By the time of 1992, Van Damme firmly entrenched in the image of the hero of the militants and in general very steadily adapted to the genre in which he felt simply excellent. His popularity by this period of time grew very proportionately and it was necessary to shake quite a bit the usual genre for him. By the same year, another Belgian project was released, which in general did not seem to be so standard for him. Since "Universal Soldier" in its essence was the most obvious fiction, and of the specified genre at that time in the filmography of the Belgian was only one "Cyborg", and he was shot for some quite modest money, not to mention the fact that the project did not gain significant popularity. And that’s a completely different thing is “Universal Soldier”, which turned out to be a film of a completely different level. It is also important that this is the first successful work of director Roland Emmerich, who will later be able to stage the highly acclaimed “Independence Day”, “Patriot” with Mel Gibson and even “The Day After Tomorrow”. And in principle, large-scale disaster films will become a kind of skate director. Although at that time, a great start to his career was given by “Universal Soldier”.
The story takes place during the American War in Vietnam. Sergeant Andrew Scott at one point literally goes crazy, and begins to kill not only the Viet Cong, but even civilians. This includes Scott’s co-workers, whom the latter similarly does not pity, condemning them to death. Anyone who disagrees with Scott’s criminal orders is an enemy and must be destroyed. In his way stands private Luke Devereaux, who, seeing all the atrocities of a colleague in every possible way tries to stop him. And Luke does it, only now I have to put my life too. Scott and Devereaux die after shooting each other. After their death, their bodies are placed in a secret government program of universal soldiers. From now on, they become invaluable tools in the hands of the government, they are sent on the most complex and secret missions, in fact suicide missions, because they are both long dead.
“Universal Soldier” is still less than other projects of Van Damme from the beginning of the zero similar to the usual pattern of what the Belgian had to act then. Still, this is full-fledged fiction, only a little more down to earth, without cyborgs, terrible viruses that are ready to mow down the population of the planet and of course without space flights with blasters. The whole fantasy lies in the fact that our heroes are essentially revived dead people who do not experience pain, compassion and physical fatigue. At the same time, the film tried to fill with a kind of diversity in locations and locations. The plot does not linger for a long time in the same place and often transports the viewer to various locations. It is a jungle, a huge dam and streets of the city, a supermarket, a gas station or even a lonely farm. At the same time, there is practically no unnecessary water in the Universal Soldier, since the action unfolds relatively quickly, because the main characters throughout almost the entire film are on the run and they have to make decisions literally on the go, of course, repeatedly risking their lives.
Shootings in the painting by Roland Emmerich performed at a proper level. We brought a lot of cool barrels, somewhere even a little futuristic. One of the final scenes with the chase in the desert in general turned out to be extremely worthy. But here the merit of not only one production, but also the second main actor – Dolph Lundgren. Lundgren was no longer a rising star at the time. His high point was back in 1985 with his appearance in Rocky 4. Although Lundgren's career just ended somewhere exactly after "Universal Soldier." But here he played just perfectly - cynical, cruel and completely turned on the murders, literally went off the wagon. No wonder his image from here later copied some video game developers, and not only. "Universal Soldier" is still perceived as a very high-quality fantastic action movie. Moreover, after 30 years, he managed to age less than many other projects with Van Damme.
7 out of 10
- Colonel, they're already there.
- Did you swim 1.5 miles in 4 minutes??
- They're 8 seconds late.
I watched this movie in early childhood when it actually came out. Jean-Claude Van Damme was already at the peak of popularity thanks to the so-called sports action films, about various martial arts tournaments. Also in those years, the themes of various cyborgs and robots were popular, because of the frenzied success of such films as RoboCop, Terminator and the same Cyborg with Van Damme. What if you combine a famous actor with artificial intelligence? Thus, one of the best films in the careers of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lungren was born.
During the Vietnam War, a U.S. Army sergeant goes mad and kills his soldiers and locals. Private Luke Devereaux tries to neutralize him, but they both die. Now, after their death, they become members of the program “Universal Soldier” – a group of invulnerable fighters controlled by the military.
Director Roland Emmerich, before becoming the head in Hollywood for disaster films, has long been looking for his genre. Before “Universal Soldier”, he managed to work in the genres of fiction, horror and fantastic action movie. With the latter he did best, and the next film was “Universal Soldier”.
As a child, I used to think that if the opening credits of the film have the inscription “Mario Cassar Production”, then now there will be something suitable. He didn't fail this time either. I do not want to deal with it for a long time, so I will note only the main pros and cons of the film.
Plus
Interesting and original story. And before that, there were attempts to do something like this, and after that, but either it was a complete mess, or there was not enough money and technology to implement it. It worked out here. The film got three more sequels, which did not have much success with the audience, even despite the return of the title characters.
Nice cast. To collide in one film two stars of the militants is not a new idea in our time, but in the early 90s this idea was a winning one. In addition to Van Damme and Lungren in the film, you can see several more heroes of the fighters - Ralph Moeller, familiar to everyone from the film "The Best of the Best" and Tom Lister Jr. Not "The Expendables", of course, but also a good company gathered.
Visually, "Universal Soldier" is no different from the usual typical fighters of the 90s. However, special effects are also worth mentioning. Computer graphics is understandable, but all sorts of shooting, chase, and other things in bulk. Special respect for the large-scale destruction of scenery and the work of pyrotechnics. Well, of course, when two masters of martial arts collide on the screen, then without a well-made fight will not do.
It would seem that to fully reveal this story takes at least two hours, or even two and a half. But Roland Emmerich put the whole story to forty. No important or interesting detail was left out. Relatively modest timing is a plus.
Minuses
The only drawback can be called a little wooden acting. If in the case of universal soldiers, this is justified – they cannot show emotions in the plot, and they passed the whole film with dispassionate faces, then this does not concern the other actors. Ellie Walker, and many others, played without much enthusiasm, even lazy.
Overall, the film turned out well. Director Roland Emmerich has a very uneven filmography. He then removes the usefulness, then obviously failed projects. This film can be attributed to the first.
A classic action movie from the 80s, which migrated to the early 90s. This is the Universal Soldier - the cyborg/robot regiment has arrived. Against the background of “Robocop” by Paul Verhoeven, the creation of Roland Emmerich looks more dynamic and innovative, against the background of “Terminator” by James Cameron, on the contrary, grounded and narrowly focused (US Air Force), but the tape perfectly holds the bar of fiction and pits Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren against each other to adapt the brutality and coolness of men to the enhanced capabilities and resilience of the cybernetic body.
The exposition reflects the war in Vietnam (well, it never happened, and here again) to convey the characters of the main characters in a few minutes. For a twist with cyborgs, a special liner of the LCVD and Dolph serves as the founder of the conflict and a reflection of the general quality of former people. The plot of the militant is primitive and dynamic, all actions are predictable, and the emphasis on fighters perfectly shows cybernetic puppets forced to fulfill the orders of a secret unit.
The film’s key pretext reveals the true origins of universal soldiers. The idea of a kind of recycled material that can still be turned into a killing machine and covered by a government project is impressive. No soul, no freedom of choice, no personal motives – nothing, so the inclusion in the plot of “ladies in distress” beautifully adapt the infernal under the framework of modern society.
The authors made a greater bias towards RoboCop, so Vietnamese Flabacks (literally) show the difference between man and machine, preserving who the hero was before his death. The tape perfectly uses the athletic abilities of the LCVD to demonstrate enhanced reflexes and dexterity. Conflict with oneself is perfectly reflected in the time jump (after all, a long time has passed since the war). Surprised perception of modern times is reminiscent of time travel movies, although Roland Emmerich has overdone it a bit. But for the sake of beautiful scenes and demonstration of the forces of the universal soldier, you can “stupidate” the hero.
