Arena (1989): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1989, Arena is an action, horror and science fiction film directed by Peter Manoogian, running about 94 minutes. “For a thousand years no human has been the champion. He wants to be the first.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. An intergalactic fighting competition between champions of various worlds has traditionally been won by a species much larger and stronger than humans. Entering the contest, a human finds he has to battle against not just his opponents and his self-doubts, but the corrupt system. Far in the future, on a distant space station, the legendary Arena is where the best fighters from every planet come to vie for the championship. But for over half a century, no Earthling has been good enough to be a contender. Until out of nowhere, comes an underdog: the great human hope, Steve Armstrong... and the best anyone's ever seen. He's been training all his life for a shot at the big time, but now he's up against some mighty big muscle: a ruthless extra-terrestrial crimelord who'll pull no punches to make sure he stops Steve dead. In the mood for hard-hitting sci-fi action? Arena will knock you out!

Who’s in it. Arena stars Paul Satterfield as Steve Armstrong, Hamilton Camp as Shorty, Claudia Christian as Quinn and Marc Alaimo as Rogor, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.1/10, Arena has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel and Philo. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Arena page.

If you liked it. Fans of Arena tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.