The earliest memory I have of Arnold Schwarzenegger was when he was already a Hollywood action superstar. Movies like The Terminator (1984) and Commando (1985) were big successes that came out at the perfect time when the action genre in Hollywood was switching from typical crime and car chase movies to muscular, Herculean male action heroes. At the time I also knew that Arnie was a successful professional bodybuilder before his acting career, but I hardly knew anything other than that.
The arrival of Arnold, a biographical documentary series coinciding with the recent premiere of Schwarzenegger's spy action series FUBAR is probably not a coincidence. But hey, I have nothing to complain about, especially going into this three-part series and realising Arnold is actually a well-made documentary that puts a spotlight on all the different stages of Schwarzenegger's remarkably impressive life.
Directed by Lesley Chilcott, the documentary is presented and narrated by Schwarzenegger himself, in which he recalls his family upbringing in rural Austria before exploring various careers over the decades.
The series is split into three episodes, all appropriately titled -- Athlete, Actor, American. Each examines major career accomplishments throughout his life from his time as a teenager obsessed with Hercules and American pop culture to a world-class bodybuilder.
Episode 2 sees Schwarzenegger move to America to become an action superstar. The last episode focuses on his decision to pursue a political career and eventually be elected as the governor of California. Each episode is an hour long, and all showcase intimate details, revealing the highs and lows of his profession as well as the joys and turbulence of his personal family life in a tale that matches his larger-than-life persona.
The documentary is well shot and edited. It does a great job of recreating certain moments of the star's life, with silent acting involved. A lot of effort went into recreating the aesthetics of the era being portrayed, with tons of hard-to-find archival footage to add further context to the story. It's just filled to the brim with content to enjoy.
If you're a diehard fan of Arnie, a lot of information in this documentary may not be news to you, but it does provide an extra layer as it showcases Schwarzenegger himself in the present day relaxing in a hot tub, smoking a cigar while telling you stories. What surprised me most is the fact that he's actually a funny guy and really good at telling stories. And if you are a fan of Schwarzenegger movies, you will love Episode 2 because it has so much behind-the-scenes footage and montage after montage it makes you want to revisit classic Arnie action flicks again. Besides the incredible stories of his achievements, the series also has a strong and motivational message behind it that will inspire anyone who watches. At times, this documentary does feel almost like you're watching a TED Talk. There's something motivational and inspiring about Schwarzenegger's way of thinking, how he always desires new challenges and keeps reaching mountaintops of success one after another.
Throughout the series, Schwarzenegger constantly emphasises the importance of having a vision and pursuing it to the fullest. He is living proof that anything can be achieved by anyone with hard work and persistence, and it is just a joy to see Schwarzenegger demonstrate this.
Overall, Arnold is absolutely one of the better documentaries on Netflix that explore the life of one of the most successful action heroes of all time and does so in a way that's creative and inspiring. So if you like documentaries, and you're interested in watching something motivational, you should check out this series.
- Arnold
- Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis
- Directed by Lesley Chilcott
- Now streaming on Netflix