The confrontation between the LCVD and Dolph jumps from subordination to violence, from a reflection of a past life to a personal vendetta. Fights, chases, an emphasis on the power of the cyberbody, and constant doping provide a fascinating adventure to philosophically approach the question of life after death and second chances. Do not wait in the frame of the interaction of mechanisms and living flesh, it is just cool fighters fighting with each other, only recharging procedures, “brainwashing” and ways to maintain the necessary level of body temperature distinguish universal soldiers from ordinary people, but the concept itself is quite pleasant and fantastic.
The LCD has already been robotized in Albert Pyun’s Cyborg, and it’s time to choose between freedom and submission.
(roughly 28th minute of the film)
Universal Soldier
Fiction from the 90s, no matter what, holds a special place in our hearts. From Verhoeven's "Remember All" to Gordon's "Fortress." From Terminator 2 to Soldier with Kurt Russell. Why? Because cassette times, because we grew up on these movies. We looked to the holes.
One of them, of course, is the 1992 Universal Soldier. Directed by Roland Emmerich. In the main role - LCVD and Dolph Lundgren.
As for the franchise as a whole (I recall only four films) – only the first part, guys. All the others, unfortunately, look like a pathetic parody. Although some moviegoers praise. So, quite subjectively, I do not insist.
So, plot. Vietnam, 1969 – Sgt. Andrew Scott (Dolph) begins to disembowel everyone in a row indiscriminately (assembling a collection of severed ears, a-hee-hee, I love Dolph). The whole bacchanalia ends with a deadly fight with Private Luke Devereaux (JCVD). Today, Andrew and Luke are brought back to life, now they are universal soldiers.
As I wrote in my negative review of 10,000 BCE, Emmerich is not my director. I don’t like his work, but Universal Soldier stands alone. It's a great movie. Turn on any minute, it's very tight. Despite all the seriousness, periodically skipped funny moments (for example, when the LCVD was sitting in a small diner).
Plus, there are some (quite good) shootouts and chases. The cherry on the cake is a brutal final fight. Well, and most importantly - a young LCVD and Dolph. Dolph in Rocky 4 fought Mr. Stallone. Now I've decided to hit the LCD. What a bully, a-hee-hee. No, no laugh - Lundgren is very much in negative roles.
It's a good LCD. I recommend it. Watch and review the original Universal Soldier. Nostalgia is assured. Even pathetic dialogue is not annoying. A fantastic action movie that still looks quite decent. Check it out for yourself.
P.S.
I almost forgot, Ellie Walker is charming!
8 out of 10
As much as I loved Jean Claude Van Damme as a child and all his films, even now I can sometimes enjoy watching his films. Which I did, once again reviewing the film 'Universal Soldier' Directed by Roland Emmerich.
Together with Van Damme, another film hero of the past era also starred - Dolph Lundgren.
There was a period of the Vietnam War in 1969, but Sergeant Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) decided, he was betrayed, and he became indifferent to whom to kill, in contrast to him - soldier Luke Devereaux (Jean Claude Van Damme), who despite all the horrors of the war remained a man, and he just wanted to return home, as a result, both kill each other, but after years the bodies of the dead soldiers were found and Luke and Scott also become experiments of the program ' Universal Soldier' whose goal is to neutralize terrorists. During one operation, Luke and Scott’s memory fails and both return to their former state.
Given the year of the release of the film, the film looks just great, the visual component of the film, the technical part, explosions, chases, for the plot itself you can put the highest score, because the plot is quite original for the past era.
Dolph Lundgren showed a very charismatic and colorful villain, his rabid and malicious look just pierced through.
Jean Claude Van Dam didn’t have so many lines for the whole film and he didn’t express so many emotions, but the film only won from this, and of course what a film without exciting fights Van Damme, staging fights, especially the final fight, as always at the highest level.
'Universal Soldier' - nostalgia for a past era, which can not be returned. This is an excellent fantastic action movie with masters of their craft (and childhood idols) in the faces of Jean Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.
9 out of 10
In order not to lose their soldiers, American scientists have developed a special technology that allows you to restore the main vital functions of dead soldiers. This effect was achieved with the help of special mechanisms implanted in dead bodies. In fact, they were no longer people, but machines that obeyed orders.
Luke and Scott were very different during the Vietnam War. The first, despite all the horrors, maintained a friendly attitude towards the Vietnamese. The second hated them, and after the murder cut off the unfortunate ears. Luke couldn’t stand to see these atrocities and made a strong and harsh remark to Scott. After that, they became irreconcilable enemies. And even after their death, turning into Biorobots & #39, they had absolutely no warm friendly feelings for each other. But Luke retained his humanity and did not want to settle scores, but the vindictive and vindictive Scott still could not forgive a colleague. . .
The two men met in a bloody fight. Van Damme (star of the films “Blood Sport”, “Kickboxer” and “In Search of Adventure”) and a bosom friend of Steven Seagal powerful and unobtrusive Dolph Lundgren, who began his career with the film “Rocky 4”.
Both heroes of the tape are champions in karate. You can see it. The film career of these movie giants is honed in endless fights. That’s how actors always transfer their main life attitude, or credo, to the cinema. A person prone to, so to speak, amorous adventures plays mainly Don Juans; and a born fighter (of such in American cinema oh how many), also trying not to betray himself, waves his concrete legs and cast-iron fists in all directions. . .
"Universal Soldier" is a good movie, but its main highlight is similar to some earlier films - for example, the famous blockbuster "Robot Cop", in which the cool hero is also restored using advanced technology. And, most interestingly, in such tapes, all half-robots-half-humans do not become completely soulless machines; they retain not only some bodily properties, but also their main innate spiritual qualities.
In general, universal soldiers today are inhumane and unrealistic. In the future, perhaps some moral prohibitions will be abolished by the people (especially the military), and science will open up new horizons in this field, and then, perhaps, killed soldiers will have a second chance. The most important thing is to know who you are bringing to life.
I will not say that the picture fully passes the test of time, yet the special effects are clearly outdated, but this is not surprising, but the dynamically staged fights directly cut the eye, although the human resource used contributed to the spectacular action. Yes, it was the cast, or rather the duo, that made the picture immortal. Van Damme and Lundgren were at the height of their popularity and capabilities. Both look impressive - one is plastic, well, or should be, the second is just a machine. And in fact, the viewer is given a great opportunity to observe two clumsy bodies, a purely rustic disassembly, which inspires interest only by the dimensions of the scufflers.
Emmerich is still true to himself and shoots with great imagination. Although not always successful, although this film is not new, but still the director diligently adds his own to the development of this subgenre - the development of artificial intelligence.
I will recommend the film for viewing, it is a rare opportunity to enjoy the beautiful actors, their unforgettable charm, these personalities decorated my cinematic distant past. Now the militants are filming differently, but it is a pity.
I wish everyone a pleasant viewing!!
I've known this movie for a long time, having actually watched it when it came out. I can’t remember my first impressions of watching it, because it was small, but considering that the film was so deep in my heart, I obviously liked it. Just as I like it so far.
In the midst of the Vietnam War, one of the sergeants goes crazy and starts killing everyone, including his own. Private Luke Devereaux tries to convince the sergeant to go with him, but dies at his hands having managed to fatally wound him. Arrived reinforcements discover the bodies of dead soldiers, they are taken away, covered with ice, and recorded as missing. Decades later, they will meet again in battle. Only now they're not human anymore. They are universal soldiers.
As a child, this movie seemed like a perfect action movie. It has everything. And a great plot, and shootings, and fighting, and a lot of things. Jean-Claude Van Damme's films have always seemed epic and incredible in coolness to me, but now, with the passage of time, it all seems a little naive. Already the eye clings to inaccuracies, blunders, inconsistencies in the plot and other shortcomings. There are a lot of them in this movie.
