Arena Wars is a new Horror/ Comedy/ Sci-Fi film. In the not-too-distant future, convicted criminals must survive against the most vicious killers in the country in the world’s #1 televised sporting competition known as Arena Wars. They’ll regain their freedom if they win this brutal game of life and death. All they must do is survive 7 Arenas with 7 different costumed killers in a gladiator-style battle. In this blood sport, whose hunting who?

Directed by Brandon Slagle, the film is vibrantly lit with a multitude of coloured lights. The film has a fun, undeniable energy because of this lighting but also because of the rapid editing and quick camera movements. Sometimes the editing is jarring making the fight scenes hard to see. The costume designs for the 7 killers in the contest are fantastic. Each one is based on a distinctive theme giving them an enormous creepy factor. For example for looks like an antique porcelain doll and another one looks like a clown.

The exceptional gore effects are the highlight of the film. People get dismembered, disembowelled, decapitated, and so much more. We’re talking about an excessive amount of violence like in any Rob Zombie movie. There’s enough blood splattered to make any horror fan as giddy as a can be. The best example was when a woman took a chainsaw to cut a guy in half. The amount of work that went into the practical effects makeup is astounding.

Written by Brandon Slagle, Michael Mahal, and Sonny Mahal. They have an interesting premise presented in an inventive way. The problems become evident when they can’t pick which direction the narrative should follow. It becomes rather predictable by the end. It’s also hard to care about characters making illogical choices. A group of people have to fight their way out of a room to reach the next one. So why take turns fighting one at a time when they could easily outnumber their opponents? When they do succeed they don’t pick up the weapons the enemy used before moving on. Also, the method by which people are chosen doesn’t make sense. They have women and juvenile delinquents fighting against full-grown men. The contest is predicated on unfair fights. Also, injuries incurred by characters don’t matter. When people get wounded with weapons yet carry on without consequences, it’s a pet peeve.

Michael Madsen is Samson. He has such a bit part as the announcer I can’t help but wonder why he agreed to participate. Was it because he had faith in the script or did he need a paycheck? Judging by his lacklustre performance I’m guessing the latter.

Eric Roberts is Admiral Jordan. Another familiar face forced me to ponder why he agreed to this. He doesn’t get much screen time either. It puzzles me. It’s great that he and Madsen support independent filmmaking though. Perhaps that’s why.

John Wells is Luke Bender, the main protagonist. He superbly performs with both attitude and athleticism, confidently showing off his acting capabilities in between action scenes.

The rest of the cast includes Robert LaSardo, Kevin Hager, BJ Mezek, Mercedes Peterson, Sheri Davis, Michael Beran, and Robert Donavan. The cast ranges from great to adequate. No one is bad, per se, it’s just that some people are more comfortable in front of the camera than others.

Overall, the nonsensical plot, anticlimactic ending, imbalanced acting, and choppy editing are why I didn’t like it. The movie isn’t very memorable either. I struggled to recall anything later the same day as my screening. It was fun while watching but it had no emotional impact therefore didn’t stick with me. It’s similar to 31, Death Race, The Hunger Games, The Running Man, and Surviving the Game. I wouldn’t recommend this when those handled the same idea better. And remember, if you’re jailed for killing someone on purpose, then killing for sport for freedom serves what purpose?

Grade: 4/10