With no real plot tying them together, the impressively staged big scenes become empty exercises in logistics, while the smaller scenes never develop any momentum.
Universal Soldier (1992)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 5
Rotten:17
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: Thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering, a group of soldiers killed during the Vietnam War are resurrected by the Defense Department 23 years later and turned into a team of indestructible,... Thanks to the wonders of genetic engineering, a group of soldiers killed during the Vietnam War are resurrected by the Defense Department 23 years later and turned into a team of indestructible, anti-terrorist fighting machines. But things begin to go haywire when two of the soldiers, Luc and Scott, regain their memory. Realizing that he is a pawn in an unsavory government conspiracy, Luc defects from the unit, while Scott, a shell-shocked nutcase, remembers that he has a grudge against Luc left over from their 'Nam days and goes after him with a vengeance. [More]
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross, Jerry Orbach
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross, Jerry Orbach, Leon Rippy, Tico Wells, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ralf Moeller
Director: Roland Emmerich
Director: Roland Emmerich
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Reviews for Universal Soldier
It may be little more than an expensive arcade game for overgrown kids, but it moves too fast for critical flak to stick.
Mostly this is an amalgam of ideas, images and whole scenes lifted from other movies.
Roland Emmerich's best film, and Lundgren's best acting job. Admittedly that ain't saying much in either case, but a fun flick all in all.
Mr. Lundgren, who glowers his way all too convincingly through the role of a rabid bully, may well be the only man in the universe who can make Mr. Van Damme look like an actor.
In the end, the main drawback is the brainlessness of the story and the lack of a believable emotional payoff.
Though the idea is dumb enough to be fun, director Roland Emmerich does the Terminator thing without much style, and the two stars bash into each other but never connect.
The action and the campiness barrel along in entertaining counterpoint. You can laugh when you're not absorbed with truck chases.
Even with this early movie, [Emmerich] had a propensity for stealing clichés from other movies...
Carolco seems to cut these guys out with cookie cutters. They seem to be martial artists with foreign accents, and the way some people habitually smoke after sex, they pun after killing people.
Perhaps Van Damme and Lundgren trade blows more easily than lines, but the whole affair is enjoyable in a mindless way.
Latest News for Universal Soldier
April 23, 2009:
First Look at Universal Soldier 3 ![]()
Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme are back in action in "Universal Soldier 3" -- and as proof, here's a still from the sequel. More...
November 06, 2008:
Van Damme Talks New Universal Soldier ![]()
He'll only be on the set for 10 days -- and there's no Dolph Lundgren -- but Jean-Claude Van Damme has confirmed to MTV that a new "Universal Soldier" sequel is on its way, and... More...
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