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I have to say that I harbored absolutely zero expectations to the 2024 movie "Arena Wars" given a cast ensemble with the likes of Michael Madsen, Eric Roberts and Robert LaSardo as the most prominent names and performers. Yet, I still opted to watch the movie on account of it being a movie that I had never seen, nor actually ever heard about.

The concept of "Arena Wars" was simplistic, so very, very simplistic. It was essentially just watching inmates serving life sentences going up against armed gladiators on TV for entertaining the masses and for a chance to achieve freedom. That was basically everything the movie was offering. Writers Brandon Slagle, Michael Mahal and Sonny Mahal didn't exactly put together an outstanding or memorable script or storyline.

The acting performances in the movie were fair, though I can't claim to be a fan of neither Michael Madsen or Eric Roberts, both of which look like they have been replaced by replicas from Wish with zero on screen energy.

I will say that there was actually enough senseless violence and action in the movie to keep it relatively afloat, at least to a level where it was a watchable enough movie.

While "Arena Wars" was a semi-watchable movie, it is hardly one that warrants more than just a single viewing.

My rating of director Brandon Slagle's 2024 movie "Arena Wars" lands on a four out of ten stars.

A combination of Running Man and Arena, based in a distopian future, contestants fight for their freedom against Seven "bad asses". I give this movie four stars while on at least seven or eight bong rips(it would have been much lower without). The writing is dry and lacks creativity, and despite MANY attempts to infuse humor it falls flat. The over use of club lights and colored gels does really strange things to the colors, and that alone made this movie interesting. The biggest problem in this movie is that it is based around a television program in the future that is supposed to be bad ass, but the television show depicted in the movie is VERY bad and would not make it past a pilot. Oh. And Mr. White!

Sorry to tell the honest truth about this movie but it is wholeheartedly horrible. There are no redeeming qualities in this movie. It looks extremely low budget and the special effects are noticeably awful. The acting is compromised of very weak and uninspired even with some notable acting veterans. None of which are remotely likeable characters. First off consider this movie is pretty much straight to video, it is still not worth a rental.

As the title suggests, the prior 4 reviews are false and don't represent the film in any way. I mean what is this "A fun take on a rather overused style". People need to stop with his reviews. He is nothing but a studio shill whom never really knows what he's saying + he types like a robot.

Bottom line. Skip this movie. The best thing about it is probably the cover poster.

The most annoying thing about this is the audio, a lot of chat is sounded out by the music or the cheering crowd. Even when the background noise is softened the talking audio is still low so be prepared to put on the subtitles.

The whipping sound effects when a kick or punch is thrown are so over exaggerated that I think the sound department must have been hired right out of cartoon productions.

Even seasoned actors can't add any clout, if anything it shows their own weaknesses as actors.

Madsen in particular, who has been in some blockbuster movies absolutely stunk throughout this movie.

It's as bad as a bad 80s b movie.

Review highlights for Arena Wars Bulletproof Action - "Arena Wars does an amazing job capturing the spirit of The Running Man and providing 96 minutes of over the top action, gore and a little dark humor sprinkled in for good measure." Cinema Crazed - " It has fun villains, violence cranked up to 11, and is not afraid to really go for it." Film Blitz - "The film remains an entertaining blast!" Film Threat - "Arena Wars is a total blast from start to finish." FromPage2Screen - "Ultra violent, and ultra fun!" Get On My Damn Level! - "Arena Wars is an ambitious film that aims high and hits what it's aiming for." Horror Fuel - "Arena Wars is a well-made, action-packed, sci-fi comic book romp that never fails to entertain with a solid blend of ultra-violence and dystopian thrills and chills!" Horror Nation - "Arena Wars is a rip-roaring non-stop action-packed thrill ride." Indy Red - "It's watchable, entertaining, and delivers what you know it will." The International Martial Arts Magazine - "Arena Wars encapsulates the very essence of what action movies should be thrilling, relentless, and intensely entertaining." Life Between Frames - "You might find, as I did, that the concept, the killers, and the fight scenes make it all worthwhile." Malevolentdark - "As a death game, sci-fi tinged action film, Arena Wars is a fun ninety-minute ride." Morbidly Beautiful -""In the word B-Movie, The "B" doesnt' always stand for bad, sometimes - like with the action-horror "Arena Wars" - It can stand for badass." Movie Reviews 101 - "Final Thoughts -Arena Wars is an entertaining all-out action movie." Nerds That Geek - "It's a fast paced, engaging film that truly entertains." Pop Horror - "Arena Wars really shines in the environment that it creates." Reel Reviews - "Arena Wars is high octane fueled kick ass genre-merging fun!" SCIFI.radio - "Arena Wars is a wild adrenaline-infused gore-fest." Screen Critix - "Arena Wars delivers an action-packed entertaining movie with fight choreography that is well-executed, and pacing that keeps you watching." Search My Trash - "Arena Wars sets hardly a foot wrong: The fights are exciting, the violence is rather relentless, properly gory and nicely captured by the camera." TBM Horror - "The action is off the charts, and if you're an aficionado of flying fists, feet and friggin vats of generously sprayed bodily fluids then this movie is for you." The Action Elite - "Overall, Arena Wars is proof you don't need a huge budget to make a cracking fight film with some gruesome kills and the best bad guy death I've seen in years." The Final Cut - "Well-made and worth the wait!" The Movie Dojo - "A fun and bloody satire!" Horror Weekly - "We'd call it well made overall and entertaining." The Horror Revolution - "Exciting from start to finish with some stellar character design, it's a well-written, well-filmed, and well-acted flick that is far better than it should be." The Rotting Zombie - "I enjoyed this, it was entertaining." TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis - "Conceptionally, there is a lot of strength here in the ideas behind Arena Wars, it was fascinating to watch." Today's Haul - "It's one of the better low budget films from this year. RECOMMENDED!!!!" UHM - Upcoming Horror Movies - "Arena Wars is just a pure guilty pleasure that you want to watch..." Voices From the Balcony - "Overall, Arena Wars is a fun bit of sci-fi action with a dystopian twist. There should be enough brawling and violence to keep viewers watching and guessing who, if anyone, will manage to win their get out of jail free card." World Film Geek - "A fun, exciting, at times gruesome ride."