Director Roland Emmerich has always been able to shoot large-scale canvases, but here for some reason riveted action medium hand. I’m not arguing, the film is a great representative of its genre, but if you look at the rest of the action films that were released in the early 90s, the Universal Soldier is on its head lower. Not surprisingly, Terminator 2 has raised the bar high, and you can’t jump to that level. Even if you are Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lungren.
6 out of 10
Another hello from VHS childhood is the action movie from Roland Emmerich "Universal Soldier" with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren in the lead roles. A good old action movie, which, like “Climb climber”, “The Rock”, “Without a Face”, “The Last Movie Hero”, “True Lies”, “Broken Arrow”, “Air Prison”, “Destroyer” and a number of films from the 90s, which can be included and simply spend chic evening time.
Unemotional and determined killing machines in the face of universal soldiers - ordinary people, once out of service, resume service and become an elite unit for which there are practically no impossible tasks. Among these guys, two key figures stand out - Luke Devereaux (Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Lundgren), between whom a "very warm" relationship was formed during the Vietnam War.
Universal Soldier is undoubtedly one of the best films in the careers of both actors, as well as one of the most successful for Emmerich. First, a strong plot, the legend of which is imbued with hatred of two people for each other and lasts for many years. Secondly, an excellent production and camera base - the film crew has worked to fame and all the events reflected on the screen look not only as realistic as possible, but also put them on the line between adequate perception of the world and animal aggression. Third, a couple of legendary actors from the last century whose films that generation grew up on. Let Van Damme and Lundgren are not the same (although only a fool can doubt their physical form), let everyone have rotten works, to put it mildly, first of all, the viewer remembers them for their iconic roles, and Luke Devereaux and Andrew Scott are such.
The invitation of the Belgian and the Swede for the main roles is a clear plus for Roland Emmerich, who found two real prototypes for the characters. If the appearance of Van Damme disposed to himself, his face causes confidence and calmness, then the clearly delineated severe Scandinavian contours of Lundgren’s face on the contrary indicate that you are a man determined, ready to do anything to achieve his goal. The battle of two characters, two irreconcilable enemies in this case acquires brighter touches, which makes Unisol even cooler!
Naturally, the film, despite its bloody nature, is not deprived of a share of humor, which can also be put in the pluses. I always remember phrases from “The Rock” like: “Can you stop pouring, goat?” Because of your jokes, I almost died twice! or "Well, Fraer, you ruined your Ferrari!" She's not mine! And this one's not mine! So in “Unisol” there are such – for example, the cruel joke of the hero Lundgren “I listen to you with all my ears” with a demonstration of severed body parts.
I think modern creators of action movies, including fantastic ones, should learn from the movies of the 90s, because the closest approach to reality is there. It is in those films that the action-packed component of the film is presented with a special taste, which makes one and a half or two hours of film fiction pass fleetingly and leave a pleasant impression.
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
Only now, after exactly one distant viewing as a child, did I realize that this is nothing more than a cute and pop Terminator 2, with an old-schooler as famous as Arnie, with a similar truck on the tail, with a similar woman in the passenger seat, with similar cyborgs, but from the past! But unlike the same "Terminator", "Unisol" is not so deep, Van Damme is not as cool as Schwarzenegger and has no alternative (here it is more cool than Lundgren), not so beautiful and inventive, and in general this story is about how several men on one truck almost the whole film chases another man but with a woman, with only a footnote - these men are MORE than just men.
Although the idea of resurrected soldiers with the help of modern technology does not seem as fantastic as the story of the Terminator, nevertheless the film is more absurd. Take at least a sharp transformation from programmed puppets into their own prototypes Van-Damm and Lundgren: Schwartz only needed the beginning of the film to understand people's tears, BUT NOT WALK AWAY. Or here's ... Appetite! Where does the car get the desire to eat - but it's not funny, but that - where does this machine go all the digested food, if it is not a person, but a machine!!! Does this machine have any needs in life other than memories? And if you want to get to the bottom and analyze in detail each individual episode and each individual action of universal soldiers ... then there is no doubt that there are flaws and blunders to fig and treble! But this is old school - let us be lenient towards it, dear ones!
I have questions about the candidacy of Emmerich! The personality is certainly loud and clear... However, in my memory, there is NOT ONE really cool movie in Hollywood that a famous Dutchman would create. Not one! Despite the fact that he was entrusted with staggering budgets and entertaining plots, he never made even one little good, cute, unmistakable film! Unless -- I'm not mistaken -- (The same goes for unisol.)
What's interesting... So this is a confident game of peremptory movie scumbag Lundgren, based on an absolutely real post-Vietnamese syndrome, and in principle - the post-war syndrome, when a person who saw all the horrors and nightmares of the war, who took part in them, can no longer become as peaceful and bright as before. This fact (the main stimulator of the revenge of the character Dolph) is absolutely real and has been sung many times in films, in newspapers, on TV. This is truly a tragedy for the human brain and for his family and loved ones. And the famous Swede in “unisol” absolutely brilliantly demonstrated with his roar and thirst to cut and kill this deplorable phenomenon.
Interesting... In three states, the police and special services are not interested in the mass murders from Dolph for five days, but they are not without problems arrested and at gunpoint huddled in the crowd of the LCD and his Sharon Stone.
Interesting. The degree of immortality of the unisol... They burn and explode and die like flies. They are alive and well!
Of course, this is the lyrics... After all, we are going to review or watch for the first time in 2017 “Universal Soldier” of the 92nd not in the name of these questions and reasoning, but in the name of nostalgia for that time, the art of that time and the iconic persons of that hour, among which Lundgren is noticeable, and the Van Damme himself, who, perhaps, forever fixed the clique of the “universal soldier”, as Arnie once became the “Terminator”, “Nico” became Sigal, “Rambore”, “Norellone”, “Stalon”, “Nobr”, “Nore” became a bright line.
Summing up, a good classical odschool is not the most boring, but sometimes cheerful, and sometimes creepy, based on fiction, with two megastars of its time, with a venerable director at the head and with a link to childhood golden ...
I’ve known this movie for a long time, after watching it when it came out. I can’t remember my first impressions of watching it because it was small, but considering that the film hit the soul, I clearly liked it. I like it so much.
In the midst of the Vietnam War, one of the sergeants goes crazy and starts killing everyone, including his own. Private Luke Devereaux tries to convince the sergeant to go with him, but dies at his hands having managed to fatally wound him. Arrived reinforcements discover the bodies of dead soldiers, they are taken away, covered with ice, and recorded as missing. Decades later, they will meet again in battle. Only now they're not human anymore. They are universal soldiers.
As a child, this movie seemed like a perfect action movie. It has everything. And a great plot, and shootings, and fighting, and a lot of things. Jean-Claude Van Damme's films have always seemed epic and incredible in coolness to me, but now, with the passage of time, it all seems a little naive. Already the eye clings to inaccuracies, blunders, inconsistencies in the plot and other shortcomings. There are a lot of them in this movie.
Director Roland Emmerich always knew how to shoot large-scale canvases, but here for some reason he riveted a medium-handed action movie. I’m not arguing, the film is a great representative of its genre, but if you look at the rest of the action films released in the early 90s, the Universal Soldier is on its head lower. Not surprisingly, Terminator 2 has raised the bar high, and you can’t jump to that level. Even if you are Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.
7 out of 10
The 80s and 90s of the last century certainly gave many such a nostalgic era of militants and a golden age of the action genre as such. When worthy films of the action genre replaced each other with special frequency, and the idols of that time in the person of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme and many others did not descend from the screens. This film directed by Roland Emmerich can be safely called perhaps one of the brightest representatives of that time.
