I remember watching Arena back in the day when I was nothing but a sprog, it stuck with me but I long since forgot the name of the film.
I came across it again today and the nostalgia came flooding back. They often tell you not to rewatch the classics from your childhood as they could not possibly meet your expectations based on how it made you feel at the time. On this occasion, it's as good as I remembered.
With goofy Star Trek-esque alien races, Jim Henson looking monsters and a cast including Armin "Buffy/Deep Space Nine" Shimerman and Claudia Christian this is a fun little gem of an 80's movie.
It tells the story of a young man who finds himself becoming a hero for Earth when he joins an intergalactic fighting tournament. But as if he doesn't have enough to worry about on the mat, there are powers that be behind the scenes that don't want him to win.
Sure it does follow a real tried and tested "Fight movie" formula, but it doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's silly, it's over the top, and it's a lot of fun.
To me this will always be a classic, a cheesy cheesy classic.
The Good:
Fantastic creature effects
Really fun movie
The Bad:
Could have used additional time
