However, critics argue the film pulls its punches. While it acknowledges the existence of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), it frames them as a necessary evil of the professional sport, much like a race car needing high-octane fuel. The film suggests that everyone at that level is using, so the playing field is level.
In the pantheon of bodybuilding media, two documentaries sit at the throne. The first is Pumping Iron (1977), the cult classic that introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger and transformed bodybuilding from a niche sideshow into a global pop culture phenomenon. For nearly forty years, it was the undisputed king. But in 2013, a spiritual successor arrived to update the story for the modern era of 260-pound freaks, social media trolls, and million-dollar contracts. That successor is . Generation Iron