Name: Arnold
Director: Lesley Chilcott
Released: 2023-06-05T14:19:49

Arnold follows the life and career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man who succeeded as a bodybuilder, an actor, and then as a politician. The docuseries will premiere on Netflix on July 7.

Story

Born in Thal, Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger started dreaming big at a very young age. He was born in a country that had lost in World War II; Austria was a country of broken men, and Schwarzenegger’s father was one of them.

Arnold and his brother did not have the best upbringing. Due to their father, their home was riddled with the brutality that even took the form of violence at times. Arnold wished to get out of his house and his country as soon as possible.

He found his idol in Reg Park and dreamed of becoming a professional bodybuilder like him. Arnold was determined, and he did make his dreams come true. He went on to win 13 world bodybuilding championships, including Mr. Universe.

However, bodybuilding was just the first milestone in his life. Becoming an actor and governing the state of California came next. The docuseries, featuring interviews with Arnold’s friends, colleagues, and more, documents his journey as he narrates the story of his life.

Positives

Arnold Schwarzenegger is candid when he tells the story of his life. He does not try to sugarcoat anything and tells it as it is. He is unapologetic about his vanity and the fact that one has to do whatever is necessary to sell their work in order to become successful, and this makes the audience appreciate him.

However, he also owns up to the mistakes that he made in the past. There are moments of reflection that the audience gets to witness. These moments carry glimpses of the man Schwarzenegger is beyond his public image.

It seems like the docuseries intended to paint Schwarzenegger as a man who never gives up on his dreams and gets what he wants. It succeeds in doing that, as Schwarzenegger’s unwillingness to give up definitely stands out.

Negatives

While Arnold takes a close look at Schwarzenegger’s career, the same cannot be said about his personal life. Schwarzenegger provides bits and pieces as well as talks about his divorce, but the docuseries glosses over it. The audience gets to hear from the people he worked with but never from his family members.

The docuseries tries to give a lot of details about Schwarzenegger’s life, and perhaps that is why it fails to be engaging. It could have been better if it did not try to cover unimportant details that the audience will most likely forget after watching the docuseries.

Verdict

In Arnold, the audience will like hearing from Arnold Schwarzenegger, but his candid interviews are not enough to make the docuseries engaging. It is heavily dependent on his star power, and while his fans might still enjoy it, not everyone will.