Universal Soldier DVD: Review By Shelley

THE CAST:

None of the cast is really known for their acting ability, but that does not mean we cannot like them in the movies they are in. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Ludgren fit their parts well and lets fact it, they are not characters that are to be ‘true to life’. Ally Walker (Profiler) is good as Veronica Roberts even though she seems too high strung from time to time.

DIRECTION, CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SPECIAL EFFECTS:

Photography, editing, soundtrack and special effects are all great for a film made in 1992. The action was well choreographed and the sets looked great. This film is filled with a lot of action, explosions and gun fire; all are done famously.

The director’s name, Roland Emmerich, is synonymous with well directed films and this one is no exception. I am looking forward to his newest project, 2012, being released later this year.

THE GOOD:

This is a high action film so it keeps your attention instead of being bogged down with a lot of meaningless dialogue.

THE BAD:

Predictability and thin plot are two of the things which cause Universal Soldier to be a slightly above average film instead of an excellent one.

THE STORY (may contain spoilers):

Andrew Scott (Lundgren) and Luc Devereux (Van Damme) were soldiers in Vietnam until they disagree, confront each other and eventually kill each other. The government listed them ‘missing in action’ so their bodies could be used in a new top-secret experiment. Since both were in excellent physical shape, they made perfect specimens for the super-soldier program and were turned to ‘UniSols’.

During a mission, GR44 (Devereux) begins to experience flashbacks from his former life. With the help of a reporter, Veronica Roberts (Walker), he decides to run away to try to figure out these flashes of memory. The ‘UniSol’ team must find both of them in order to protect their secrets.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special Edition DVD:

Newly remastered 16 x 9 widescreen feature (2.35:1)

5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 Dolby Digital audio

Director, writer, and talent commentary

Alternate ending

"Guns, Genes and Fighting Machines - The Making of Universal Soldier" featurette

"Tale of Two Titans" featurette

New interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren

REPLAY VALUE:

Replay value is good for Universal Soldier. The action makes it good enough to be entertaining many times.

BOTTOM LINE:

This is what I call a ‘macho’ film because of the level of action and testosterone. I happen to be a fan of both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren and enjoy both tremendously in this movie. It may not be either’s best, but I could not imagine the parts being played by anyone else.

I recommend Universal Soldier and believe anyone who likes action films meant to purely entertain would enjoy it as much as I do.

Thanks for reading.