THE PLOT THUS FAR
Not since the classic PUMPING IRON has a film captured all the passion, pain and power behind the world of competitive bodybuilding. Academy Award® nominee Mickey Rourke narrates the illuminating (New York Daily News) and gorgeous (Village Voice) documentary about seven rivals Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, Victor Martinez, Ben Pakulski, Hidetada Yamagishi and Roelly Winklaar as they battle for the title of Mr. Olympia. But beyond the gym, the stage, and the misconceptions about the sport, how far will each of them go to achieve the ultimate in extreme physical perfection? Experience this fascinating (Washington Post) true story of discipline, defeat, redemption and triumph, featuring special appearances by Michael Jai White, Lou Ferrigno and many others!
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Generation Iron” is a look at the modern struggle to become Mr. Olympia. The documentary owes a hell of a lot to “Pumping Iron”. But, that original movie didn’t have Mickey Rourke narrating it. I would love to find the crazy bastard that gave that idea the OK. It’s brilliant and it works since Rourke sincerely cares about the art of bodybuilding. Rourke narrates like a scholar about something that usually falls upon the grunted merits of getting swole.
Michael Jai White, Lou Ferrigno and others do their best to explain what it takes to be a competitive bodybuilder. However, the real highlight is getting a look into the builders’ routine. Whether it’s the gym or the performance stage, these guys have different personas throughout their build. Plus, there’s the pageantry of the body building efforts. Hell, the one guy looks like Goro and Vega found a way out of their respective games to have a baby. A big gross Kabuki mask wearing baby.
The DVD comes with a commentary, interview, featurette and deleted scenes as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty strong. However, I wouldn’t say that I was overly impressed with it. The same goes for the Dolby 5.1 surround track. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: 05/13/2014