We all know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is. He is one of the most recognizable faces in the world and even if you weren't looking for it, you have almost certainly seen a few of his movies.
His recent fiction series on Netflix called Fubar is awful. I've already made my opinion about that turd of a series very clear and even though I like and admire Arnold, I am not going to pretend to enjoy something that is bad just because I like the person in it.
It's really bad and there is no reason to watch it. On the other side of things though, Netflix released this documentary series called *Arnold" just a few days after Fubar was released, and it is an excellent look in the life of this extraordinary man.
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The series is a 3-parter, and each of the sections focuses on a different aspect of his life. Part 1 focuses on bodybuilding, part 2 focuses on his acting career, and part 3 focuses on his political career as well as some less-than-flattering controversies in his personal life.
I like that the documentary is very honest and even shows big ol' Arnie in sometimes very vulnerable situations where he expresses deep regret over some of the larger mistakes that he made in his life including his separation from Maria Shriver after 25 years of marriage.
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It's done extremely well and shows a lot of the the highs and lows in Arnold's life. It is part interview and part editing together of old footage as well as new and I think that even for people that are already quite familiar with Arnold's life, it is going to be a fun trip down memory lane. I for one was not terribly familiar with his bodybuilding career and how it got started, so that part of it was particularly informative for me. One thing I did notice was that at no point in time is Lou Ferrigno so much as even referred to, so I think there must be legal reasons for this. I do know that Lou and Arnold were basically pals and roommates during the start of their careers, so I think there must have been some sort of massive falling out to the point where they don't even speak anymore. That's something to look up later I guess.
Although they are never in the same room and perhaps there is some sort of long-standing animosity between them as well, Sylvester Stallone is frequently featured to talk about the rivalry that the two of them had back in the 80s and 90s.
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One thing that was a bit tragic was seeing how old Arnold has become. There are times during the documentary that you can see that Arnold is coming to terms with his own mortality and even though he works out still, he admits that he is very disappointed in his own body. I think that is something that world-class bodybuilders all go through as they get older.
Should I watch it?
It's loaded with information that you might have ever known and it shows a side of Arnold's life that you might not be familiar with because at least until he ran for public office, Arnold's public persona was carefully managed by publicists and agents just like any celebrity's is, therefore, I found it to be very informative and fun. It was also a fun trip down memory lane for a lot of wonderful films that I had nearly forgotten about and because of it I have downloaded Conan the Barbarian (1982, not the horrible remake) as well as the original Terminator film.
I challenge you to watch this and not want to do exactly the same thing afterwards. I bet you will want to.
This documentary might have helped to salvage the train wreck that is Fubar and is one of the better documentaries available on Netflix at the moment.
This movie has been recommended to me a countless times but the time to watch it is what I don't have. I'd take a look at it in these days
Thanks for the recommendation...
it's a very easy watch and separated into 3 parts. You don't need to watch them all at once and you could even skip one if you are not interested in his politics part of things. That episode does cover a more emotional side of Arnie though, so I think it is worth seeing as well.
I agree and have seen part 1 and 2 already and just need to squeeze in part 3. It is actually very interesting how he became the top body builder in the world and how he made money from it and what lead him to acting. Haven't seen FUBAR and won't. The latest series I am watching I lost interest as well the Special Ops "Lioness" just didn't appeal as it seems they are trying too hard with the story line.
That's unfortunate about Lioness because I have been eyeing that one up for a while now. I am working on "Invasion" at the moment and unfortunately it is already starting to appear as though it is a show that I am not going to make it all the way through for a number of reasons.
I haven't even watched any part of it yet but the way you are saying and people in the comments are saying it is a good season so I will try to start watching it this Sunday and Everyone is waiting for its third part.
I watched this last yr and enjoyed it. Sometime later there's a Netflix docu on Stallone as well. 😂
ooooh... I'd really like to see that doco as well. Any idea when it is going to get released?
Oh it's already on Netflix. I saw it there last month I think...
fantastic. I'll look it up later today. Thanks for the heads up!