It's definitely one of the worst movies I've seen in my entire life.

The story is nonsensical and irrelevant, the acting is painfully amateurish. The main character, played by an actor who seemed to have zero acting ability, mumbles their way through every scene or engages in stupid fights with horrendous choreography. The supporting cast is ridiculous. The sound effects are bad and very annoying. The only reason why I watched this movie until the end is to see how bad it can get.

Don't be fooled by good reviews, they must be fake and/or posted by bots. Skip this movie, don't waste your time.

Another great win from Mahal Empire. It seems that every time I see one of their movies they get better and better. Certainly, this is the best one yet (out of about 15 movies). Indeed, it compares favorably with many movies that come with Hollywood movie budgets, even though it was crowdfunded on a relatively small budget.

So, without spoilers, what is the movie about? Basically in the not too distant future. The public is entertained by violent blood-sports on TV. The TV show "Arena Wars" normally draws it's "contestants" from the prison population. However, as the show's ratings have been trending down, the executives have to come up with creative ways to boost ratings such as putting an innocent man onto the show. It draws heavily on the idea of the Roman coliseum and most closely resembles "The Running Man" with a bit of "Hunger Games" and "Rollerball" thrown in for good measure. Though it is heavily influenced by movies such as "The Running Man", it is definitely it's own thing and does it well. The movie zips along and the running time fits perfectly (and make sure to stay for the closing credits which are pretty funny too).

Of particular note is the extremely high perceived production value. The soundtrack keeps you pumped up and the color grading is excellent. The practical effects are, for the most part, convincing and only a few CGI shots were used. The storyline, written and directed by Brandon Slagle, is also action packed, consistent and solid. Though there is a fair amount of gore, none of it feels forced and is all relevant to the ongoing story line. There is also one of the most satisfying deaths I have seen in a movie which is both hilarious and well earned. You'll know it when you you see it! :-p

There is a solid cast of well known actors whose talents and skills were well used to move the plot forward. Robert LeSardo plays one of the prisoners and is serious tough guy who kicks some ass. Michael Madsen and Robert Donovan play well off of each other as the hosts of the Arena Wars show. Eric Roberts makes an appearance as a friend and confidant of one of the prisoners.

There were a couple of standout performances that stole the show. Kevin Hager played an absolutely epic and believable antagonist in his role as Belladonna. John Wells also showed incredible emotional range in his role as the main protagonist Bender. That being said, there wasn't really a bad performance in the entire movie and many of the supporting actors have strong character arcs of their own.

Was the movie perfect? Of course not. There were a few minor niggles. There was a great establishing shot showing a fly over of the city. This was great the first time we see it bit became a bit jarring when exactly the same shot appeared multiple times throughout the movie. Also, it would have been nice to have a little more variety in each of the arenas. That being said there was still plenty of room in each arena to have some great fight choreography with multiple cast members.

In summary, if you like 80s style action movies, Arena Wars is an absolute gem. The story is solid and logical, the action never lets up and it looks and sounds beautiful. Well worth the hour and a half of your time!

Anyone giving this a 3+ is obviously a bot/paid/trolling this is not a movie, its so bad its like a classroom skit the entire set is literally the size of your living room if that the only redeeming quality is that they hired a semi-good looking protagonist, but just because he looks fit, he still sucks at acting.

