Universal Soldier - The Return
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brent Anderson, James Black (II), Karis Paige Bryant, Maria Arita, Xander BerkeleyBrand: Sony
Primary Contributor: Bill Goldberg
Primary Contributor: Schanz, Heidi
Primary Contributor: Van Damme, Jean-Claude
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-12-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Universal Soldier - The Return
Movie Review: When robotic acting is a benefit
Summary: 4 Stars
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? Luc Deveraux, former US soldier in Vietnam who, when killed by friendly fire, becomes part of a military medical equivalent to Frankenstein, the Universal Soldier (UniSol).
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? As a humanitarian soldier, Deveraux considered friendly Vietnamese his friends. It's just too bad his Sergeant didn't.
3. Does he take his shirt off? It's probably because he's dead, but JCVD is shirtless in a faux cryogenic, stasis in bubbling water scenes stolen straight from comic books, as well as whenever the UniSols are back in the mobile lab or in a vat of ice. I'm sure the ice thing was written in specifically so he could take his shirt off.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? Thankfully he didn't...otherwise this movie would have involved necrophilia.
5. Is there a tournament? There is no sanctioned tournament, just UniSols going about their mission.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Quoting the awesomeness of Stripes, "Aaaaarmy training, sir!" (Which is odd considering both movies are about ridiculous military situations)
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Even though it's not explicitly part of the plot, he nonetheless manages to form an upside-down "T" during a fight scene.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? Although it's slightly off camera, it appears JCVD delivers three solid punches to the jewels of Sergeant Scott (Lundgren). Given JCVD's propensity for nut-shots, it's safe to assume knuckle met scrotum.
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? Not only does he fulfill his normal helping of spin kicks, but he adds a few new versions into the mix.
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? It sure seems that his enemy is unbeatable. In the final battle, Deveraux kicks Scott in the face five times in a row, and the only thing Scott does is laugh.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Well, technically he's dead, and there's some sort of combination of UniSol injection and ice water bath requirement for keeping a soldier recharged, but otherwise he's good to go.
12. Does he win? With the help of a wood chipper - and a final line of, "You're discharged, Sarge" - Deveraux literally tears Scott apart.
With some great wire work in some fight scenes, and tons of head shot gun play, the action is top notch for this JCVD iteration. The plot is interesting enough to have spawned more than one sequel. And Dolph Lundren makes a solid appearance in the meeting B-action superstars. What's great is that both main characters are supposed to be resurrected cyborgs, and each of their respective robotic acting ability just happens to be perfect for the role. Nothing new here; just JCVD being awesome yet again.
Summary of Universal Soldier - The Return
Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) the heroic former Universal Soldier is about to be thrown into action once again. When SETH (Michael Jai White) the supercomputer controlled ultra-warrior decides to take revenge and destroy its creators only Luc can stop it. All hell breaks loose as Luc battles SETH and a deadly team of perfect soldiers in a struggle that pits man against machine and good against evil.System Requirements:Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme Michael Jai White Kiana Tom Daniel Von Bargen and Bill Goldberg. Directed By: Mic Rodgers. Running Time: 83 Mins. Color. This film is presented in both "Widescreen" and "Standard" formats. Copyright 1999 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:?ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating:?R UPC:?043396039346 Manufacturer No:?03934Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux is back. Jean-Claude Van Damme gallantly attempts to resurrect interest in his tepid career with this action-riddled roller-coaster ride. Set in the not-too-distant future, Deveraux has been employed by the government to oversee the new UniSol project. What is UniSol? It's a military plan to turn dead soldiers into invincible fighting machines (see the first Univeral Soldier for more details). It's also the scheme that went horribly wrong when the soldiers turned psycho, killing the scientists who created them. Not deterred by this early setback, the government replicates the project. This time they figure that they can control the soldiers through a supercomputer called SETH (kind of like HAL in 2001, but smarter). But, as we all know, machines frequently break down. Pretty soon the computer comes to the conclusion that it's superior to humans and therefore it must destroy them. Uh oh.
Van Damme to the rescue. The muscles from Brussels heroically leap into action confronting the dangerous soldiers led by Bill (WCW) Goldberg and Michael Jai White (last seen in Spawn). The action is impressive and the stunts are engrossing. Goldberg is charismatic as the cartoonish villain who sneers and snouts while muttering macho things like, "I'm gonna kill that guy." Van Damme looks more at home in a production that he is not directing, and for once he lets his fists do the talking. Ironically, the movie is missing the gloss and big-budget pathos of its predecessor (created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich), making the original decidedly better. --Jeremy Storey
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