Universal Soldier - The Return (1999)
Average Rating: 2.8/10
Reviews Counted: 55
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 52
Universal Soldier - The Return fails on almost every level, from its generic story to its second rate action and subpar performances.
Average Rating: 3.4/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 18
Universal Soldier - The Return fails on almost every level, from its generic story to its second rate action and subpar performances.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.4/5
User Ratings: 43,221
Movie Info
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns as cybernetic warrior Luc Deveraux in this sequel to the 1992 action hit. After barely surviving his experiences as a part-human/part-robot Universal Soldier, Luc has opted to stay out of the front lines and work with a military project to refine and perfect the system. However, something goes wrong (as they so often do in films like this), and S.E.T.H. (Michael Jai White), the android supercomputer leading the new breed of soldiers, suddenly develops a murderous
Cast
-
Jean-Claude Van Damm...
Luc Deveraux -
Michael Jai White
S.E.T.H. -
Heidi Schanz
Erin -
Xander Berkeley
Dylan Cotner -
Justin Lazard
Capt. Blackburn -
Kiana Tom
Maggie -
Daniel von Bargen
General Radford -
James Black
Sergeant Morrow -
Karis Paige Bryant
Hilary -
Bill Goldberg
Romeo -
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All Critics (55) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (52) | DVD (12)
If Universal Soldier: The Return isn't the dullest, most derivative, unimaginative, noisy, repetitive, mind-numbing and generally imbecilic movie of the year, it's not because director Mic Rodgers wasn't trying hard enough.
Top CriticIt's actually the fourth entry in the series, after a couple of straight-to-cable sequels. That's a lot of pulp to squeeze out of a concept that was fairly juiceless to begin with.
An underwhelming follow-up to one of the career-stalled action star's better efforts.
This SF action sequel must have been slapped together fast: live-action stunts created by uninspired editing lead up to computer-generated imagery that's just as lame.
Filling out and greying at the temples, Van Damme is far from convincing, even in the tedious fight sequences.
Van Damme's acting skills remains undetectable.
Whereas Emmerich's original had enough personality and energy to provide solid (if stupid) entertainment, Rodgers seems content to merely cobble together a succession of blatantly lifted-and poorly executed-set-pieces
For the record, this is the fourth Universal Soldier movie if you count two cable sequels, but why would you?
Please, even if it means offsetting a planned schedule, do not see this movie. It could be the biggest mistake of your life. I should know: I made it.
Close your eyes and repeat after me: pro wrestlers must never ever EVER try to act.
Hopefully this is the last we have seen of the Unisol series, but unfortunately the dearth of creativity in Hollywood, will allow it to live for another abysmal dumbing.
A disappointing entry to the sci-fi / action-movie canon.
I would suggest that you use this film solely as a form of torture.
Plenty of bone-crunching brawn, but not a brain cell in sight.
A movie review comprised entirely of sarcasm.
Audience Reviews for Universal Soldier - The Return
Super Reviewer
You can see why this film was not a hit upon release and since ignored. The whole look of the film is not much better than the previous made for TV films. Everything is set within your standard cliched generic military base/weapons experimentation type facility, it all looks very dull, very grey and with plenty of glass and computer monitors to shoot up hehe.
The plot about the master computer brain taking over the UniSol project it looks after and basically setting all the UniSols free is basic but reasonable. This equal lots of faceless military types getting shot to pieces every 5min and plenty of 'Terminator' style posturing from the UniSols. The saving grace being the fight between JCVD and White, White being one of the best visual fighters in the biz. Unfortunately Goldberg doesn't quite get the true fight he deserves and merely lurches around as comical relief half the time, if you can call it that.
The whole film feels very watered down and not really in the same adult vain as the original film. There is even a 'Hal' moment in the film clearly ripped from '2001', its like they are trying too hard with the material. End of the day this film hasn't broken away from the 'made for TV' look n feel of the previous two efforts.
Super Reviewer
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