Over the top and ludicrous it may be, but Universal Soldier is also one of the most fun movies of the 1990s. Directed by Roland Emmerich, who would go on to helm the even more spectacular Independence Day only four years later, Universal Soldier stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Luc Deveraux, a formerly dead US soldier who is brought back to life by a top secret military project.
Meanwhile, Dolph Lundgren plays Sgt. Andrew Scott, another formally dead soldier who is now a psychopath determined to end the life of Deveraux. Their rivalry of course leads to some appropriately bombastic and brilliantly crazy action scenes, which have led to the movie becoming something of a cult classic over the years.
Read on for 20 awesomely pumped up facts about this 90s action classic.
20. The first version of the script was much darker
The first version of the Universal Soldier script was reported to be much darker than the one that was eventually used. For example, it featured a scene where Dolph Lundgren’s Sgt. Andrew Scott is ordered to kill any civilians that witness his pursuit of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Luc Deveraux. Also in the original script, the Colonel informs the head scientist that the terrorists at the dam were not terrorists at all, but mercenaries hired by the army to provide fake justification for the Universal Soldier program. In the finished film, these scenes are not included, meaning that the witnesses are left unharmed and the gunmen killed by the Unisols at the dam were genuine terrorists. The Colonel and his men are portrayed as heroic figures with a real and valid mission who just want their multi-million dollar Unisol back.
19. It was originally going to be called Crystal Knights
Not only was the first version of the Universal Soldier script much darker, it also had a completely different title. The script originally went by the title of Crystal Knights, and we’re sure you’ll agree that Universal Soldier is a much stronger name! After the rewrite, the title was changed, and the Vietnam War element of the film was incorporated. It’s possible the title Universal Soldier came from the Buffy Sainte-Marie song of the same name. This song become an anthem of the contemporary folk community, and is about an individual’s relationship with war.RELATED:
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18. The soldiers’ eye-pieces were inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation
The eyepieces worn by the Universal Soldiers were certainly eye-catching, that’s for sure. But whilst these gadgets might look like the result of someone’s vivid imagination, they were actually not quite so original… The eyepieces were actually inspired by the Borg from popular science fiction TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation. The plot also isn’t that much different when you think about it, with the Borg being humans and other species that have been assimilated into cyborg creatures. Similarly, the soldiers in Universal Soldier are deceased soldiers who have been reanimated into cyborg commandos.
17. The Vietnam scenes were actually filmed at a golf course
The scenes set in Vietnam were incredibly realistic, so much so that we felt like we were in the jungle with Luc Deveraux. You might be surprised, then, to learn that the jungle scenes weren’t filmed anywhere near a jungle. In fact, they weren’t even filmed in a studio lot for that matter. The scenes were actually filmed at the Kingman Arizona golf course, with fake jungle foliage added to make it look as realistic as possible. A unique set was also built, and we think you’ll agree that the crew did a pretty convincing job!
16. People accused the film of being a Terminator 2 rip-off
Universal Soldier was compared to Terminator 2: Judgment Day by many critics, some of whom saw it as ‘a Terminator 2 clone.’ And in fact, the film did indeed re-use music from Terminator 2: Judgment Day in its trailer. Many critics were scathing in their judgement, calling Universal Soldier just another “typical, mindless action film”. Luckily, the film would go on to become a cult classic among audiences and critics alike. However, the film’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes still leaves a lot to be desired. Today, Universal Soldier has an approval rating of just 29%.
15. Van Damme and Lundgren almost came to blows whilst promoting the film
At the Cannes Film Festival in 1992, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lungren had an argument that saw them start pushing and shoving each other whilst making threatening comments. The situation got so heated that security officials were forced to step in and separate the pair. The incident was a huge talking point in the media and was reported by many news outlets at the time. However, Lundgren would later reveal the truth behind the incident during an interview. According to the actor, the whole thing was simply a publicity stunt to promote the film.
14. Van Damme and Lundgren became good friends during the film’s production
Despite their aggressive publicity stunt at the Cannes Film Festival, there was actually nothing but love between Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. In fact, it was reported that the pair got along so well during production on Universal Soldier that they stayed good friends after it was completed. More recently the pair were given the chance to rekindle their bromance when they reunited for the filming of Black Water (2018). This would be the pair’s fifth film together, but only the second film in which they play allies rather than enemies. Unfortunately, Black Water was not well received on release, but who knows? There’s plenty of time for it too to become a cult classic.
13. Audiences loved the film, but critics hated it
Despite proving unpopular with most film critics, many of whom labelled it as ‘mindless,’ Universal Soldier proved popular with cinema-goers. It ultimately made a respectable $80 million at the international box office from a budget of just $23 million. The film opened and peaked at number two in the box office, beaten only by Tom Hanks comedy A League of Their Own. The film has also become something of a cult classic over the years, and critic Drew Taylor even later changed his opinion on it. He later wrote “this movie rules…this high concept, moderately budgeted sci-fi action movie is a bouillabaisse of clichés that somehow manages to be charming, funny [and] thrilling.”RELATED:
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12. It spawned three sequels
The success of Universal Soldier meant that it spawned three sequels: Universal Soldier: The Return in 1999, Universal Soldier: Regeneration a decade later in 2009, and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning in 2012. All three sequels saw Jean-Claude Van Damme returning, whilst Dolph Lundgren came back into the fold for the two latter movies. Universal Soldier: The Return was a monumental flop at the box office, and received poor reviews. Subsequent films in the series ignore the events of The Return, and even contradict it in some places. As a result, Universal Soldier: The Return is no longer considered part of the film series’ canon.
