Directed by Peter Manoogian
Written by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo
IMDB

Looking for a movie to watch tonight, I ran across this ready-to-expire title.  The plot summary caught my attention immediately and I knew I had to see this film.  A short order cook gets into a scuffle with an alien on a big space ship.  When he finds out that the alien was a fighter, he decides to enter the titular arena and fight some aliens and attempt to become the first human champion in over 50 years.
How could I pass this one up?
The special effects are pretty sweet.  It's pretty much all rubber suits and cool space ship back drops and metal sci-fi tubes.  I feel like the more reality-based special effects (as opposed to CGI) come off as more realistic when done well, and ultra fake when done poorly.  They're done right in this film.
The performances are fine.  The fighting is pretty good, though.  This is a sports movie, which tend to pull me in even though I don't really like watching sports.  Hell, Friday Night Lights is one of my favorite TV shows and I have never been entertained watching a football game.  It is easier to root for the protagonist of a sports movie because there's a storyline behind him/her/the team.
I highly recommend this film.  It's not for everybody, of course.  If you are adverse to b-movies then stay away.  If you don't mind a little cheese, then this is a cheesy and very entertaining good time.
What an awesome poster.

8.5/10