Pumping Iron
Cinema 5 Distributing | Release Date: January 18, 1977 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyStaff (Not Credited)
Arnold conquers all comers, your heart, and the world! Read full review
90
The New YorkerRichard Brody
Pumping Iron is, of course, a documentary, but Schwarzenegger isn’t merely its subject—he’s its star, and his beaming, witty, charismatic presence in the film is among the most ingratiating performances of the time, one that’s resoundingly predictive of the acting career that he had long aspired to and that he would, of course, soon achieve. Read full review
80
EmpireStaff (Not Credited)
Chronicling the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, where Schwarzenegger faced off against TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno, this is now more a compelling document of his days before superstardom than it is a real insight into bodybuilding. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Schickel
A very good film, beautifully shot and edited, intelligently structured and — to risk what will surely seem at first a highly inappropriate term —charming. Read full review
80
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Its strongest card is the outrageously charismatic Schwarzenegger, but its view of musclemen and physique contests in general has a charm not unlike Rocky. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
It remains notable primarily as a record of pre-Hollywood Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read full review
75
Washington PostGary Arnold
An amusing, buoyant documentary about competitive body building, dominated by the humorous though awesomely proportioned star presence of champion of champions Arnold Schwarzenegger as he trains and disarms the competition prior to defending the title of Mr. Olympia for the fifth time. Read full review
70
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The most fascinating aspect of this film is the dedicated training that turns average-built young men (frequently they refer to themselves as weaklings in their early youth) into superbly-created physical edifices. Read full review
70
NewsweekJack Kroll
An offbeat, engaging little movie about the mad mad world of bodybuilders. [24 Jan 1977, p.61]
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