The Universal Soldier series had its ups and downs, and it took it down a path unexplored by Jean-Claude Van Damme’s other franchises and rarely by most action series in general. The first Universal Soldier debuted in 1992 with Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as privates. Luke Devereux and Sgt.
After a pair of made-for-TV sequels, the Universal Soldier story continued—and for many years seemed to end—with the theatrical release of Universal Soldier: Return in 1999, which unfortunately turned out to be a major flop. Years later, Universal Soldier suddenly came back to life in the form of a sequel, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, followed by Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning in 2012. This is where the Universal Soldier franchise finally resonated and cemented its popularity. The legacy of militants.
6. Universal Soldier II: Brothers In Arms (1998)
Universal Soldier II. Brothers In Arms, released in September 1998, is an absolute rarity. The sequel, which at the same time is an exercise in complete apathy and at the same time fascinates with the number of bad decisions taken for its implementation in life. In the absence of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, the film was initially conceived as a kind of mini-series with its sequel “Unfinished Business” and was conceived, at least theoretically, to start the series “Universal Soldier”.RELATED:
20 Pumped Up Facts About The Brilliant Universal Soldier
The introductory part, a badly staged retelling of the fight between Devereaux and universal soldier Scott, is more like a reconstruction of “Rescue 911” and almost resembles a warning about the empty tedious work that will be the rest of the film. From this moment on, “Brothers in Arms” simply perform movements without emotional register and incredibly boring battle scenes. The legend of Hollywood Burt Reynolds and his colleague-giant of the film industry Gary Busey are looking to add some highlights to the film, but the energy of “Universal Soldier”. “Brothers in arms” is still in short supply.
5. Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (1998)
Universal Soldier: Unfinished Business, released a month after its predecessor, is little more than a sequel to Brothers In Arms, and every bit as memorable. In “Unfinished Business,” Deveraux and Veronica (Chandra West) remain in hiding as Burt Reynolds’ sinister CIA operative Mentor assigns Eric Deveraux’s clone to UniSol. There’s just as much of an obvious lack of spark on screen in Unfinished Business as there is in Band of Brothers, both films having no higher purpose other than to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. Being such a chore even for itself, “Unfinished Business” shows that the only emotion in its entire spectrum is arrogance, with a cliffhanger ending that sees Mentor on the ice for the UniSol program. Band of Brothers and Unfinished Business are so similar and tasteless in execution that they practically merge into one film.
4. Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Universal Soldier went meta in its title with 1999’s Universal Soldier: The Return. Original UniSol Luc Devereux has become an advisor to the government’s revamped UniSol program, which features artificial intelligence. program called S.E.T.H. (Self-developing rigid spiral). When the UniSol program is scheduled for closure, S.E.T.H. implants his consciousness into the body of UniSol (Michael Jai White) and unites the UniSols in a plot to conquer the world. “Universal Soldier,” in which Van Damme acts with an energy and frequency straight out of “Bloodsport.”
The Return stars Michael Jai White as S.E.T.H. Headlining Spawn in 1997, S.E.T.H. is a cool and cunning philosopher-villain whose lines like “When I was a machine, I longed to be a man. Now I’m better than both” are some of the most quoted in the series. The Comeback DVD also includes a great behind-the-scenes video showing White’s martial arts and bodybuilding training for the film. Universal Soldier: Return unfortunately didn’t kick off the franchise’s second wave after its theatrical disappointment, but it’s a good ride by the standards of UniSols, going to war in 83 minutes.
3. Universal Soldier (1992)
Before Roland Emmerich became a master of disaster films, he started bringing super-soldiers to the big screen early with Universal Soldier. After Luke Deveraux and Andrew Scott kill each other in Vietnam when the former interferes with his superior’s war crimes against civilians, their bodies are frozen and revived 23 years later as part of the US government’s UniSol program. Despite their programming, both Deveraux and Scott slowly begin to regain their sanity.RELATED:
Revisiting the Universal Soldier Franchise
Much like the later villainous rendition of S.E.T.H. Michael Jai White who also plays a supporting role in the film’s opening sequence. Testimony to Lundgren’s performance as Scott, his wet final showdown with Van Damme would only be half as bad if not for his scenery chewing. Scott’s punches to Deveraux may be enough to make even boxing titan Ivan Drago wince, but his campy, parody camp taunts Deveraux with lines like “Well, that’s a soldier of the spirit!” enhances their fight as much as Van Damme’s flying kicks.
2. Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration gave the series a stunningly unexpected revival. When terrorists threaten to destroy the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, former UniSol employee Luc Devereaux steps back into action to help stop them. His mission is much more difficult than it seems, since the terrorists include not only the next generation UniSol (Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski), but also a clone of Devereaux’s old enemy Andrew Scott. Both Van Damme and Lundgren returned for Regeneration, where their comebacks began ahead of their roles in the Expendables franchise.
The returns of Van Damme and Lundgren, while more disjointed within the context of the film than one might expect, both provide a thrilling reprisal of two of their most iconic characters. As a true MMA champion, Arlovski plays an important role in this evolution: the fight scenes in Regeneration are reminiscent of an MMA fight on a war-torn battlefield. For action fans, Universal Soldier: Regeneration is an incredibly explicit reimagining of its predecessors, with far more visceral gunplay and martial arts sequences than the series has seen before.
1. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
After the murder of his family by Luke Deveraux, John (Scott Adkins) sets out on a mission of revenge that leads him down a deep rabbit hole of cerebral twists and turns as he begins to realize that his past is not what it seems. The Universal Soldier films may have had an even more convoluted path to success than the Fast and the Furious franchise, but the series finale, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, shows just how much it paid off. Van Damme and Lundgren’s new antagonistic roles, like everyone else in Day of Reckoning, are not what they appear to be in Deveraux and Scott’s plot to lead the UniSol rebellion.
Scott Adkins shines in the series’ best martial arts fights (hosted by standout fight choreographer Larnell Stovall of the DC streaming series Titans). Adkins had to deal with a knee injury while filming the film. Even with this obstacle, it’s a trauma that his savage blade fights with former Leatherface candidate Lundgren (who promptly repeats Scott’s line “It’s the spirit, soldier!”) and Van Damme are cleverly hidden. In an unconventional history of the franchise, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning takes the first place in the Universal Soldier series.