The American Gladiators Documentary
★★★
Like the show itself, a little bit goes a long way with The American Gladiators Documentary. This doc absolutely did not need two parts to tell its story. Directors Kirk C. Johnson and Ben Berman start to fall a little bit too much in love with their strategy and start experimenting with unneeded storytelling techniques. The rise and fall of this popular '90s show was interesting enough and I thought it would have been better served if told in a linear fashion.
The shrewd business dealing behind the story is strong enough on the surface and as the crew dives deeper into the details, it ends up not being that interesting and diminishes the powerful stories told about the gladiators themselves. That said, I really enjoyed the nostalgia that this doc evoked because I vividly remember watching this into the late weekend hours as a teenager. If you have a connection to The American Gladiators, you'll stick with the story, but I can see someone who isn't as familiar being very intrigued at the beginning, but not sticking with it by the end.
For a better experience, take a drink every time you see the still image of co-creator Dan Carr dressed in his Native American heritage clothing!
