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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Live / Artisan
Salesrank: 46415
Released: February 18, 1998 |
| Our Price: $5.48 |
| Used Price: $1.48 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Before they made a mountain of money as the creators of Independence Day and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter Dean Devlin teamed up for this action flick disguised as a science fiction thriller. Muscle hunks Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren play embattled Vietnam soldiers who killed each other in combat and are revived 25 years later as semi-android "UniSols" in a high-tech army of the near future. Their memories were supposedly wiped clean, but flashbacks occur to remind them of their bitter hatred (Lundgren committed wartime atrocities; Van Damme had tried to stop him), and the warriors resume their tenacious battle while a journalist (Ally Walker) uncovers the truth about the secret UniSol program. With energy to spare, the standard action sequences are adequate for anyone with a short attention span. And besides, with Van Damme and Lundgren in the lead roles, who needs dialogue? --Jeff Shannon
Universal Soldier Reviews:
following Arnold's footsteps, in a very over the top SF adventure . . . 
2009-12-10 - In films like The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), and Terminator 2 (1991), Arnold Schwarzenegger pioneered the melding of the action/adventure genre with science fiction themes. Jean-Claude Van Damme's entries into the genre in this period included Cyborg (1989), Universal Soldier (1992), and Timecop (1994). These films are among those usually considered to be among his better films.
In Universal Soldier, Van Damme is Luc Deveraux, a soldier serving in Viet Nam in 1969. When Deveraux tries to stop fellow soldier Sergeant Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren), from killing some civilians, the two men end up shooting each other dead. Their bodies are claimed by the US government, and through some mysterious treatment, life is miraculously restored. Some twenty-five years later, the two men are members of the Universal Soldiers, an experimental elite fighting force, under the control of the military. At temperatures close to freezing, `unisols' have the remarkable ability to regenerate and heal themselves. Treated with injections into the brain, they have no memory of their past lives.
Deveraux is on a mission at Hoover Dam, when an incident triggers his past memories. Later when nosy reporter Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), is discovered snooping around the unisol's trailer headquarters, Scott's programming breaks down, and he kills her cameraman. Deveraux recovers enough of his memory to also rebel, and he takes off with the gabby Ms. Roberts.
The rest of the film is basically a hunt down of Deveraux. Scott leads the group of unisols in pursuit, as they engage in a completely excessive, shootout of a motel, and destruction of a gas station. Refusing to give up the chase, Scott wipes out most of those connected with the program, and goes after Deveraux with a vengeance. An action highlight is a heavy vehicle chase, that has a climatic ending on a high cliff. Seeking refuge, Luc returns to his childhood home, a farm, where a final confrontation with Scott takes place.
Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day), and executive produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator 2, Total Recall), Universal Soldier is pure comic book action. Typical for many of Van Damme's films, there is the impression of a lack of realism, and lots of gratuitous violence (the Viet Nam scene is a perfect example). Van Damme and Lundgren, perform their action scenes ably, with their final battle being a tough, wet, atmospheric affair. Lundgren's acting is quite stiff, but he is an imposing physical presence. Unfortunately, he has the most atrocious dialog, which makes him sound like a total idiot. Ally Walker (Profiler) is a good dramatic actress, and she holds it together pretty well, as she too has to deal with some bad dialog and attempts to inject levity.
Although the original story barely holds together, the Universal Soldier concept was intriguing, and spawned the sequel Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) starring Van Damme, and several TV movies with Matt Battaglia as Deveraux. The big news to fans of the franchise, is the upcoming direct to video release of Universal Soldier: Regeneration, scheduled for February 2, 2010. The film features Jean Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and MMA's Andrei 'Pit Bull' Arlovski. A preview clip is available at Amazon, and the early buzz regarding the film seems to be positive.
Clash of titans! 
2009-11-18 - Roland Emerich built his most reminded cult movie from the early nineties. The innovative proposal of interspersing two unthinkable genres: sci-fi and Vietnam. In this time two of the biggest gladiators by then: Van Damme and Ludgreen are together for the first time in this explosive adventure. Van Damme is Luc Devreaux and Dolph Lundgreen is Sgt. Scott who killed each other in Vietnam in 1969. They are brought back to life 25 years after due a well kept scientific project. Genetically enhanced, the work out as unstoppable killing machines (the resemblance with Terminator) with no memory. But when Devreaux on a terrorist mission, his memory experiences some previous memories and so, he will run off from the program becoming an outlaw. This fact will trigger a blood pursuit in which Sgt. Scott will have to face him again.
Explosive sequences(in the first part of the movie) filled of adrenaline and humor will overflow the screen until the great last unforgettable mortal sequence.
Classic Van Damme 8/10 part 2 is on the Replicant/Universal Soldier reviews
2009-08-24 - I liked the Van Damme movies from the late 80's to mid 90's Universal Soldier was easily 1 of the better Van Damme movies he put out Universal Soldier was a big hit 1992 starred JCVD as Luc Deverux Dolph Lundgren as SGT Andrew Scott & Alley Walker as CNA reporter Veronica Roberts. It has a entertaining plot good characters good soundtrack. Story in 1969 Private Luc Deverux & SGT Scott are in Vietnam they don't get along while Deverux is clearing out a village he discovers what Scott is doing we learn that Scott is a psycho he has killed members of the platoon & killed a Vietnamese civilians & Deverux just wants to go home Scott accuses him of treason while Deverux is trying to escape with a Vietnamese woman Scott shoots him in the leg & tosses a grenade at the woman killing her Deverux & Scott kill each other at the same time. 25 years later they have been kept alive all there memories cleared as part of the Universal Soldier program. There's a hostage situation at the Hoover Dam the UNI SOL's are sent in
It's Van Damm
2009-06-23 - It is what it is. It's the same awesome movie with a little more grain. I wouldn't have it any other way.
BluRay and Nokey, a happy marriage
2009-05-21 - I liked the original version; but, as I am replacing titles with the BluRay, this was merely an update to the library.
The quality is stunning, the movie.....eh?!?!?
Its still amazing to watch the progression of refining the images and sounds with ths new technology.
