''Arena'' is a 1989 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by Peter Manoogian and starring

Paul Satterfield Paul Parsons Satterfield Jr. (born August 19, 1960) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'' (as Paul Hornsby, 1991 to 1994), ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (as Dr. Pierce Peterson, 1998 t ...

and

Claudia Christian Claudia Christian (born Claudia Ann Coghlan, August 10, 1965) is an American actress, known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova on ''Babylon 5'', as Captain Maynard on Fox's ''9-1-1'', and as the voice of Hera on the Netflix series '' Blo ...

. Set in 4038, Satterfield plays Steve Armstrong, the first human in 50 years to compete in the intergalactic boxing sport called simply "The Arena." The film was produced by Irwin Yablans and features original music by

Richard Band Richard Howard Band is an American composer of film music. He has scored more than 140 projects, including '' From Beyond'', which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Sitges Film Festival. Lately he scored '' Exorcism at 60,000 Feet ...

Plot

Steve Armstrong works as a

short order cook Short order cooking is the preparation of inexpensive restaurant foods that are quick to cook. Many small eateries serve only short-order items, which include griddled, fried, and grilled foods and sandwiches. Short order cooking is common at ...

on a space station somewhere in the galaxy. Overwhelmed by the volume of orders, he repeatedly fouls up and soon finds himself in a confrontation with an alien patron named Vang. After a fight which smashes up the diner and leaves the alien injured, Steve and his friend and co-worker Shorty are fired. As it turns out, Vang is an Arena fighter, and his manager Quinn confronts Steve. Amazed that a human could beat one of her best fighters, Quinn offers him a contract, but convinced that humans no longer have a place in the Arena, Steve refuses, intending to make his way back to Earth. Lacking sufficient money for a ticket, Shorty attempts to raise the cash by gambling in an underground casino. The game is raided by the authorities and in the confusion, Shorty pockets the money. Caught in the act by crime boss and top Arena fight manager Rogor and his enforcer Weezil, Shorty is held for ransom. Steve promises to pay off the debt, so he reluctantly returns to Quinn and agrees to a contract with her, using the money to free Shorty. Remarkably Steve wins his first match with an alien named Sloth in an upset. After seeing Steve's potential, Rogor attempts to contract Steve as his Arena fighter but learns Steve has already signed with Quinn. Steve continues fighting, determined to prove that a human has what it takes to be champion, and soon becomes a top contender. Rogor becomes worried that his high position in Arena fighting could be jeopardized if Steve wins the championship, so he enlists his consort Jade to seduce Steve and poison him the night before the championship fight with Rogor's top fighter and reigning champion, an alien cyborg named Horn. But medics are able to counteract the poison minutes before the fight, and Steve appears in the Arena surprising Rogor and Jade. Rogor then resorts to Weezil's plan of hacking into the computer controlling the handicap technology used to ensure fair fights. Weezil's accomplice, Skull, successfully interfaces with the computer located in the catwalk high above the Arena and gains control of the handicap, causing Steve to be severely impaired during the second round of the fight with Horn. Shorty quickly suspects foul play and leaves to investigate, finding Weezil and Skull in the computer room. While fighting off Weezil, Shorty damages part of the computer which in turn causes Skull's head to explode. With the handicap computer offline Steve regains his full abilities and ultimately defeats Horn, becoming the first human champion in 50 years.

Cast

as Steve Armstrong, Young human fighter who wants to break into the alien fighting arena game. *

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (born Robin S. Camp; 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a British-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He is known for his work as a folk singer during the 1960s ...

as Shorty, A family man from Nebulos who befriends Steve, seems to have contacts all over the underworld of the station. *

as Quinn, Manager of a small ring of fighters she inherited from her father. *

Marc Alaimo Marc Alaimo is an American actor known for his villainous roles. He is best known for his role as recurring villain Gul Dukat in the TV series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Early and personal life Alaimo was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He ...

as Rogor, Casino owner, manager of Horn, and all around underworld boss. *

Shari Shattuck Shari Shattuck (born November 18, 1960) is an American actress and author. Shattuck was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She has appeared in hundreds of commercials, TV, film, and stage productions. Some roles include ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', ' ...

as Jade, Night club singer and Rogor's woman. *

Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Quark (Star Trek), Quark the Ferengi in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, appearing as the character in all seven seasons of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–199 ...

as Weezil, Rogor's enforcer. * Brett Porter as Wayne * Charles Tabansi as Troy * Michael Deak as Horn, Rogor's top fighter and reigning Arena champion, an extremely violent and arrogant cyborg alien. *

Jack Carter Jack Carter may refer to: * Jack Carter (stage actor) (c. 1902–1967), American actor * Jack Carter (cricketer) (1907–1995), Australian cricketer * Jack Carter (footballer) (1910–1992), English footballer * Jack Carter (comedian) (1922–2015) ...

as Announcer * William Butler as Skull, A high strung-cybernetic alien always looking to make a quick buck. * Grady Clarkson as Commissioner Dent * Dave Thompson as Doctor * Ken Clark as Marcus Diablo, The last human Arena champion, now homeless, living in the tubes of the space station. * Diana Rose as Space Lady In Nightclub

Reception

Lawrence Cohn of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "an above-average fantasy." Michael Weldon wrote in ''The Psychotronic Video Guide to Film'', "If you liked TV shows like ''Battlestar Galactica'', you might make it through this juvenile, PG-13, science fiction comedy from Charles Band."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arena (1989 Film) 1989 films 1989 independent films 1989 science fiction films Fiction set in the 5th millennium American independent films American science fiction horror films Puppet films Italian independent films Italian science fiction horror films 1980s English-language films Empire International Pictures films Films directed by Peter Manoogian Films produced by Irwin Yablans Films with screenplays by Danny Bilson Films with screenplays by Paul De Meo Films scored by Richard Band 1980s American films 1980s Italian films English-language independent films English-language science fiction films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links