11. There was both a video game and comic book tie-in
A Universal Soldier video game was released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis and Game Boy. This was actually a rebranded version of the game Turrican II: The Final Fight, made by Accolade. After Accolade acquired the rights to produce a Universal Soldier spin-off, they decided to rebrand the original game Turrican II. The same year, there was also a short-lived comic book series run by NOW Comics. This consisted of just a three-part miniseries and was written by Clint McElroy.
10. It bears a resemblance to Hands of Steel
Although it has been compared to Terminator 2, there is another Terminator-esque film Universal Soldier has been compared to. 1986’s Hands of Steel, otherwise known as Vendetta Dal Futuro, is an Italian science fiction film directed by Sergio Martino. It tells the story of an evil industrialist (John Saxon) who has creates a cyborg (Daniel Greene) who is 70% robot and 30% human. The film is noted as having been heavily influenced by films such as Terminator and Blade Runner. The film was relatively well received in its country of origin but failed to make much of a splash overseas.
9. There was an alternate ending on the Australian release only
In Universal Soldier, Scott meets a pretty grisly death by anyone’s standards. Being impaled on a hay harvester is one thing, but being ground to death is quite another. In the Australian release of the film, the film ends with the hay harvester incident. This was to spare younger viewers the trauma of seeing a man being ground to death. It meant that the film could be released with an M-rating, the equivalent of PG-13A, although the DVD release included the original ending and was given an R-rating.
8. The film influenced the Offensive Handgun Weapon System concept
In 1989, the US Special Operations Command initiated the concept that would allow soldiers to acquire a gun for offensive purposes, rather than solely for defensive use. The people involved with developing this concept saw Universal Soldier and adopted some ideas, including equipping their handguns with a laser and suppressor. After exhaustive testing, they selected the Heckler & Koch Mk 23, and the first guns were delivered in 1996. However, due to its bulky size, it was not entirely practical for the purpose it was intended for. However, another handgun with similar technology was developed and has been adopted by the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and has even been used in the War on Terror.
7. Dolph Lundgren wanted to play Luc
We can’t imagine anyone else in the role of Private Luc Deveraux, and luckily we don’t have to. But it seems that if Lundgren got his way, then the film could have been very different from the one we know today… According to Lundgren, he originally wanted to play the main man himself, Luc Deveraux. This was largely due to the fact that he wanted to play a “good guy”, and was sick of being the villain. Lundgren had risen to fame after the success of Rocky IV, and he wanted to branch out and play a less villainous character.RELATED:
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6. The equipment worn by the UniSols was custom made for the film
The UniSols wear highly specialised load-bearing equipment which was personally designed for the cast members. Eagle Industries custom made the equipment including the thigh holster for the Desert Eagle .357 magnum. They also made the shoulder holster harness for the H&K MP5K sub-machine guns and the H&K P9S pistol, along with extra magazines and grenades. The equipment was designed to be fitting with the times, as the film is set in both 1969 and 1994. Many of the UniSols also wear a small patch worn on their left breast. This is the U.S. Army Air Assault Badge and signifies that the wearer is a graduate of the Air Assault School.
5. The house scene was filmed at a real location
The house scene was filmed on a set built at the Peck’s Lake golf course in Clarkdale, Arizona. If this location seems familiar to you, it’s because the area nearby plays host to a very famous house. This was the Clark Mansion which was built for one of Senator William Clarke’s sons who died in a plane crash nearby in 1932. In June 2010, the mansion met a grisly end when it was burned down under mysterious circumstances. Prior to its demise, the building had been used as a set for various films and had been leased for residential use.
4. There were ongoing problems with the writers
Originally, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were hired by Carolco as writers for his upcoming project. The film he was planning was set to star Sylvester Stallone and Kim Basinger and would take place in the future on a high speed runaway train where a genetically created monster gets loose and attacks the passengers. Emmerich was also was also the second director on the project, filling the shoes of Ridley Scott after he fell out with Carolco and producer Joel Silver. However, Emmerich and Devlin soon ran into similar problems with the pair, and complained of a lack of creative freedom. The unnamed project was then abandoned by Carolco, who instead hired Emmerich and Devlin to rewrite the script for Universal Soldier.
3. The first cut didn’t include the barn scene
In the unreleased first cut of the film, the final battle between Luc and Andrew didn’t include the scene in the barn. However, after the initial test screening, it was clear that there were some changes that needed to be made. This scene was actually shot months later and then added in the post production stages. This sequence featured the death of Luc’s mother, and concluded with the near-murder of Luc by Dr. Gregor. This is followed by the revelation that Luc eventually died because of his injuries.
2. It was the last film to be recorded in CDS format
Universal Soldier was the last ever film to be recorded in the old style digital sound CDS format. In the year following the film’s release, sound technicians had developed more sophisticated technology in the form of DTS. This sound format is of significantly higher quality than its predecessor, and has been used in movie theatres ever since. The film needed to have high quality sounds regardless of its format as the studio were relying on the success of Universal Soldier. Carolco, the production team behind the film, was having financial difficulties and hoped the film’s box office return would keep them afloat.RELATED:
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