and actor chemistry make for an entertaining time you’d actually want to recommend to your friends. Arena Wars is no exception. It’s a damn good-looking film with one of the best scores I’ve heard to date in a Mahal film.
The action is crisp and well-shot, and the emphasis is on the action (though there’s plenty of good practical gore to go with it). Arena Wars has a clear love for the 1987 cult classic, The Running Man. There are a couple of nice nods to that film to go along with the obvious structural/plot similarities. It makes for a violent good time.
The core of actors working on Arena Wars are a potent mix of legendary names like Michael Madsen and Eric Roberts alongside talented (and dare I say underappreciated) actors like Robert LaSardo (Night of the Tommyknockers), Wesley Cannon (Bloodthirst), and Sheri Davis (Bermuda Island). John Wells, for his part, is spot on as the intense but surprisingly decent Marine convict, playing the role with just enough bravado to have some color but not so much as to be the typical badass.
Arena Wars is a lean and mean script that knows how to make maximum use of the sizable cast and give you both the characters you’re pulling for and the characters you love to hate. It’s smartly written and laden with social commentary about the role TV plays in our lives, the atavistic nature of reality television, and the general ugliness of human society. You could say it’s a tale as old as time on that score.
Arena Wars is an ambitious film that aims high and hits what it’s aiming for. There are a ton of sub-genres out there, and for every Gladiator there’s a The Private Gladiator (okay, so that’s a porn remake of Gladiator…you get the idea, though). The point is that Arena Wars finds the sweet spot of the sub-genre combining solid action with some fine gore and a diverse cast to make a film that dances with what brung it, as the old expression goes.
Grade:
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
