That was an excellent one.
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
View MoreThe film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
View MoreStory: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
A look into the lives of 8 bodybuilders who are competing for Mr. Olympia, the top bodybuilding contest in the world. With a running time of about 1 hour 46 minutes — less when you take into account the opening and ending credits — there's not much time to really get into lives of the aforementioned 8; but this documentary wisely focuses on the top two contenders for the title: Kai Greene and Phil Heath (reigning Mr. Olympia at the time this movie was being shot).Heath seems to have it all: a big house in a nice neighborhood, nice cars, a beautiful wife, the favorite of the crowd, good looks, and a seemingly endless supply of confidence. Virtually the opposite is true for Kai Greene: he lives in Brooklyn, NY (in what seems to be the projects), takes the bus and train to get to where he wants to go, lives alone, and has a quiet confidence that is surprising for a man his size. Both men will endure countless hours of pain in the gym and make many more sacrifices to win the highly coveted title of Mr. Olympia."Generation Iron" is a great companion piece to "Pumping Iron," giving people a glimpse into the lives of top bodybuilders 40 years after "Pumping Iron." We see the same sacrifices, grueling workouts, strict diets, rivalry, bravado, doubts, the single goal of being the biggest and the best only the prizes and the competitors are much, much bigger.My most memorable, movie moment of "Generation Iron" is the scene when bodybuilder Branch Warren was on a horse and was asked if he was worried about being injured in the gym. After replying that all his major injuries have been outside of the gym, Warren takes off on his horse; and soon after his horse bucks him off and he falls hard on the ground, giving him an injury that could threaten his attempt at the Mr. Olympia title.An honorable mention goes to the very end of the movie, when ex-bodybuilder and "Pumping Iron" alumni Mike Katz jokes about still looking for his shirt that Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly stole in "Pumping Iron." Obviously, "Generation Iron" will be mostly enjoyed by bodybuilders and anyone who has ever lifted weights or pushed their bodies to their limits. But I believe this documentary can be enjoyed by all, as the theme of this movie is the extremes that people will go through to get what they want, to be the best in their field; and that is something that we all can relate to.Mannysmemorablemoviemoments
View MoreIs there a saying (that I don't know about) that goes - "The bigger your muscles, the bigger the man you are." (?) - 'Cause after watching "Generation Iron" I'm convinced that this very saying is what's behind driving these over-ambitious bodybuilders to pump themselves up like total balloons. I really do.Yeah. These Hulk-like power-lifters, and such, have convinced themselves that by looking like the Michelin Man on steroids, they, in turn, are gonna be perceived as being the absolute epitome of total manliness. I mean, what else could it be? I really don't know.Please don't get me wrong here. I've certainly got nothing against anyone doing some sensible exercising. I really don't. But, for the life of me, I just can't comprehend (even the slightest) the mindset of these bodybuilders whose determination to develop their muscles to such fantastic proportions is (from my perspective) actually bordering on the obsession of a total fanatic. It really is. Like, talk about muscle-mania to the extreme.And, hey, speaking about performance-enhancing drugs (aka. steroids) - I don't know for sure if taking these sorts of stimulants is directly connected with hair loss, or not - But, from what I observed here, 90% of these over-developed dudes were, in fact, bald, or certainly getting that way soon enough.Anyways - From this viewer's fairly dissatisfied perspective - I found this documentary DVD (concerning 7 very determined rivals all eagerly preparing for the 48th "Mr. Olympia" competition in Las Vegas) to be only marginally entertaining, at best.
View MoreSugar coated boring tale that answers no questions that matter and answers loads of questions that don;t matter. Ludicrous opinions are not challenged by the director such as Ben Pakulski's comment (suggesting it's not about chemicals) "you couldn't do what I do" BS, a friend of mine trained for 8 years natural and had 16 inch arms, he took roids within 12 months he had 21.5 inch arms and 7% bodyfat, so yes we can ALL do it EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, the only single question is to what level of personal safety are we willing to risk, the more you are willing to risk the bigger you will get, and what separates us from them is an unwillingness to risk our health, nothing else, the less respect you have for your own life the better bodybuilder you'll be.Then Phil Heath comes in with another unchallenged piece of pure nonsense "we are a tiny percent of people who can build muscle and lose fat at the same time" yes that's because steroids enable the body to do that, HGH does too very effectively, tyroxin and other thyroid drugs, insulin, etc etc etc. What was that? is he in denial? self deluded? just google Kevin Levrone before and after, 90% of the whole sport is about chemicals, with 1% genetics, 1% hard work and a final 8% for diet. Which is fine, but do the documentary properly or just don't do it at all.
View MoreThis is a great documentary which gives insight into the sport of bodybuilding. I remember seeing Pumping Iron as a young teenager and Generation Iron had me in a state of awe showing the dedication these bodybuiders have made their way of life. Like any sport, there are crowd favorites and underdogs, this movie depicts both with Phil Heath and Kai Greene. This movie chronicles the day to day lives of the bodybuilders and their trainers upto and through the Mr. Olympia contest. I might add, I am a woman who has followed the sport for many years but would not consider myself an enthusiast by any means, I saw this with my twenty year old son and we both loved the movie. Very well done, enjoyable and informative.
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