Arena

"For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first."

1989 1h 34m EN

😐

5.3

MID

★5.3TMDB · 77

Science FictionAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On a distant space station far in the future, the best fighters from every planet vie for the championship in an intergalactic fighting competition. After over fifty years of no human contenders, Steve Armstrong emerges having trained all his life for a shot at the title, only to come up against a ruthless extra-terrestrial crime lord who wants him dead.

“For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Paul Satterfield
Steve Armstrong
Hamilton Camp
Shorty
Claudia Christian
Quinn
Marc Alaimo
Rogor
Shari Shattuck
Jade
Armin Shimerman
Weezil
Brett Porter
Wayne
Charles Tabansi
Troy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Manoogian
Writers: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo
Languages: English
Countries: Italy, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Manoogian, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andy Horvitch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Satterfield and Hamilton Camp and Claudia Christian carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0101366 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Manoogian directs. Mac Ahlberg behind the camera. Richard Band scores. Andy Horvitch cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

137 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.
3Directed by Peter Manoogian, shot by Mac Ahlberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Band. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Andy Horvitch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Satterfield and Hamilton Camp and Claudia Christian carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first.".
8IMDB entry: tt0101366 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Original score: Richard Band
Editing: Andy Horvitch
Production design: Giovanni Natalucci
Makeup / hair: Jeffrey S. Farley
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Arena (1989)

Also by

Peter Manoogian

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Community reviews

What people are saying

FredLeicht2022-10-02
★ 10/10
This cheesy underrared sci-fi film should be a staple of any 80's sci-fi fan. A guy with a humble background makes it to the big time. This is a great example of the type of film that used to fill the shelfs at your local videostore. Nothing super great just good clean fun.

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