In this article I’ll be reviewing the film ”Generation iron”. It was released in 2013, and directed by Vlad Yudin. The movie gives a peek inside the lives of professional bodybuilders, as they prepare for the biggest competition of the year. The movie is starred by the top bodybuilders in the world: Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Dennis Wolf, Branch Warren and a few others. Also special appearances are made by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and Lou Ferrigno. I decided to review this particular film because I like it, and through my personal interest in the sport, it was easier for me to review.
Because the film is a documentary, there is really no ”acting” involved. It is basically just following the daily lives of the top athletes, competing in the hardest of sport. The movie is pretty much a modern day-version of the film ”Pumping Iron” (1977), where the story was excatly the same, but the training methods and -most importantly- physiques were different. In my humble opinion, the older movie was better, because of the pure hard work and aesthetic physiques, whereas the stars in ”Generation iron” are like bloated balloon animals.
The movie jumps off with the smaller competitions, where the competitors have qualify themselves for the biggest one (Mr. Olympia). And in between the competition footage there are many interviews and training clips. For someone new to the sport, this movie will probably change your perspective quite a bit.
The bodybuilders also address the subject of steroids. They seem rather irritated, because people seem to just brush off their achievements by saying ”-Well he is on steroids”. But what they don’t see, are the bodybuilders early mornings, 2-3 workouts a day and stuffing plain chicken and rice in their faces six times a day.
The movie finishes with the Mr. Olympia competition, and it is won by Phil Heath. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in bodybuilding.