Generation Iron (2013)

Just what I expected

As Good As It Gets

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It seems like people are hating on this title because they didn't all admit to using steroids or even touch on it for more than 5 minutes. If you even had any expectation for them to cover that whatsoever (I was surprised they did)...you're a lost cause. Same reason a documentary on car racing doesn't spend any time discussing car modifications and instead focuses on the lives of the drivers and what led them to racing. I don't have words for the people that rated the film poorly because steroids were not discussed.It goes to show the ignorance of some people watching documentaries on things they are not passionate about. These guys basically live in the gym, force feed themselves every hour and have to fund or rely on volunteers to get to the top.

A look into the lives of 8 bodybuilders who are competing for Mr. Olympia, the top bodybuilding contest in the world. With a running time of about 1 hour 46 minutes — less when you take into account the opening and ending credits — there's not much time to really get into lives of the aforementioned 8; but this documentary wisely focuses on the top two contenders for the title: Kai Greene and Phil Heath (reigning Mr. Olympia at the time this movie was being shot).Heath seems to have it all: a big house in a nice neighborhood, nice cars, a beautiful wife, the favorite of the crowd, good looks, and a seemingly endless supply of confidence. Virtually the opposite is true for Kai Greene: he lives in Brooklyn, NY (in what seems to be the projects), takes the bus and train to get to where he wants to go, lives alone, and has a quiet confidence that is surprising for a man his size. Both men will endure countless hours of pain in the gym and make many more sacrifices to win the highly coveted title of Mr. Olympia."Generation Iron" is a great companion piece to "Pumping Iron," giving people a glimpse into the lives of top bodybuilders 40 years after "Pumping Iron." We see the same sacrifices, grueling workouts, strict diets, rivalry, bravado, doubts, the single goal of being the biggest and the best…only the prizes and the competitors are much, much bigger.My most memorable, movie moment of "Generation Iron" is the scene when bodybuilder Branch Warren was on a horse and was asked if he was worried about being injured in the gym. After replying that all his major injuries have been outside of the gym, Warren takes off on his horse; and soon after his horse bucks him off and he falls hard on the ground, giving him an injury that could threaten his attempt at the Mr. Olympia title.An honorable mention goes to the very end of the movie, when ex-bodybuilder and "Pumping Iron" alumni Mike Katz jokes about still looking for his shirt that Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly stole in "Pumping Iron." Obviously, "Generation Iron" will be mostly enjoyed by bodybuilders and anyone who has ever lifted weights or pushed their bodies to their limits. But I believe this documentary can be enjoyed by all, as the theme of this movie is the extremes that people will go through to get what they want, to be the best in their field; and that is something that we all can relate to.Mannysmemorablemoviemoments

I watched this movie out of a morbid curiosity. This is not something I understand, not do I think it is something to be proud of.That being said it did help me understand the psychological nature of these people. They are quite odd in what they do and how obsessed they get. I don't think it is something good.One telling part was when they got into steroid use and only one guy was willing to talk about it, and a woman who was not a bodybuilder. It is such a taboo topic that nearly all of them would not touch the subject.If steroid use is what assists them in getting that far, shouldn't we talk about it? But they know it is bad and harmful at the same time and people feel like it is cheating doing it, so it is avoided.One thing particularly strange is how their back muscles stand out so much and this is supposed to be a good thing. It looks so unnatural. They make them brown so their muscles stand out too.Some characters I was interested in a lot more then others. I would have liked to have seen more about their personal lives.It wasn't a bad documentary, although I felt it could have been more interesting then it was. I didn't find the narration good either.Good look into the lives of bodybuilders if you want one, but this is more about wanting to do their silly muscle show thing and what it took to get there. I would have been more interested in their personal lives and psychological aspects.

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.