Probably it will not be an exaggeration to say that watching this picture has grown more than one generation of film lovers devoted to the genre and even now many prefer nostalgic emotions caused by watching this picture to watching most modern blockbusters. Having fundamentally moved to the American film market, the German director Roland Emmerich made his first high-profile film and later perhaps one of the best in the work of the director.
The film fully meets the requirements of the genre of action films of those times. Numerous chases, fights, explosions, destruction and shootings look great on the screen and clearly demonstrates the influence of the famous Mario Casara, who in this case is listed as the producer of the picture. All the action scenes are evenly distributed along the whole picture and the director of the film Roland Emmerich did his best to ensure that the interest of the audience between these scenes did not decrease. As a result, the film looks very dynamic, dense and certainly exciting.
It can not but please the plot itself, which stands out for its frank originality. That is a real rarity for the militants of that time and the main advantage of this tape before them. Perhaps in history there are some kind of flaws and from a scientific point of view, what you see does not always correspond to the truth, but you do not even think about this when watching the tape. Moreover, you really enjoy the rapid development of the plot. After all, frankly, the whole film is one continuous chase, which takes a breather each time appears in a different form.
The main pearl of the picture is certainly the performers of the main roles in the person of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, whose names mean a lot to loyal fans of militants of the 80s and 90s. When the very fact of the collision and confrontation between two mastadonts of the genre is so completely played out on the screen in the best form. Jean-Claude is still magnificent and once again demonstrates his signature stroke in the jump with a turn, and Dolph created a damn charismatic villain on the screen and as a result played one of the best roles in his career.
10 out of 10
Universal Soldier is a classic old-school action movie of the 90s and an immortal classic of the action genre, which not only successfully passed the test of time, but also in addition to everything even now is not inferior to modern action films. Very dynamic, spectacular and very exciting film, which certainly gives the charm and weight of the magnificent duet of Van Damme and Lundgren.
A very simple opinion. Universal Soldier. If I wrote a hundred times without pretending to be smarter, more majestic with the help of quotes, prefaces and other unnecessary things in the “cap”, then I will not here either.
The author of this opus always knew how the cycle of “simple opinions” would end, and the jubilee opinion will be about the cinema that turned me into the moviegoer I am.
"Universal Soldier" was the first movie I saw on the wide screen, and it's still printed on the back of my retina. And, I think the reason is not only the novelty and pioneering mission that lay on this film. “Universal Soldier” is quite a good movie, even now, more than ten years later.
And what if neither Lundgren nor Van Damme were stars of the same size as they were then filmed? What if a few sequels killed all the charm the original had? Emmerich manages to make stupid films, but at the same time not liquefying the brain of the viewer. Yes, his cinema is a clear representative of the eras in which they are shot and shown to the viewer, but meanwhile, those and a half problems that poses the cinema are clear today.
The conflict between a soldier blindly executing an order and a man standing in the ranks, firing and deciding combat orders will remain exactly until robots serve in the army. So what if you tried to make a robot out of a human? What if he has something in his brain? What happens in the brains of a robot and a soldier? If you try to look for a black cat in a black room, he will tell you exactly what I wrote above about the Universal Soldier, then he will smile predatoryly, and disappear, since most likely this could not be put into the film.
In the end, this is a bright representative of the militants of the 90s, with an interesting idea, a bit of humor, skillful directing (the frame with the dam is still remembered by the author), and the invariable fight of a good guy and a bad one-on-one in the final. But the main thing that distinguishes the film among the likes of it is a skillful balance between all this, which makes the first part quite interesting even now. Yes, editing, explosions, manner of shooting and actors are firmly stuck in that time, but the quality of age does not.
In general, completing the cycle of “simple opinions” with the first movie seen in the cinema, I want to praise Emmerich for a firmly folded film, and the film itself, for awakening love for cinema.
Good movie. It can and should be revisited now.
In 1992, director Roland Emmerich managed to make a really cool movie, which tells about two soldiers who fought in Vietnam, but later became Unisols.
Already in Hollywood, in fact, more crisis of ideas, but in the 90s with this problem was not, before the release of Unisol came out on such topics cult films as Terminator, Robocop and others, despite this at that time the film turned out to be great and even now touches and inspires, not only because it is a film of my childhood, but because everything was filmed beautifully, dynamically, chic acting, chic fights, an amazing finale.
The film is a very spectacular beginning and spectacular end, in the beginning show the horror of the Vietnam war, what can lead a man to war, Sergeant Scott went through a lot in this war and lost his mind, and for him the war will never be over, he will kill and kill, he is like a Bear who tasted blood, for him traitors are everywhere. Luke also lost a lot in this crazy war, but he managed to save face and remain human, their confrontation will end only in the final of the tape, and ended no less spectacularly than it all began.
I really enjoyed watching the Unisols as they went on a combat mission, the favorite moments of this film are of course associated with Luke and journalist Veronica Roberts, who likes to smoke, and likes to go to the end just like Luke, despite the fact that she is fired, she wants to finish her report.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, one of the best roles of Jean, he is very good not only in waving his legs and confronting Dolph, but it was interesting to watch him in unusual situations, for example, when Veronica was looking for a beacon from him, and especially when he was dining in a diner, this is probably the most fun moment of the film, in some moments I did not recognize Jean at all, when he only met Veronica, he was not recognized at all, he spoke very quietly and calmly was timid, he was not like the Jean I used to see.
Dolph Lundgren, after the role of Ivan Drago - this is his best role, if not the best, often heard from friends that Dolph knows only how to fight, namely, acting skills he lacks, what he categorically disagrees with, in the role of Scott is gorgeous, there are so many emotions in his hero, his hero is an absolute madman, facial expressions, looks, deeds speak about it, smirks, bullying, etc., it is his game that is very pleasing to the eye, his jokes and his phrases: Traitors are everywhere. Dolph proved himself in this film not a machine, but an actor who can perfectly play a man who has lost his mind.
Movies for all time
10 out of 10
P.S. - You're a corpse, fighter.
- No, I'm gonna live.
Universal Soldier is an interesting film project created by a creative young author of large-scale productions of Hollywood. Director Roland Emmerich managed to successfully combine his instincts of the future master of multimillion-dollar blockbusters, creating a bright colorful futuristic shell, and put there the hot soul of a tightly shot down fighter, puffing with proper rating with juicy shootouts and desperate fights. A solid budget gave a luxurious sweep with excellent scenery, balancing on the verge of fantastic fiction and plausible entourage of militaristic tin soldiers of a possible near future. The shooter-killer turned out to be an excellent, breathtaking attributes of the “old school”, when the finishing bullet generously splashes red paint, the mandatory genre chase pleases the naturalism of stunt tricks without the intervention of computer deception, on the screen trained athletes with martial arts skills, and in places scattered several successful jokes that brighten up the view.
“Unisol” is not only another summer American blockbuster ninety-second year, but also a really cool “boy” film, animated by the absolutely quintessence of any good action movie. The characteristic symbiotic opposition of the impressive hero and the colorful villain is strengthened many times due to the plot idea that destined two sworn enemies to fight even after their own death, gaining superpower and invulnerability. The classified program made them tireless biological robots, waving their hands and feet, and the military gave them – to us the joy of the audience – a whole arsenal of their toys that explode brightly and shoot loudly, so that the story does not lose the intensity of the drive action non-stop.
