Arena (1989)

An intergalactic fighting competition between champions of various worlds has traditionally been won by a species much larger and stronger than humans. Entering the contest, a human finds ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Manoogian

Writers:

Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo

Stars:

Paul Satterfield, Hamilton Camp, Claudia Christian

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Satterfield	...	Steve Armstrong
Hamilton Camp	...	Shorty
Claudia Christian	...	Quinn
Marc Alaimo	...	Rogor
Shari Shattuck	...	Jade
Armin Shimerman	...	Weezil
Brett Porter	...	Wayne
Charles Tabansi	...	Troy
Michael Deak	...	Horn
Jack Carter	...	Announcer
William Butler	...	Skull
Grady Clarkson	...	Commissioner Dent
Dave Thompson	...	Doctor
Ken Clark	...	Marcus
Diana Rose	...	Space Lady in Nightclub

Storyline

An intergalactic fighting competition between champions of various worlds has traditionally been won by a species much larger and stronger than humans. Entering the contest, a human finds he has to battle against not just his opponents and his self-doubts, but the corrupt system.

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Plot Keywords:

future | space | one word title | fight | arena | 

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Taglines:

For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Sport

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arena - Nur einer Überlebt

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Empire Pictures, Altar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 97 min (VHS)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finished in 1988, not released in USA until 1991.

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Goofs

During all the fights in the arena, many of the spectators in the crowd are just painted cutouts with clothes draped over them.

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Quotes

Space Comic: Oh, I could stay all night, folks, but I gotta go. A hand for the boys in the band, and remember, I hate your guts!

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Connections

Spoofed in Mutantit (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Living in the Galaxy"
Music and Lyrics by Paolo Rustichelli
Performed by Shari Shattuck

User Reviews

Far from great, but kind of fun.

No, this is not a great movie, and yes it has it's share of problems. I'm not really even sure why I like this film, but I do. I admit that it can be pretty bad at times and extremely cheesy at others, but it still kept me entertained for an hour and half.

The story is actually a fairly interesting one, nothing terribly original, but nonetheless interesting. This film is basically just "Rocky" and "Star Wars" thrown together.

The acting was nothing to get excited about in the film, but it wasn't all that bad either. There were a few times that were pretty badly done, but overall the acting was just fine. I've got to say something though, Paul Satterfield has an uncanny resemblance to Christopher Reeve and sounds like him too. The entire cast are virtually unknown to me, but there were some familiar faces in the film (still couldn't name them or place where I'd seen them though).

The special effects were relatively decent given that I'm sure the budget was REALLY low. The make-up effects were sometimes really good and other times just horrible. Some of the aliens were actually quite well done and pretty cool looking. The outfits and wardrobe of the film was pretty good for the most part, except that stupid fighting uniform thing that Steve Armstrong (Paul Satterfield) wore when in the arena, that needed to go.

All in all, I thought this was an ok film. Far from great, but I've seen worse. I definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I would only recommend this film to people that like cheesy sci-fi films. If the words "cheesy" and "sci-fi" don't spark your interest, then go watch something else. In the event that you do see the film, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading,

-Chris