Review: Arena (1989)
Arena is one of the most ambitious movies ever to come out of Charles Band's Empire Pictures . It's essentially Rocky in space, but in today's world of 300 million dollar blockbusters, we must remember that this movie was made in an era where CGI had not yet become a reliable or affordable tool and most of what we see on screen was achieved with rubber suits, matte shots, and clever photography, all captured in a formerly-abandoned studio in Rome without benefit of Hollywood unions or oversight. Confession: I never found Arena to be particularly compelling. Until recently I'd only seen Arena in standard definition and in a 4:3 "full frame" presentation. Thanks to a recent restoration by Arrow Video for Blu-ray which sources a widescreen HD version of the film from a 35mm print, I'm now viewing this exploitation gem through a whole new lens. The costumes are stunning. The sets are massive. The world is created fully and with much detail, belying its low...