A favorite action movie from childhood is not an analysis. It is something more, full of sincere admiration that could not outshine an iota of non-colored poorly tuned TVs in two channels and a half and pirated videotapes of terrible quality in a rattling VCR. Oh, there were heroes who sucked sweetly under a spoon, as soon as their names appeared on the screen! There was Jean-Claude Van Damme playing "good" unisol. And played so that we boys desperately dreamed of being like him as only possible, necessarily getting the cherished poster on the wall with a posing idol with a miracle camera on the eye, genuinely empathizing with all the simple scenario twists and turns that require the actor to prove in practice the professional suitability of the future Hollywood star. We did not realize that this film was the key to his career, pulling from the niche of inexpensive kulak fighters category B, allowing us to demonstrate excellent physical shape with branded choreographic skills in a large production with a long-awaited million dollar fee. There was also Dolph Lundgren - the one that is "evil" dissolute, forcing him fiercely, but boyishly hate with delight for the authenticity of the portrayal of a psychopathic sergeant, crushed by the war in Vietnam. The villain was so colorful, hung with trophies and a hypnotic ear necklace that other iconic early roles in the asset of an already well-rising genre celebrity were phenomenally forgotten. Add to this carefully played trick scenes with their participation, including the climactic militant expanse of the decisive battle of a pair of characters against the background of a voracious combine harvester, and we get a chic genre picture, if approached objectively. And if subjectively - a wonderful time machine for a little more than an hour and a half, allowing grown-up boys to experience a pleasant feeling of nostalgia, despite the fact that the action films are now different, favorite actors are increasingly starring in low-quality movies, and subsequent parts of the franchise have slipped into something strange.
For the first time, I watched a film with a single-voice translation on a videotape, with an overlay of English translation, so I could only make out half the dialogue.
Later, I watched the film without translation and was able to understand almost everything. This is because there is no difficulty in understanding the characters of the film. They say simple words, do simple things, and are subject to very clear aspirations. Everything is so obvious that you can watch without sound. In this understanding, there are both strengths and weaknesses of the Universal Soldier.
Director
The legendary director of modernity Roland Emmerich started in Hollywood with low-budget and not too successful film projects. The universal soldier is the first serious step in Emmerich’s career. You could say he was lucky. The producers took European director Emmerich to replace the American director, for better contact with Lundgren and Van Damme.
Roland Emmerich caught his luck by the tail and made a very high-quality film with a tense atmosphere, diluted with curious situations and pranks. "Universal Soldier" had some box office success and would have been well received by critics. Emmerich was showered with offers from famous film studios and he reached a qualitatively new level for himself. Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla and Patriot are Emmerich’s next four paintings that made him rich and famous.
Scenario
The script of the film leaves a double impression. On the one hand, Universal Soldier has a great original idea. A special unit is created, trained to perform tasks of the highest category of complexity. The unit is formed of soldiers with an iron will, ready to carry out any order. They have no fear of death because they are already dead. Life in them is supported by high technology and a small group of military scientists and doctors. Everything would have gone smoothly had it not been for memories that cannot be erased from the memory of our heroes. Again, a very good and original idea. However, there are questions about the implementation of these ideas in the scenario.
First, no one will allow the military to carry out an operation to free hostages - this is the case of police special forces.
Secondly, according to the commander of the detachment, the authorities are not aware of the existence of a detachment of universal soldiers, but he calmly gives interviews to various TV channels, without hesitation to say that the detachment has already had three successful operations.
Just think about it, the military unit has several successful operations in peacetime! Most states explicitly prohibit military operations on their territory. There are other inconsistencies, but otherwise, we can say that the film is predictable and comes to a logical end.
I don’t particularly focus on the Vietnam War, enough has been said about it.
Quotes:
“He's not alive. He's dead. So did I."
Actors
The main roles in the film are played by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. There are no complaints to them, everything that is needed for the film, they perform at a good level (excellent physical training, sensitive fights, pain and mental anguish).
Ed O’Ross, known to the Russian audience for the film “Red Heat”, was also a good choice. But Van Damme's partner, Ellie Walker, is overplaying. Ellie's career had long shootings in Santa Barbara and it seems that she took Santa Barbara with her. Against the background of restrained and well-coordinated acting of the other participants of the action, all this looks comical. But the film doesn't spoil.
Visuality
Visuality is the most important parameter for an action movie. A lot of visual effects depend on the budget. The film looks bright, there is good camera work, but the money was obviously not enough. Blow up a lot, tastefully, but mostly useless gas stations, village houses or broken cars designed for scrap.
When shot in the eye, the head should naturally recline. The speed of the bullet is crazy, it is impossible to close your eyes. Watch the scene and you’ll see the actor clasped before being sprayed with ketchup on his face. It seems to be a small thing, but the little things that make up the film.
What is impossible to find fault with is the staging of the fight of the main characters. Actually, all fights are great.
Soundtrack
The musical theme in the film is quite tense. It passes in the background and is not very memorable. Rock 'n' roll sounds in the roadside cafe - it is always a good choice. The surprise awaits us in the credits, the song is performed by the thrash metal band Body Count, the vocalist of which was then the famous rapper Ice-T. In general, the soundtrack is quite high quality. I would say universal...
TOTAL: 8 out of 10
The universal soldier can be viewed several times without losing interest. A good movie that leaves behind pleasant emotions. Such a movie now causes a tear of tenderness for the old glorious times. One of the best films with Van Damme.
Cameron in 1984 removed the cult "Terminator", creating a memorable image of a robot dressed in human skin. In 1987, Paul Verhoeven shot the legendary Robocop, in which he presented the brightest image of a robotic ordermaker: partly a robot, partly a machine. It would seem that what else can surprise the viewer, already spoiled by such high-quality films of a fantastic action movie? Actually, it's complicated. That is why "Universal Soldier" repeats in a rather close manner the win-win idea of Robocop, except that it is somewhat veiled. Once again, the movies feature the dead, animated by the latest technologies, stuffed with electronics and designed to fight terrorism. Director Roland Emmerich knew how to make a good movie – and he was able to create a worthy product of his time and a classic example of a reference fantastic action movie.
The presence in the main roles of such venerable and famous actors as Jean-Claude Van Damme (Luc Devereaux) and Dolph Lundgren (Andrew Scott) - already half of the success of the picture. And let Van Damme at that time remained hidden the concept of "acting" - it is still pleasant to look at. As always, because he's cool. We say "fight" -- we mean Van Damme, we say Van Damme -- we mean fight. Although, in principle, no acting was required from him here. He should have kept walking with a “brick expression” and did what he knows how to do very well: kick in the face. With Lundgren, the situation is somewhat different. He looks more impressive, and plays more convincingly. Dolph is generally perfectly given images of both cold-blooded killers and complete psychopathic maniacs. And he's more emotional. And yet old Jean-Claude somehow closer to our viewer. I was also pleased with Ellie Walker, who played a somewhat cynical and vain, but still kind, courageous and responsive reporter in this tape.
About special effects, the staging of fights - I do not want to stop. That makes sense. The budget for the early 90s is considerable, and if the director also puts his hands where necessary, then there is nothing to worry about at all. Everything is done at the highest level.
If there is one thing that is not impressive, it is the music. It's kind of ... empty. I don't remember at all. It's like she never was. Humor is not enough, only a couple of scenes; besides, it is cruel and gloomy, as well as the film as a whole.
Oddly enough, but my main claim to the scene of the final fight. First, it is unclear (no explanation at all) how Scott survived the fall of his truck from a cliff without serious damage. Well, that's okay. God be with him. But that's why, having become human, both Luke and Andrew became so hyperactive, so emotional, and finally, why did they suddenly feel pain? The soldier GR76 (Ralph Möller) at the beginning of the film received a whole clip from the terrorist in the chest, but did not make a sound. And Van Damme and Lundgren, in their last skirmish, roar furiously, hiss in pain and wrinkle in every possible way. No, no, no.
Anyway, but the film is spectacular, driving and, dare I say, not so stupid ... for an action movie. Lovers of Van Damme can not be missed! And the others too.
“For a fifty-year-old uncle, you are well preserved.”