Script - 1 pacing - 1 concept - 2 whoever wrote the dialogue - 0 i can't even follow the story uh whoever balanced out the audio - -10, dude, you CAN'T HEAR the people speaking... 100% sure that the movie is directed by some college kids this is so bad, please just save your 90 minutes of your life..

Arena Wars may not do exactly everything right according to some viewers four for people like me it did the job beautifully. Great camera angles, great focus pulling, great performance. I've noticed that everything involved in this is pretty much involved with other Mahal Empire films like Bridge of the Doomed, Death Count and Night of the Tommyknockers. Sooo many producers! Blimey! Don't think I've ever seen an ending credit block where it had like 300 names for producers. Anyway great film for what it's worth. What more can you ask for in a simple sci fi dystopian action movie? Give it a watch.

I watched the first 5 minutes and could hardly believe a movie could be so bad so immediately. I then gave it another 10 minutes. Let's just say I have regrets. Please save yourselves the mind melting wtf's of this movie.

Acting 0 stars Script 0 stars Direction 0 stars Sets 1 star for the set designers and builders who did their best on a budget of 30 nickels and a bucket of pi*s

Micheal Madsen and the guy playing the second host look almost like crypt keepers on deaths door.

Movies like this always baffle me at the thought of how many HORRIBLE actors are available to fill such a cast. Everyone else is phoning it in for their mini paycheck.

Many people will like the design of the killers but proceed at your own risk.

The shows premise is a direct rip off of Schwarzenegger's 1987 film, "The Running Man" except it doesn't have the amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many characters are direct derivatives from that show, and they are poorly portrayed by unknown "actors" and "actresses". Ultimately the storyline is mundane and incredibly predictable. Acting by any of the main characters is poor at best, and Michael Madsen needed more sarcastic screen time, which he doesn't get. The set must have cost less than the arena for American Gladiators, and the action sequences were choreographed by a 12 year old boy. Skip it.

I watch a lot of B grade movies and I never write reviews but this was something else.

It's not even fun bad, it's just bad.

Don't waste your time. This entire thing was filmed in one room. Sure the sets change but it's all small sets. The acting is shockingly bad. There isn't even one character you want to get behind.

The main guy tries to be a generic marine but is hard to believe.

The audience watching the arena wars always have the same clothes even though there are days apart at times.

Almost every shot is close ups so they don't have to reveal the lack of sets and how small they are.

Please don't watch it whatever you do.

Ninety minutes of action-packed, over-the-top pure fun. Directed by Brandon Slagle, who takes the throne and once again gives us an eye-opening experience. The Mahal Empire's newest "Arena Wars" does not disappoint. This is an escape room on steroids. You're front and center to the most horrific sporting event in history. The year is 2045, convicted criminals are given the opportunity to compete on the world's #1 televised sporting event, Arena Wars. They must survive 7 rooms and 7 of the most vicious killers in the country. If they win, they regain their freedom. Who do you root for here? The criminals of serious crimes or the vicious killers? They are pretty much equal. The criminals have been convicted of not petty crimes but murder and rape, so there is no feeling sorry here. As the viewers in the movie, you too are propelled into this futuristic society where violence and punishment are front and center of prime time.

The concept is you either fight for your life at any cost or are met with death. You have 7 levels of horror that if you complete, your crimes are forgiven and you're set free, no questions asked. Yeah, no simple task. You know you're in for some fun when your host Holly Daze, played by Sheri Davis, greets you with a warm greeting of "What's up, B*****?"

The first set of 10 are not very successful and there is no winner; they need a rating booster, so in comes what they think will boost their ratings. Robert Lasorda is among the first bunch and as usual, is a standout as a killer convicted of 57 murders. His presence always is so skillfully played out in anything he does. He truly shines here in the opener.

Ten more are ready for Arena Wars but its group is different. Luke Bender (John Wells), a decorated marine wrongly accused. So it's a real rating grabber, an innocent man fighting for his life. It's customary in these movies, like Total Recall, to have the innocent hero wrongly accused. A ratings grabber by the people in charge of the game promotes that aspect to have a cheering section for the underdog. He takes responsibility for leading his ragtag scums of society into taking down these 7 maniacs in 7 arenas of death.

We are now thrust into the Mahal world of never shying away from anything and throwing buckets of blood and every imaginable way of death that will have you look away but childishly look back with a smile, saying to yourself, "now that's entertainment." There's never a time to breathe; once things get started, they won't let up till the end credits. But as true tradition in these movies, you're always met with that "what the eff" moment.

These kinds of movies are never complete without someone to announce all the action unfolding. Michael Madden is perfect with his sick-minded, almost sadistic commentaries, along with the equally talented Robert Donavan. They are the hosts with the most and then some. Great chemistry and commentary move things along and take off the edge when things get really crazy. Their opening remarks on each of the gladiators are historic.

