Documentary Movie Reviews

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Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized
Story of American Gladiators (2023)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 8/23

MuscMay
8/23: Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators is a comprehensive documentary about what happened to the once-popular show.

I used to watch American Gladiators and did harbor thoughts of wanting to participate one day. For every event, I developed strategies of how to survive and analyzed what the contenders did wrong. I rooted for them because the gladiators were difficult to beat. For some reason, I grew up and forgot all about it.

Looking through the offerings in Netflix's library of videos, Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators brought back memories, and I decided to check it out. I remember the names: Nitro, Thunder, Zap, Ice, Malibu, Tower, Blaze, Sky, etc. I even played the Nintendo game which is among the hardest ever.

The revelations made by the gladiators are news to me; I didn't know they suffered injuries to put up with the demands of the game. Of course, they looked great back then, but I wasn't aware they were on steroids. At least, they were forthcoming about it in the documentary. The dirty business side is also touched on, signaling the end of American Gladiators.

All in all, Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators shows how a documentary should be done the right way.