This cool, spectacular and damn fascinating, released in the distant 1992th year, the film is a kind of calling card of two pillars of the action genre - Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. For the successful, but slowed down in recent years, director Roland Emmerich, he became a gateway to the world of big cinema, and helped to gain a long foothold in Hollywood. And screenwriter Dean Devlin, they actively declared themselves as the author of a commercially successful mainstream (and later more than once successfully collaborated with Emmerich). That’s right – we are talking about the fantastic action movie “Universal Soldier”. Today, more than 20 years later, he remains as cool and looks with no less interest than then, in the early 90s. The quality of video media has only increased, and if we used to watch it in pirated quality, voiced by the nefarious voice of the cassette translator, today we have the digital quality of the DVD format at our disposal. On which it is perfectly clear that the picture shot 20 years ago looks more competent in terms of entertainment than its ugly sequels shot much later and by completely different, less talented people.
The film begins in 1969, in the jungles of Vietnam. There, in the midst of a battle between American regular troops and local rebels, a skirmish occurs between soldier Luke Devereaux and Sergeant Andrew Scott. The first tried to protect an innocent girl taken hostage, and the second wanted to kill her. In the battle, both soldiers killed each other, but this story of these unfortunate soldiers did not end. Our days. All of America is watching as a squad of special forces, whose members are nicknamed “universal soldiers” perform a number of complex and dangerous missions, completely without loss of personnel. On the last mission, for example, they quickly and harmoniously eliminated the terrorists who took hostages and released civilians. There is absolutely nothing known about who these guys are. A meticulous TV reporter, wanting to curry favor with her superiors, infiltrates a closed military base and learns the shocking secret of the “universal soldiers.” It turns out that these are dead, previously well-established fighters, who with the help of science have been revived and used as a well-functioning tool in the fight against crime and terrorism. Taking unique footage on film, the heroine becomes the object of persecution for the leadership of this secret unit. On her defense stands one of the "unisols" - the same Luke Devereaux. And a couple even manage to escape. But not everything is so simple, soon the command of a detachment of “universal soldiers” goes to the former sergeant Andrew Scott, who, like Luke, remembers his past life, and decides to get even with his old opponent.
The chase will take place in the mountainous and deserted American province. Expected car chases, shootouts and of course cool hand-to-hand fights. I will especially highlight the action scene in which a prison bus carrying an arrested journalist and Luke is suddenly overtaken by an armored refrigerated truck carrying "unisols" and their "servants" (medical scientists). The hero of the brutal Dolph Lundgren, Sergeant Scott, will ram the bus, shoot it with a machine gun and throw grenades at it, and then both cars will crash from a cliff. It's going to be very spectacular and cool. This episode alone is worth all the low-budget and boring sequels of this film combined! But there will still be a couple of cool skirmishes between the heroes Van Damme and Lundgren, and their tough final duel (in which the first, as always, will demonstrate his trademark “turn kick”, that is to say, the ballet past was not wasted). There will be several tense episodes when the “evil military” almost catch up with the fugitives and put in the genre of “happy end”. In addition, the film is full of good humor and memorable characters. These, of course, are first and foremost Unisols 13th (Scott) and 44th (Devereaux) – well played by Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But so is Veronica Roberts (the pretty Ellie Walker) and Colonel Perry (Ed O, Ross) – the generally negative hero – the commander of the “universal soldiers”, until the situation spirals out of control. There is still, as always, a textured Jerry Orbak in the role of the “good” doctor who started this experiment on “disabled” soldiers. Who, after meeting Veronica and Luke, promises to help them make this case public.
The film was shot very well, in the old-fashioned way (the camera savors the most “cimus” of action-shoots, and does not try to hide it in the molding of frames), and the cool soundtrack complements the picture, giving the film even more drive and steepness. From which side do not look: before us is an exemplary genre masterpiece, a hit action movie doomed to cult glory. It is clear that the authors of the picture wanted to create something worthwhile and spared no effort for this. After all, with a relatively modest budget (23 million dollars), no one then unknown Roland Emmerich was able to shoot in fact not aging and exciting blockbuster. And the 44th “unisol” later became one of the classic and beloved characters of the action idol of the 90s Jean-Claude Van Damme. So if you like quality action movies and especially this actor, I not only highly recommend Universal Soldier to watch, I am genuinely surprised that you haven’t seen it before. Of course, my assessment of the ageless, since childhood, beloved creation of Emmerich will not be lower than:
10 out of 10
P.S.
And damn those who worked on the lousy, ridiculous and totally unnecessary sequels of this picture.
Roland Emmerich is an outstanding director. Many people know him for such beautiful films as “The Day After Tomorrow”, “Godzilla” (1998), “Patriot” and “Independence Day” and without a doubt, these films were loved by many. But I suggest going back to 1992. It was then that the truly cult film “Universal Soldier” appeared, which really glorified Emmerich and opened up great actors – Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, for whom, I think, this film was the best in their career, as their careers have recently declined.
Plot:
First, the film takes us to Vietnam in 1969, where the main characters are shown: Luke DeVreau, who is just an ordinary private, and Andrew Scott, a sergeant who looks like a madman, making a necklace out of his ears. One night something happens: Luke sees a sergeant killing ordinary people who have done nothing. Then Devreaux gets into a fight. A few years later, the Universal Soldier program appears - soldiers who are not afraid to lose their lives, always go into battle, tactful and enduring, but no one knows who they are. The two soldiers in this program are Devereaux and Scott. Soon Luke escapes with a journalist to find out the truth, and Scott and the rest of the soldiers follow in their footsteps.
Actors:
Another plus is of course the actors Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, who add power to the film, being on opposite sides of the barricades, although they have fought together before. Luke DeVreau looks more human than an insensitive machine that will take everyone’s life without hesitation.
total:
A great film with a great director, a good cast, mass fights and shootouts. I recommend this film to anyone who loves a good movie that is getting old!
7 out of 10
The Adventures of German Director Roland Emmerich in Hollywood
This is the most successful film by German director Ronald Emmerich and the time of the rise of the legendary producer and creator of the studio “Carolco” Mario Kassar. Under the leadership of Mario Kassar, the films “Remember All”, “Climb climber”, “Terminator-2” were released. Director Roland Emmerich, who directed inexpensive fantastic comedies and detectives, has long wanted to try his hand in Hollywood and I think that really the debut was a success – Emmerich met the expectations of producer Cassar, achieving excellent commercial results. In the film "Universal Soldier" starred two wonderful actors - Belgian Jean Claude Van Damme and Swede Dolph Lundgren. They first appeared in special uniforms, with automatics and surveillance cameras on their right eye, codenamed Gr44 and Gr13. Jean Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren had to play robots that are programmed to unconditionally submit to the leadership of UniSol and who are ready to endure any overload in the course of performing their tasks. For the first time, these actors had to play people with etched memories and emotions.
The film "Universal Soldier" is not just an action movie where one shoots at another and where a fight is shown for the sake of a fight, and in this film there are subtexts over which the viewer must think. "Universal Soldier" depicts the revenge of Vietnam veterans on American society, which does not care about them. The people are the ones who do not give up. Directed by Roland Emmerich, what if all Vietnam War veterans came to life in their prime? The viewer sees that the consciousness of a person consists not only of what has been embedded in him throughout his life, but also of the very essence of man. The duel of two strong personalities is shown as good and evil. I rate this movie 10 out of 10.
Without a doubt, the best film in the career of both Van Damme and Lundgren and in general one of the best action films. The clearest example of how to make films of this genre. This film has everything for a lover of this genre.
