The Arena (1974)

Middle-of-the-Road WIP, 15 July 2005

At first glance, it appears that Roger Corman was trying something new and different with The Arena. But once you get into it, it's easy to see that the movie is yet another Women in Prison film, albeit in a different setting. As far as WIPs go, it's middle-of-the-road - some of the movie works while while some of it doesn't.

There are a couple of things that The Arena has going for it. First and most obvious is Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. These two seem to have a natural chemistry. The scenes with both actresses are the highlight of the movie. After watching Grier and Markov together, I really want to see Black Mama, White Mama more than ever. Another thing The Arena has going for it is a sense of fun. If you don't take it too seriously, there's a lot of silly, almost cheesy fun to be had.

Unfortunately, not everything in the movie works. I'll start with the plot. Actually lack of a plot would be a better description. Women are kidnapped, taken to Rome to serve as slaves, forced to fight, and try to escape. There's absolutely no character development and no reason to care about most of them. Another area where The Arena doesn't hold up to close scrutiny is the fight scenes. These scenes are so obviously choreographed and staged that nothing looks natural. Usually I enjoy seeing Pam Grier kicking butt, but here it's not as good as I had hoped.

5/10