Is there a saying (that I don't know about) that goes - "The bigger your muscles, the bigger the man you are." (?) - 'Cause after watching "Generation Iron" I'm convinced that this very saying is what's behind driving these over-ambitious bodybuilders to pump themselves up like total balloons. I really do.Yeah. These Hulk-like power-lifters, and such, have convinced themselves that by looking like the Michelin Man on steroids, they, in turn, are gonna be perceived as being the absolute epitome of total manliness. I mean, what else could it be? I really don't know.Please don't get me wrong here. I've certainly got nothing against anyone doing some sensible exercising. I really don't. But, for the life of me, I just can't comprehend (even the slightest) the mindset of these bodybuilders whose determination to develop their muscles to such fantastic proportions is (from my perspective) actually bordering on the obsession of a total fanatic. It really is. Like, talk about muscle-mania to the extreme.And, hey, speaking about performance-enhancing drugs (aka. steroids) - I don't know for sure if taking these sorts of stimulants is directly connected with hair loss, or not - But, from what I observed here, 90% of these over-developed dudes were, in fact, bald, or certainly getting that way soon enough.Anyways - From this viewer's fairly dissatisfied perspective - I found this documentary DVD (concerning 7 very determined rivals all eagerly preparing for the 48th "Mr. Olympia" competition in Las Vegas) to be only marginally entertaining, at best.

As someone who follows the sport of professional bodybuilding closely, this movie really didn't tell me anything I already didn't know. It was over dramatic, under acted, and kind of disappointing. Yes we all get it, Kai Greene had a rough childhood and Phil Heath is a genetic freak. Maybe if Kai stopped complaining how he's had such a rough life he'd actually win some Olympia's. If the Olympia went to the athlete with the biggest sob story, Kai would win. For me, the movie went too far into the psyche of the athletes instead of showing more of the actual lifting and eating. This movie might be okay for someone who doesn't know anything about the sport, but it was mediocre at best. Th e majority of the scenes in that movie I had already seen on You tube or other bodybuilding sites.

This was a very interesting documentary, very well put together and you feel you're following these people on their journey to become the next Mr. Olympia. Mickey Rourke as narrator adds a nice touch to it. This is not simply about muscles, it's about what it takes to get to that level and what drives them! It has a nice human element to this which makes you feel for the people you're watching, you see the pain they go through and whilst I'm not an avid supporter of body building you have to give credit for such sheer dedication. It's not a controversial documentary, however nonetheless it kept me entertained and hopefully you'll find it a very pleasant watch too :)

Bodybuilding is fascinating. There's an unspoken camaraderie among those who eat, live and breathe bodybuilding.Just like in Pumping Iron, the champion, Phil Heath is depicted as the villain and like Lou Ferrigno, Kai is the hardworking underdog.Ben Pakulski is sort of the "Ivan Drago" of this docudrama. Dennis Wolf has a particularly awkward comedic scene and Roelly Winklaar is absolutely hilarious.I am so glad the director, Vlad Yudin did not show Branch Warren shouting swear words and throwing weights.The plot is really all about Kai vs Phil. To people unfamiliar to bodybuilding, the footage of the other bodybuilders can seem out of place since the audience doesn't get to form any type of connection with them.They do touch on anabolic steroids but it is very limited. "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" is a better documentary for that but it is nice that they do mention it instead of ignoring the elephant in the room.I follow bodybuilding very closely so a lot of the content seems redundant, but I still gave this a ten just because I love bodybuilding. It's great to see that somebody is at least trying to break it out of it's shell and I support that 100% percent.Bodybuilding is such a niche market and outsiders have such a close-minded opinion of it that I highly doubt this film will make much of an impact but I sincerely thank Vlad Yudin for the effort.P.S. It was quite amusing seeing some of the gigantic audience members trying to get comfortable in the seemingly tiny movie theater seats.