Generation Iron (2013)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Crappy film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A documentary that follows top bodybuilders as they train to compete in the Mr. Olympia competition. The problem with all of this bodybuilders this days is that they look hideous, they mostly look like Hulk rather than a statue a sculpt in a sense for example look at Arnold's body or Lou Ferrigno's body their both older than all of this guys and they have a better and much more good looking body than them. Michael Jai White (Universal Soldier 2, Spawn) also looks much better than them and believe me it's not a jealous thing or anything it's just the truth these men look like beasts that try way hard to reach the greatness of Arnie's Legacy and they just fail some of them even try acting classes and stuff to become actors as well. Some people might think that Schwarzenegger became an actor cause of his body but he worked very hard to reach that potential and work with directors such as Paul Verhoeven and James Cameron. Phil Heath and Kai Greene also try the whole Arnold v.s Lou thing like in Pumping Iron (1977) but that's the problem stuff looked way better and more realistic back on that golden age and unfortunately you can't have a good bodybuilding champ like in the 70's and the 80's you just can't and unfortunately you might never will again.

First off, I must say that this movie is not very entertaining. I had to watch this movie in three sittings because I could only make it through about 30 minutes without busting out my iPad and surfing the net. It does not capture your attention and bring you on a journey like Pumping Iron did.I lift regularly and get into bodybuilding every few years so I wanted to check this out. The last time I was into it Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler were having their rivalry so it was good to see who the current generation of guys are but really that was about all this movie was good for. It wasn't really entertaining. To be honest, it seems like they tried to cover too many guys and there wasn't enough time to really build a story. Obviously the showdown is between Heath and Kai but not much extra time is devoted to it. Maybe if they took a cue from Pumping Iron where 80% of the movie was about Lou vs. Arnold, they could have had something good here as Kai and Heath seem so different. I did really like Kai after seeing this film. The dude looks like a beast but to see him that he eats at home with chopsticks, does performance art on the streets and in the subways and paints really impressed me. He is definitely a renaissance man.I agree with the other reviews here that gripe about the lack of steroid coverage. The movie is not an expose so I get why they didn't say much but when you have Heath claiming that only the bodybuilding community knows how to build muscle while losing fat and the blonde bald guy in Tampa saying the same sort of stuff, it seems the director should have called them out on it.Instead you get a shot of a syringe in a dorm room fridge with Mickey Rourke saying that everyone refused to talk about GH and steroids and then Arnold saying that the reason no one is aesthetic anymore is because there no just using roids like back in the day but a lot of other drugs which allows people to get really oversized and super shredded. Other than that, nothing much else is said.Bottom line: Only watch if you are into bodybuilding. Even then you'll get bored but it is still pretty interesting. 5/10

I have been training since 2009 and during these years i have gained a lot information about bodybuilding. How to train, what to eat, what supplements to use etc. The movie is mostly honest, it mentions how important to train hard, how important to follow a proper diet, how important to visualize and it finally talks about steroids. However the answer for the BIGGEST question still remains unanswered.Why is it worth it? Branch said during an interview: "It's all worth it." They just keep saying this well known sentence but there is nothing behind the words. Why are these people working out? What is their motivation? What helps them to move on? How do they overcome the hardest situations? What sacrifices do they have to make? How do they manage their time? etc.They talk about dedication and passion but they don't expand their thoughts. They should have explained this very carefully to the skeptical audience, who view this sport from only one direction. As far as i'm concerned Mike Pulcinella's "Day in the life of Kai Greene" is a perfect example of creating an accurate documentary which achieved so much more with a lower budget.Some previous Mr.Olympia were interviewed but unfortunately their screen time were less than 5 minutes. It was a bit disappointment because Jay, Ronnie or Arnold would have deserved more time.The competition between Kai and Phil is implemented to the screen very well and it is funny to watch them in the beginning of their rivalry. They used the same pattern from Pumping Iron, Phil was the confident champion who shows no sign of fear and Kai was the underdog who does everything to knock out the current king from his throne. Narration of Ricky Rourke in the first 10 minutes was a bit weird but later i got used to it and it filled out the empty space.Visually the movie is unexceptionable, photography and cinematography were flawless, editing was great, music absolutely harmonized with happenings and every minute was the evidence of professionalism.In spite of the missed message it is a great documentary to watch, however the target audience (bodybuilding fans) will be the only one who can appreciate this attempt.

Sugar 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.