Fights. It's getting better. Van Damme and Lundgren. Both are at the peak of their physical form. They will also be able to shoot with different weapons. So the shootings are no worse. A huge number of well-made explosions and a chic chase on vehicles. And even in this movie, there's something that a lot of action movies aren't even close to. It's just one man's great acting. Lundgren played a crazy soldier amazingly. Just as it is impossible to imagine the role of the Terminator not performed by Schwarzenegger, it is impossible to imagine the role of Sergeant Andrew Scott not performed by Dolph. And I'm not just talking about how to wave his legs, but how he conveyed the emotions of a crazy man who sees traitors everywhere. So this is undoubtedly the best role of Dolph in his entire career.
And Van Damme. Van Damme played here as usual. He showed off his turntable and put bad guys right and left. There is no acting game, but it is not especially needed in such films, but the ability to kick at the bottom of his head was at a height then. And he did it very well.
Just one of the best action movies of all time, which any fan of action movies or personally Van Damme and Lundgren is simply MUST watch. And not just once.
Interesting movie, cruel little. it was a pleasure to watch!
Dolph Lundgren, as always, perfectly coped with his work, his role was the main one and he clearly invested all his efforts to make the picture look as believable as possible. here just a few minutes ago I reviewed the film and I was very fascinated by the whole picture of what is happening in the film. from the very beginning of watching the film I expected some not interesting picture, but as it turned out I was wrong. I really like the film despite the cruelty and fights.
Jean-Claude Van Dam played his role as a good servant.
Dolph Lundgren – the role of an evil and tough employee he succeeded in fame.
I really liked the film, I can’t say anything bad. everything was in moderation, the fight between Jean-Claude and Dolph was great, each of them showed their abilities and their strength, they excelled in the film!
Exactly. There are films that are good according to their time, but after a couple of years they are forgotten. And in this, the viewer is helped by all the new prepared products from Hollywood chefs. But they also eventually go into the background, giving way to the new. And so on and so forth. Unfortunately, in our time, such "disposable" pictures are full - and they collect the main viewer, mostly thanks to expensive special effects. But here's what's interesting: today's viewer will prefer just such films, which are full of transformers, beautiful slow-motion shots, computer graphics, which does not even look as real as the special effects of the last generation, chic cars, pathetic fools in miniskirts and modern beats of popular hip-hop artists. And it does not matter if these films can be watched once or twice – they will be replaced by other similar blockbusters, which are stamped several dozen per year. But about such films as Rocky, Universal Soldier, Armor of God, Commando, Disassembly in Little Tokyo, Capture or Lone Wolf Modern viewer will say: "Old man." Nothing interesting! For nothing. That’s what modern stamped “masterpieces” are lacking – these are souls. But in the above pictures of those years, this very “soul” was at least plenty. That is why these paintings, although not new, but eternal - time-tested.
Universal Soldier was in general an explosive film, if only because there were two stars of militants: Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. 1992 was the peak of popularity of the heroes of our childhood: Stephen Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, the same Van Damme and Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce, Willis... And so the film itself, on the poster of which at least one of these names was adorned, already promised to be cool.
German Roland Emmerich filmed a truly large-scale action thriller about the confrontation between two fellow soldiers who died together in the literal sense and met again after two decades. And again in the same unit. And their battle is fought again. It was this film that opened the way for Emmerich to the heart of the Hollywood sharks. It is a pity that Emmerich could not fully understand the beauty of such a masterpiece, after which he took on larger projects, betting on entertainment, such as Godzilla, the Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day ... In most of these works, the very idea of the director was worthwhile, but teeming with plot flaws and unnecessary pathos of the main characters, when all people are cheating, and the main character is the only one who knows what to do, saving almost all of humanity. But the destruction was magnificent. The Universal Soldier has always been, is and always will be the best work of a European.
Jean-Claude Van Damme played to the glory of Luke Devereaux, who will never shoot the unarmed and innocent. He just wants to go home and live like before. Quite silent, but well trained to kill, Unisol realizes that human feelings are no stranger to him. Luke Devereaux looks rather gray here due to the lack of charisma. But Van Damme's play has nothing to do with it - such is the character himself. And Van Damme, as an actor, just played it right.
Dolph Lundgren - that's who shone here and pulled off to the full program. His sergeant, Andrew Scott (a name really fitting in a slight distortion - he is a real cattle) - a scumbag and sadist, hanging around his neck a necklace made with his own hands from the ears of his dead enemies - will not hesitate to kill anyone if he appears to be the enemy. The problem is that Scott develops paranoia and everyone around him seems to be enemies and traitors, and Scott believes that the war continues.
Many people would say that the actor from Lundgren is not. But here he played amazingly, eclipsing everyone else. A truly colorful villain.
Ellie Walker in the role of cute, brazen and desperate journalist Veronica Roberts also did not disappoint. It is a pity that the other films with her participation are not so noticeable to our viewer. I wouldn’t mind seeing it in other projects.
The result is simple: this film is one of the best works of both the main characters and the director himself.
Verdict: You need to look and review. Although I would be very surprised if there is someone who has not yet seen him.
The film, though old, but time tested. Not like modern blockbusters.
"Universal Soldier" stands alone in the list of tapes featuring Belgian superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme. Previous work of the actor mainly showed us his remarkable fighting skills, and the plot was pushed to the second or third plan. Here it is the opposite – the emphasis is on the plot, while the action is only a necessary addition to it.
Unisol is the perfect killing machine. It is hard to kill someone who is already dead. However, UNISOLs can be of benefit to society by, for example, freeing hostages from captivity, destroying terrostic groups, etc. Their use is very practical, but any car can get out of control, which actually happened with long-standing and irreconcilable rivals - Sergeant Scott (Dolph Lundgren) and Luke Devereaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme).
Just for the idea of Ronaldo Emerych can already put a solid five. But the quality of the performance did not disappoint. For the 90s, special effects were performed at the highest level, the number of chases, shootouts and fights is exactly the volume in which it is necessary, and everything is fine with humor. The tandem of the main characters turned out to be famous. I don’t really like Dolph Lungren and his action movies, but in this movie, his character is pretty damn charismatic and memorable. Perhaps I could even include him in the list of the most prominent movie villains. The hero of Van Damme in this regard looks simpler - a minimum of emotions, a minimum of words, but this was quite enough not to fall out of the clip.
“Universal Soldier” is a great action movie, with a clever plot, bright characters and an unforgettable atmosphere of the distant 90s, which gives real pleasure to watch and review.
8 out of 10
“Universal Soldier” is probably one of the best action films with Van Damme, who stands on a par with “Blood Sport” and “Hard Target”. And although it has been no less than 20 years since the release of the film, it still looks like a hurrah. I remember when I first saw him back in 1997, I almost jumped with delight. I recently revisited the film and I can say that my previous impressions have not cooled down. What is the secret of Unisol’s success?
The most important plus, in my opinion, is the lack of graphics, which is so firmly entrenched in the ranks of modern militants. And here the creators were able to please us with excellent shootouts and hand-to-hand fights, which were performed at a highly professional level. The final battle of Andrew Scott and Luke Devereaux keeps in real tension. When he first watched a movie, he twitched in fear in the episode when the sergeant “resurrected” and appeared at Luke’s parents’ house! And chasing a truck after a bus in the desert is beyond praise. Technically speaking, this is great!
There are humorous moments in the film. Devereaux said, “You push the car faster than my mommy drives it!” The most important thing here is that in the presence of these humorous inserts, the tape does not lose its seriousness and in any case does not turn into a comedy, as it happened unfortunately with the sequel, but about this a little later - in the next resension.
And finally, it is impossible not to mention the cast. That Van Damme, that Dolph Lundgren perfectly played their roles, but Lundgren liked more - he has a stronger role. The mad sergeant in his performance is simply magnificent! I think it's one of Dolph's best roles, if not the best. He's very good at playing geeks.
In conclusion, I want to say to Roland Emmerich a big thank you for one of the best fighters of the 90s, for giving us this little masterpiece. They don't do that anymore. Unless Stallone keeps pampering us occasionally with old-school samples.