Special note on the cinematography, as always, is remarkable by Michael Su. The guy is the master of his craft and just adds to every project he is part of.

Arena Wars is a good film expected for hard core action fans of dystopian sci fi, horror and good old fashioned violence. Luke Bender (played by someone who reminds me of Chris Evans) must do whatever it takes to keep his loved ones alive and participate in a popular violent reality show called "Arena Wars". With him are some supporting contestants who join his path to victory. I have to say, for a Mahal Productions movie this one isn't so bad. It's got a well delivered soundtrack, good camera work, good action. Some of the performances are questionable but that's what you get for a crowdfunded production.

Living in a dystopian future society, a group of executives desperate to make their once-hit gladiatorial combat show by dragging a new round of contestants to participate, but when they realize that one of the survivors is an innocent ex-marine must use his combat skills to survive.

Overall, there's a lot to like with this one. The futuristic setup and general storyline about the show being able to launch the type of show where the type of competitive action that comes about with the scenario in place offering death row inmates a chance at freedom in exchange for participating in the brutal game show. This isn't original or creative in the slightest but still provides enough of a logical excuse for the existence of the property and why the group is brought together as they are as there's just enough backstory on the contestants and what they're imprisoned for to make their race across the show worthwhile. When that occurs, the action here is quite fun and generates plenty of likable factors. While still holding onto scores of traditional low-budget origin factors including flimsy costumes and cheap gore, the brutality on display makes them far more palatable with a slew of brutal bloodshed involved in the graphic encounters that take place with the different contestants taking on the ever-more intense gang of thugs that are being used to fight them to the death. The cramped location set for everything and the impressive use of military tactics brought about here make things exciting and enjoyable, making for a fun enough time here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity.

Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. A blatant ripoff of The Running Man. I'm not sure which is worse the writing and dialogue, the terrible fight choreography, or the acting. How this is rated at 5 is astounding. This movie will find itself in the bottom 200 very soon. The plot is paper thin. None of the main characters are likeable. The background actors seem like volunteers. Don't even get me started on costume design. It looks like the background actors costumes were bought at a thrift store. It honestly seems like this movie was made for $10,000. I absolutely hated this movie. Only watch this movie if you want to see how bad it is. It is really that bad. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Just watching the first few minutes, I see this as a poor man's Running Man.

The Stephen King story with 1987 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the upcoming 2025 version with Glenn Powell.

No where close to the orginal Running Man and trying to get out there before the next version.

The violence and language is somewhat expected, but, the acting is not believable, especially the announcing team that is hosting the Arena Wars.

I could not finish the movie as the announcing teams voices were not clear and the overall audio in the movie focused too much on bad music or the crowds reactions, which was shown way too much.

So, I gave it a 3 star only bad.for the actor's giving a good effort, but, the material to work with in this version was.

The 90s called and they want their plot back. It was definitely written by a bunch of incel writers with no respeect for women or good writing. It's an old story line, done better almost every other time it has been done. If all you care about is gore and boobs than maybe this movie is perfect for you. If not I would recommend watching something else. Do not waste your time with this one. I am shocked they got so many old semi famous actors involved in this project. I guess they weren't getting cast in anything else and needed the money. Watch it at your own wrisk. You have been warned. Take that as you like.

Let's not forget the director is also the writer of this atrocious piece of film making, take away the fact the actors (even veterans) are made to look like they are amatuers in a community drama class, the director has the clear inability to film dialogue shots, made to look like a poor 90's, straight to dvd budget film, in our era...even budget films can still reach high levels if the writing & directing is on point.

Briefly moving back to the dialogue and the script, it's looks like it's been written by a frat boy, it's excruciatingly bad, the sort of words used by a teen imagining they're a super hero.

This quite easily takes the prize for the worst movie of the last 10 years, it's not even funny bad...its simple just bad.

Arena Wars is a compelling addition to the realm of action-packed, At its core, Arena Wars embodies the concept of survival against the odds. Introduceing a storyline that unfolds through player progression. Players are not just fighting to survive; they're also playing for freedom. For fans of tense, conflict-driven environment. Whether you're a gamer seeking adrenaline or a film buff exploring thematic parallels, Arena Wars delivers an exhilarating ride worth taking. Just sit back and watch what happens. You'll be on the edge of your seat with this one. In conclusion just watch the movie!!!!

Looks good, as most trailers, shows all the best bits, quick cut. It had great potential. But it's awful. Terrible acting by everyone. The boring conversation in-between, just drags out a 40 minute movie into an 90 minute movie. Slashers was a canny movie. Running man was a great movie. How can anyone think this is good. Do they not watch any other movies. Who thinks right cut, that's great. Terrible, seen 1000s of movies, all sorts of queer stuff, and this has made the top ten of worst I've ever seen. Maybe if I'd never seen a movie before. Maybe I'd think wow. But I have, and that was a let down from the start.