Arena
1989 · 94 min · Director: Peter Manoogian
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Steve Armstrong is a human short-order cook in a fast food restaurant on a "starstation" where the most popular arena fighting tournament in the whole galaxy is held. Members of various alien species fight one on one, often dirty, to become the ruling champions of the galaxy. The restaurant's sole waiter and Steve's boss is Shorty, a short four-armed scheming humanoid alien. When Steve saves Shorty from a particularly unpleasant and violent alien guest, they're both fired by the restaurant's automated A.I. for brawling. Shorty shows gratitude and they become friends. However, without jobs, they'll both be kicked off the space station. Thankfully, Quinn, a human female no-nonsense fighting promoter, who's in quick need of new fighters, hears about Steve's fight with the alien guest and offers him sponsorship. Human fighters have traditionally been defeated easily by naturally tougher alien fighters in previous tournaments and Steve would be a real underdog. Shorty manages to convince Steve to take the offer and after some initial difficulties, Steve proves to be a really tough fighter with an actual tiny chance of success. In the eyes of humans all across the galaxy, who feel inferior to the various alien races, Steve becomes their idol and champion of humanity. Steve doesn't really want all this attention, but he understands the hope people put in him. Rogor is the tournament's crooked organizer, who's complete control over the competition and the players is shaken by Steve's surprising success. He offers one of his deals to Steve as well, but he refuses. Rogor then comes up with a plan to get rid of Steve for good, if he gets to the finals. Rogor's rat-faced yesman Weezil is eager to help. Meanwhile, beautiful Jade attracts Steve's attention.
Emotional fingerprint
Arena (1989) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Excitement 35%, Tension 25%, Surprise 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Excitement35%
- Tension25%
- Surprise15%
- Humor15%
- Satisfaction10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Excitement, Tension, Surprise. Genres: Adventure, Action, Sci-Fi. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Excitement, Tension and Surprise. Its IMDb rating of 5.4/10 suggests a mixed audience reception; consider how well the emotional profile suits you. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 58/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Excitement
- Hope
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion: Excitement
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Excitement | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Tension | 60 % | 56 % | 45 % | 13 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Tension | 53 % | 47 % | 36 % | 12 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Humor | 43 % | 32 % | 21 % | 15 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Hope | 41 % | 30 % | 19 % | 22 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Tension | 45 % | 38 % | 30 % | 26 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Excitement | 46 % | 39 % | 32 % | 27 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 31′ | Relief | 51 % | 45 % | 26 % | 27 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 35′ | Tension | 63 % | 58 % | 32 % | 30 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Excitement | 69 % | 62 % | 54 % | 40 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 45′ | Excitement | 63 % | 50 % | 54 % | 44 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 49′ | Humor | 55 % | 32 % | 36 % | 44 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 54′ | Hope | 60 % | 32 % | 41 % | 55 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Excitement | 61 % | 38 % | 49 % | 56 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Hope | 54 % | 39 % | 32 % | 36 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Tension | 63 % | 58 % | 18 % | 20 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Tension | 77 % | 76 % | 30 % | 26 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 80 % | 77 % | 52 % | 39 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Excitement | 82 % | 78 % | 67 % | 44 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Tension | 87 % | 74 % | 73 % | 50 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 92′ | Relief | 88 % | 59 % | 76 % | 59 % |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Arena. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Steve Armstrong
Jade
Wayne
Troy
Commissioner Dent
Doctor
Marcus
Space Lady in Nightclub
Space Comic
Vang
Fish Kid #1
Fish Kid #2
Sloth
Details
- Directed by
- Peter Manoogian
- Written by
- Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1989
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Country
- Italy
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Excitement
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Data: JustWatch
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