At a time when the world did not yet know such films as “Avatar”, “Titanic” and other blockbusters, in which crazy sums were invested, the world of cinema was already conquered by the might. Amazingly, at that time these two guys were brought against each other and squeezed all the juices from them in one of the best fighters of the time - "Universal Soldier".
In films like this, the plot was never as important or as simple as the door, but in this film, it doesn’t fit into any of the above categories. In this film there is an interesting plot, which keeps in suspense until the very end and every time brings various surprises, in the form of the arrival of a negative character in the parking lot to truckers or the final of the film itself.
The production of scenes of chases, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat is set in the best traditions of militants of the time. It would seem that everything is very simple, but still with what taste and enthusiasm it is all filmed. Take the same scene with the shelling of the hotel or the operation on the dam. The images themselves are carved into memory and sit there for many years.
There was no humor, even if it was specific. Some pearls, such as: "Wake up private, motherfucker!" - a phrase said by the character of Dolph Landgren and much more can be entered in the citation for a long time.
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren look great in the film (and now, after all these years). Both are toned, charismatic and, as they say, in the juice itself. Of course, the character of Sergeant Scott (Dolph Lundgren) was most pleased, and the fact is that this character is so charismatic that it can give odds to any other negative characters who have appeared in movies over the past 20 years.
The film was viewed as a child on a VCR, so there can be no talk about dubbing the film, of course, no one likes it now, but I strongly recommend watching the film translated by Andrei Gavrilov to feel the whole nostalgic atmosphere of the good old action movie.
Universal Soldier is one of the best fighters of the late 20th century. The film, which has almost no drawbacks, is endowed with excellent action and which can be revised a huge number of times. And if you haven’t seen this movie yet, then you definitely need to correct this mistake to see how the best action films were shot before.
Before the release of Part 4, I decided to recall the previous parts of the cult film. I have always associated Van Damme with this tape because, in my humble opinion, this is his best role out of many rather similar characters. Also very good Dolph Lungren as Sergeant Scott, he managed a very negative villain.
The film begins in 1969 in Vietnam, where between the heroes of Lunglgren and Van Damme there is a conflict in which they must die. But as it turned out, they were rescued and made of them ideal soldiers who are not afraid of bullets that carry out orders without question and at the same time have inhuman power. But during one of the tasks, Luke’s memory gradually begins to return. .
The film as action films of the last century look great not thanks to the picture made on the computer, but thanks to the magnificent work of stuntmen. That's why they have some whistling. And a wonderful final fight between Lungren and Van Damme, which was shot 3 days! I also wanted to celebrate a good game Ellie Walker did not spoil the picture with her presence.
The plot in these pictures fades into the background and this is upsetting, could be more interesting to beat.
In general, we have a great action movie, which gave the world the magnificent Van Damme and Lungren for which a special thank you to the director of this picture Roland Emmerich.
In the nineties, brutal characters and icons of the “fighter” genre shine with their muscular physique. Real athletes and men used to be the main person of the genre, where in no case could it come to the sanity of the characters and demonstrate their mind. The head on the shoulders did not play an important role, and in some paintings the heads were safely cut off by the bad guys. Modern viewers may come to a sophisticated conclusion that before the cinema was kept on machines, banks and cubes, and nowadays cinema is in a more brainy section. This is the real old school. Modern cinema, of course, pleases with its unusualness and sometimes complexity, but sometimes you want to see something old, brutal and simple, but looking at the action films of our days, you can come to the sad conclusion that cinema, which was previously not seen, and there are only hopes for Statham.
Before us no longer notice what picture of the confrontation between two characters, two sides and each from ancient times brought up the goal of killing, waving hands and feet, but distinguishes the guys only two easily understandable words - good and evil. The age-old theme of fighting, saving innocents and destroying traitors continues, although it is rather banal in nature, which will haunt throughout screen time. The excessive amount of heroism arising from the main characters adds more and more broken tables, eaten popcorn and explosions. When we feel the character of Jean-Claude Van Damme the absence of sharp jokes, for example, for which the “Terminator” is famous, then Luke needs one stroke of the foot or look with his expressive eyes to love this hero and put in a prominent place in the memory of the best heroes of childhood.
The magical and powder-soaked classic of the militants leads to the connection, comparisons of famous paintings. "Universal Soldier" can be safely added to the category of "Terminator" or "Robocop" with an identical theme of a man who spoils society, trying to make it more comfortable and sweet, but thereby accumulating even more dangerous problems. A not too complicated topic about society, masculinity and the ability to insert beautiful dents on the body with spectacular kicks make the Universal Soldier a classic with strong friends ("Rambo, Terminator, Robocop).
In some places, a tough, sometimes sensitive and understandable picture for everyone, where pathos whips buckets and good will always defeat evil and will necessarily save the girl, taking her into a strong male embrace. It's Classic!
So, an action movie whose name is immediately associated with Van Damme. The famous director, Van Damme and Lundgren in one tandem. Naturally, nothing bad turned out! but on the contrary! the film is interesting in its own way. at that time, in the early nineties, films of this kind looked in one breath!
Now the plot probably does not seem interesting to us, but at that time this film was watched several times! Great fighting scenes, shooting and all that. Jean and Lundgren look great, and if someone thinks that there are not enough fighting scenes in this creation, then he has the right to think so. It's not the kind of genre to stuff a movie with fights. It shows exactly the atmosphere of everything that is happening, so let’s say the worldview of each of the main characters! and it is right that Roland did not become teeming with hand-to-hand and the like. Just in moderation: there are shooters, and what is the scene of the fight at the end. this is what we all expect throughout the film! there is no playfulness, no tired plot, individual scenes, may be similar to others in other films. The whole plot moves evenly and smoothly to its logical conclusion without any climax in the course of the entire film!
In general, it is recommended to watch everyone who did not watch, and who did, then again. It was at that time that Jean began to gain power, which unfortunately is now asleep! A classic action movie, you could even say action in some way! The film deserves a score of 10, no matter what.
"Universal Soldier" was the first film, thanks to which we learned about the existence of "Roland Emmerich", a director who then soldier favorite many fantastic films "Stargate" and "Independence Day". But, let’s face it, then, in 1992, the year when the premiere of “Universal Soldier” took place, he, due to his obscurity in our homeland, and even then frankly neglectful attitude who the director of the tape was, say, a third-rate person. But in the first place was the legendary hero of the militants of the 80-90s of the last century, a Belgian by birth, Jean-Claude Van Damme; and the second place in importance was taken by the genre of the picture - a fantastic action movie.
Surprisingly, "Universal Soldier", having the straightforwardness of the militant of those years, came out somewhat in a detailed plan, which was expressed in a sharp contrast in quality. In this parameter "Universal Soldier" outplayed many, he had a well-coordinated plot, albeit fantastic, but the logic was in it. Everything went consistently, there was a whipping of passions, albeit not as exquisitely as it was with James Cameron, but still had its place, and this prompted interest in the film from the audience. Their due effect had and mandatory genre film scenes of fights and shootouts. They were not the euphoria of a pile of dead bodies, such as "Commandos", but were, so to speak, standardized.
The acting at that time did not have much importance, but the stretching of Jean-Claude Van Damme and the bodybuilding of Dolph Lundgren fit the structure of the film very convincingly and appropriately. In addition, both performers quite easily portrayed the classic scheme of the struggle “good and bad”, energetically conveyed it on the screen, so their organic duel was very interesting to watch, although everyone already knew who would emerge from it as the winner after the final mighty fight.
"Universal Soldier" is another of those films with which many have pleasant memories of acquaintance with the heroes of the militants of the end of the last century, even despite the banality of the whole action in the film, when you look at it already two decades later, he remained in memory as a very bright representative of his genre and era.
8 out of 10
