Bullet Points: Arena Wars (2024)
In this edition of Bullet Points, I am going to take a look at the latest from Director Brandon Slagle, the futuristic, sci-fi actioner, Arena Wars. I have enjoyed Slagle’s last two releases, The Flood and Breakout, can he make it three in a row!?!?
- Dishonorably Discharged: John Wells plays Luke Bender, a former Marine who took the fall for a superior officer in the name of national security and to keep his bride-to-be and her father/his mentor safe. As a result, Bender finds himself in prison for the rest of his life. Bender is a tortured soul who spends his days hitting his concrete cell wall, looking at pictures of his lady on his tablet, receiving the occasional video transmission from his aforementioned mentor, Admiral Jordan (Eric Roberts, Best of the Best II) and flipping off the parole board before they could offer him a unique chance at freedom… a spot on the televised, life or death competition show, Arena Wars!
- World Building: Fellow prison lifer, Perez (Robert LaSardo, Drop Zone), is more than happy to bullshit the parole board and get a spot, along with nine other convicted criminals, on Arena Wars and that gives us a chance to really delve into the show within the movie. Slagle does a masterful job building the world of Arena Wars… the details that other movies might skip, like showing the Arena Wars television show open, having a set for the announcers, Samson (Michael Madsen, Executive Target) and Moses (Robert Donovan, Trancers 6), are not skipped here and that is a huge plus for the movie. The overall look of the Arena Wars show feels like a throwback to “the future” that was depicted in direct-to-video movies of yesteryear and the 7 killers that the convicts will be pitted against look like they are straight off the set of a horror movie with colorful names like Meat Wagon, Master Blaster and Cutie Pie. The whole world building aspect of Arena Wars walks the line between unique and familiar.
- We Need a Hero: The executive producer of Arena Wars is Desmond Belladonna and he has a problem… his brand isn’t growing and the ratings are dropping off. It seems that the novelty of seeing scumbags fight for their freedom has worn off and that’s when Belladonna’s right hand man makes an outside the box suggestion… What if the world could watch an innocent man fight for his freedom instead. What if they gave the audience a hero?!? And that is where we circle back to Luke Bender. A former decorated Marine, who is only in jail because he did what Marines are trained to do, follow orders, is freaking ratings gold! When the Bender experiment works a little too well, we get to see another side of Belladonna… obviously being a rich asshole was enough to paint Belladonna as a villain, but Bender’s rise lets us all in on the evil side of Belladonna, and as the movie progresses we get some behind the scenes dirt of Arena Wars… by the end Belladonna is a guy you hope experiences a gruesome death.
- The Action: Most of the action in Arena Wars takes place as part of the television show with Bender leading the group of convicts he was lumped in with (well most of them anyway) against the seven killers in one fight after the other. Notable team members include Khan (Johnny Huang) who was the first to befriend Bender and fills the comic relief spot and serves as the butt of some jokes and former MMA fighter Billie (played by professional boxer, Kylie Fulmer). With Arena Wars being a life or death competition, there’s plenty of blood and gore… another aspect of the film that will likely appeal to the horror crowd. John Wells’ Luke Bender really shines in the action sequences and it is no wonder the network wants to give Bender his own spin-off series.
In the past I have talked about Slagle’s obvious love of the “Golden Age of Action” and there is no doubt that Arena Wars is Slagle’s homage to The Running Man. While I can’t honestly say Arena Wars comes close to the classic that is The Running Man, 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.
Arena Wars will be released on June 25, 2024 from Gravitas Ventures, but these Arena Wars Bonus Bullet Points are available right now…
- If You Ever: …wanted to hear Robert LaSardo admit to being a fan of Dancing with the Stars, then Arena Wars is the movie for you.
- Acknowledgement: Luke Bender has a pretty solid Superman Punch.
- If You Ever: …wanted to be introduced to the term “taint juice”, then Arena Wars is the movie for you.
