PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The fight for survival is a trope that will instantly raise the tension and the stakes in any cinematic genre. This is the case in Arena Wars, a futuristic drama in which the battle for freedom could have dire consequences.
Let’s take a look at Arena Wars and see which side of the arena the audience falls on.
Arena Wars was written by Brandon Slagle (The Flood 2023), Michael Mahal (Bloodthirst 2023), and Sonny Mahal (Night of the Tommyknockers 2022), and directed by Slagle. It stars Michael Madsen (The Hateful Eight 2015), Eric Roberts (The Caller 2022), and John Wells (Tales From Parts Unknown 2020).
The story surrounds a group of convicted criminals in the year 2045, who are cast on a popular TV show featuring real life fights-to-the-death. If they can survive seven killers in seven rooms, they can walk to freedom. It feels like a cross between The Running Man and Suicide Squad (read our review here).
Arena Wars really shines in the environment that it creates. Everything looks as colorful and sharp as the future dictates, with the color grading being a standout. The arena itself is enclosed enough for tension, but open enough to give the fighters room to move. While the brawl sequences weren’t as chaotic or as flashy as they could’ve been, they did land on the realistic side of this crazy premise. The sound effects and careful use of blood also landed well when a character was in mortal trouble.
The presentation was also top notch, as they gave the audience a catchy graphical introduction and a commentary team for the TV show that the prison supplies fighters for. It came across like an actual program with actual stakes, and Arena Wars gave us a protagonist to root for from room to room.
While some of the background characters or their motivations could’ve been stronger, Arena Wars slips in some appropriate commentary about bloodlust, the chase for success, and the desperation of money- hungry businesses.
Arena Wars officially releases on June 25th.
