Uriah43 This movie takes place in the days of ancient Rome with people from various places outside of the empire being taken captive by the Romans and sold into slavery. One particular place they are taken is the city of Brundusium where the local coliseum is filled to capacity in anticipation of the gladiatorial games they take place on a regular basis. Although not initially intended for this barbaric sport, several female slaves are forced to participate due in large part to the insatiable blood lust of the restless crowd. Of these female slaves there are three main figures with different viewpoints. The first, named "Bodicia" (Margaret Markov) wants all of the females to band together and resist providing entertainment to the crowd. The second, "Mamawi" (Pam Grier) doesn't want to fight but is willing to kill in order to stay alive. The third, "Livia" (Marie Louise) is a Roman citizen and actually approves of the sport but would rather watch it from a distance. In any case, all of them are essentially powerless but none of them consider that fact to be a permanent condition. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a basic women-in-prison film which consisted of the typical elements of that specific sub-genre but was transposed to an ancient Roman setting. Both Pam Grier and Margaret Markov put in solid performances with Marie Louise being the most attractive while the character of "Deidre" (Lucretia Love) was the most annoying. At least in my opinion. Be that as it may, I found this to be an okay film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

dgg32 I still remember, how excited I got when I first saw this film in VCD back to the 1990s. It was just a wonderful surprise to have rented a film so entertaining and provoking.If you try stubbornly to take this film with the 21st production for its acting, or video definition and so fort. I have to say, you are just making yourself unnecessarily unhappy. True, the actresses hadn't gone that far in some sections, for the film is neither the porno nor the violence type. So save your hard criticism.The plot was really a good one. Pace is tight, hasn't let you have time leave to have a break. The idea is also amazing, letting the women slaves fight each other. The happy ending satisfies me, for I can't digest so many and so often tragedies.Markov is a very beautiful and elegant actress. This blond gladiator really hold the entire movie interesting. Can't image how the film were going to look like without this gorgeous female.

lost-in-limbo After being captured by Roman soldiers, a group of women are sold off as slaves. After a continuous poor showing with the men gladiators. Soon enough, these women servants become the showpieces and now they're fighting each other to the death in front of the bloodthirsty Rome crowd and its powerful oppressors. But these ladies don't plan on living like that and do their best to organise an all-out revolt.What we get from this Corman production is a boldly, sound drive-in exploitation that follows quite a straightforward formula, which seems to work all the time. On this occasion, chuck in a bunch of female beauties in skimpy outfits in a Colosseum backdrop and watch them go toe-to-toe! It's basically a WIP story within a different era. When you got the likes of the fierily titillating Pam Grier and the ravishingly magnetic Margaret Markov sporting it out. You know you're in for a fulfilling appetizer! This gladiatorial stout supplies plenty of fleshy impulses and gets its hands dirty to invoke the gritty thrills and slimly sleaze. The barbaric attitude within the story superbly captures the gropingly seedy underbelly of the Roman Empire and that viscous instinct for survival to get on top. Simply what you see here is what you get. The women are the main centrepieces and director Steve Carver knew that by exploiting every opportunity. It does have its moments when some ponderous stretches creep in, but when the ladies get their gear on, it finally kicks into gear. The script is extremely leaden (with some corn riddled hokum) and there's not much in the way of character progression, while the performances on the other-hand go down rather well and trump in with a crackling rapport. The very capable Rosalba Neri pops in as the tantalizing ice-queen Cordelia. Lucretia Love and Paul Muller chip in with enjoyably campy performances.The glorious cycle of action is very well organised in some frenetic spurts and spanking scenes. The kinetically compact cinematography and a triumphantly heart-pounding music score demonstrated this energy. The atmosphere is paved on very convincingly and truly bait's the audience.You can't take any of it very seriously, as it can get rather goofy. Although for what it is, it's a well-made and acted piece that entertains.

bensonmum2 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.