Review of Arena

Arena (2011 Video)
4/10
bad B
19 August 2018
Logan (Samuel L. Jackson) runs an internet gladiatorial bloodsport. Denver fireman David Lord (Kellan Lutz) loses his pregnant wife in a car crash. He's despondent. While on a bender in rundown Acapoco, he is kidnapped by Milla (Katia Winter) and forces to fight in the game. Taiga (Daniel Dae Kim) is the neighboring prisoner.

Jackson is camping it up as much he can. The movie and Lutz refuse to allow it to have any fun. Lord's motivation is problematic. It would have so much simpler to kidnap the pregnant wife and force him to fight for her life. They give him a sword and I don't know why he doesn't just go on a suicide mission. His reasoning makes no reason. Lutz's major failure is his inability to make this ridiculous. It's the wrong actor doing a bad script and failing to understand the silliness of his movie. Even the fights lack commitment. It's a lot of blood and gore with no tension. Then there is the big fat twist at the end. It rewrites so much of the earlier parts of the movie that it would be bad if I actually care.
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