Generation Iron

Bodybuilding is fascinating. There's an unspoken camaraderie among those who eat, live and breathe bodybuilding.

Just like in Pumping Iron, the champion, Phil Heath is depicted as the villain and like Lou Ferrigno, Kai is the hardworking underdog.

Ben Pakulski is sort of the "Ivan Drago" of this docudrama. Dennis Wolf has a particularly awkward comedic scene and Roelly Winklaar is absolutely hilarious.

I am so glad the director, Vlad Yudin did not show Branch Warren shouting swear words and throwing weights.

The plot is really all about Kai vs Phil. To people unfamiliar to bodybuilding, the footage of the other bodybuilders can seem out of place since the audience doesn't get to form any type of connection with them.

They do touch on anabolic steroids but it is very limited. "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" is a better documentary for that but it is nice that they do mention it instead of ignoring the elephant in the room.

I follow bodybuilding very closely so a lot of the content seems redundant, but I still gave this a ten just because I love bodybuilding. It's great to see that somebody is at least trying to break it out of it's shell and I support that 100% percent.

Bodybuilding is such a niche market and outsiders have such a close-minded opinion of it that I highly doubt this film will make much of an impact but I sincerely thank Vlad Yudin for the effort.

P.S. It was quite amusing seeing some of the gigantic audience members trying to get comfortable in the seemingly tiny movie theater seats.

A documentary that follows top bodybuilders as they train to compete in the Mr. Olympia competition. The trains of bodybuilding and righteousness can't be stopped and their movement brings about reactive forces in the people they affect. The cinematography is stark and bare, with only the soundtrack adding some effect. Other than that, it was an okay film, and I would recommend that people watch it. It's an amazing work and everything I had hoped for. From an artistic standpoint, it holds its own. With good narration from all involved, I have to give this one a final and well deserved rating of 7 out of 10, so check it out now.

I have never owned dumbbells, I haven't done a push up in years, and going to the gym for more than two days in a row has always seemed impossible to me. Still, I have always found really fascinating the fact that some men are willing to go through all sorts of sacrifices and physical tortures just for the sake of getting bigger.

The movie takes us on a journey alongside several bodybuilders who are training to participate and become the next Mr Olympia, which is the maximum price in the sport. For a person who knew absolutely nothing about the guys portrayed in the documentary, I was actually surprised to see some of them doing so well and driving Bentleys and Mercedes cars. I guess that the sport and the interest of sponsors has evolved a lot since the eighties when my cousin had bodybuilding magazines with Lee Haney on the cover or the times when the great Arnold was given a 1000 dollars check in prize money. What hasn't changed is the determination to be bigger, leaner, and more muscular than any other man on the planet. They had ridiculous looking bodies then, it's even worse now.

The one thing that this documentary fails to answer is why they do all this in the first place? Are they the most egotistical and vain people on earth? Are they trying to prove something, to escape something, or are they just another genre of athletes who happen to like bodybuilding like I could like table tennis, or karate? I still haven't got a clue…

In any case, I sort of enjoyed it even though I could not care less about the subject. So whether or not you have an interest in this sport or way of life, it should make for a good enough watch.

Interesting look into how things have changed in the world of bodybuilding since the cult classic Pumping Iron came out. Overall, the film was well shot and edited with a fairly in-depth look at some Mr. Olympia hopefuls. Overall the movie is more of a commercial for bodybuilding than it is a balanced documentary. However, it was definitely worth watching.

The elephant in the room is the fact that genetics, nutrition, and exercise science haven't changed enough over the past 30 years to make these guys look like something out of a comic book. They are taking steroids....lots of them. There is a plethora of medical evidence that steroids cause deleterious effects on the body, which the film acknowledges. One could argue that all professional athletes are using them, but bodybuilding is different. You HAVE to use steroids in order to compete, and there is no real effort to prevent there use. As a physician and a longtime weightlifter it pains me to see so many people pursing this hobby/sport at the expensive of their health. Most of it boils down to money for advertising and supplements.

Overall, an entertaining movie, but a painful reminder of what bodybuilding has become.

It is almost laughable as the "doctors" are questioning "how can these athletes defy science and gain muscle and remain low fat?" But they never discuss all the steroids being used by everybody. I understand I am watching a bodybuilding documentary but it would be more credible if they didn't avoid the blatant use of steroids and then go on to contribute the success purely to work ethic and weight lifting. It is obvious to anyone who has ever been to "tested show" vs. "non-tested" show that the human physique can only become so large without the use of steroids.

In short if your going to make a documentary don't deny the viewers of the pertinent facts. It takes away from the credibility of the director, and the film itself.