Jean-Claude Van Damme, best known for his work in martial arts films, is also no stranger to the science fiction genre, with eight different films in his catalog actively vying for the top spot.
The most famous of Van Damme’s science fiction works is the Universal Soldier series. A cross between Destroyer and RoboCop, the twisty saga of reformed military men has passed Van Damme by in the past, but the films starring the Belgian martial arts star are undoubtedly the strongest of the series. In addition, Van Damme also graced several small one-off sci-fi projects with his striking looks and impressive kicking skills, with mixed results.
8. Alien Uprising (2012)
Jean-Claude, starring primarily Van Damme’s daughter, Bianca Brigitte Van Damme, appears only as a supporting character, denigrating his sci-fi track record. The film follows a group of ordinary people trying to survive a standard alien invasion that launches an EMP attack. The film lingers unnecessarily on unimportant moments, including a painfully unedited opening nightclub scene. When it finally manages to focus the restless camera on the action, all the film can conjure up are unimaginative flying saucers exchanging weightless laser fire and mechanical human strife. Even decent performances from not one, but two Van Dammes aren’t enough to keep Alien Uprising’s tedious editing and mediocre script interesting.RELATED:
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7. Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
“Universal Soldier: Return” This time, Deveraux must battle the dangerous artificial intelligence SET, who plans to use the UniSol program as a weapon for his own electronic dreams of world domination. Of course, the scammer A.I. he needed the body of an all-around soldier that could carry him through the action scenes, courtesy of Michael Jai White. Having Jean-Claude Van Damme pitted against a fellow martial arts expert was a fantastic direction for the series to take, as Deveraux and S.E.T.H. trading shocks occur over and over again during brisk times lasting less than 90 minutes. Unfortunately, even this brief return to the world of Universal Soldier can feel like an eternity, as the film reuses similar action scenes.
6. Cyborg (1989)
An unapologetically brutal post-apocalyptic romp, Cyborg stars Van Damme as mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker, tasked with escorting a female cyborg who holds the secrets of a cure for a deadly virus through war-torn Atlanta. Cyborg’s ridiculous amount of brutal, albeit fake blood and gore makes it stand out among Van Damme’s action films, not to mention some standout fight scenes with Vincent Kleen’s villain. Even if Cyborg ironically features one of Van Damme’s most robotic performances, coupled with low-budget production design and cinematography, it has an unmistakable charm as an ultra-violent cathartic action film.
5. Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration is a reboot-quel that directly follows the original film, ignoring the last three installments. This creative decision proved powerful, especially because it helped bring Van Damme’s Private Deveraux back into action. A surprisingly grittier retelling of the franchise’s timeline. Devereaux this time must engage in a relentless fight against Russian terrorists stationed at Chernobyl using a series of next-generation UniSol devices, including a clone of Devereaux’s old enemy, once again played by Dolph Lundgren. Although a financial failure, Regeneration’s dark reimagining paved the way for the return of Universal Soldier.
4. Replicant (2001)
In Replicant, Van Damme plays hardened detective Jake Riley and his clone who team up to take down a pyromaniac serial killer. Impressively, this was the third of three films in which JCVD played two different characters: It’s surprising how well the then 40-year-old martial arts star manages to balance the two-character struggle in Replicant, where the chilling assassin “Torch” balances his unstoppable gymnastic prowess with a truly terrifying villain. Even if the budget and concept were clearly underdeveloped, Replicant is not a film to be missed among Van Damme’s sci-fi films.
3. Universal Soldier (1992)
The film that started it all, 1992’s Universal Soldier, was Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren’s breakthrough into the world of sci-fi action films. The real star of the show is the sheer mastery of director Roland Emmerich’s fight choreography, with Van Damme and Lundgren displaying increasingly creatively violent abilities punctuated by some simmering comedy beats. “Universal Soldier” is a decent, if flawed, masterclass in action filmmaking. The action IP was so strong that it spawned five sequels – each with varying degrees of success – and one planned TV spin-off, announced in 2011 but never released. In 2018, Kraven the Hunter writer Richard Wenk was hired to write the script for the new reboot.
2. Timecop (1994)
Time Cop may show him as the fastest and freest of them all. Jean-Claude Van Damme lends his talents to Max Walker, a police officer who is sent back in time to prevent notorious crimes as they happen. Despite how ridiculous and ill-conceived its premise is, Timecop asks viewers to take it relatively seriously, indulging in a glorified story of government corruption with a ridiculous framing of pointless time travel. That being said, the film’s action scenes more than make use of Van Damme’s physical abilities. Villainous politician Aaron McComb, played by Ron Silver, at least provides Walker with an extremely evil and memorable foe.