Universal Soldier

Universal Soldier is a 1992 American military science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, produced by Allen Shapiro, Craig Baumgarten and Joel B. Michaels, and written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch and Dean Devlin. It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross and Jerry Orbach. Universal Soldier was released by TriStar Pictures on July 10, 1992.

Plot
During the Vietnam War, soldier Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) finds that his superior officer, Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren), has turned violently deranged, and the two fight to the death. After their bodies are retrieved, they are placed into a secret program in which they are reanimated and trained to become unquestioning killing machines. While Devereaux and Scott initially have no memory of their former lives, glimpses of their pasts start to return, rekindling their intense conflict.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The story about a soldier dying and being resurrected only to start regaining his memories is a well executed concept.
 * 2) The action sequences are intense and well executed, such as the Hostage Rescue and the bus chase.
 * 3) Excellent cinematography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub and brilliant Arizona location filming.
 * 4) The soundtrack is full of intense and good music that was composed by Christopher Frank.
 * 5) Some likable characters, like Luc Devereux and Veronica Roberts.
 * 6) Sergeant Andrew Scott is an over-the-top, entertaining and menacing villain.
 * 7) Good acting performances, especially from Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ally Walker and Dolph Lundgren.
 * 8) Memorable lines, such as You're discharged, Sarge and That's the spirit, Soldier!
 * 9) Some good funny moments now and again, such as the diner brawl.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The film can be a bit cliched and predictable with the plot being stale at times.
 * 2) Some may consider this film a clone of films like Terminator 2.
 * 3) The ending is also a bit anticlimactic. But there is an alternate ending that is thankfully much better.

Reception
Universal Soldier received mixed-to-negative by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 33% based on reviews from 33 critics. The site's consensus states: "Universal Soldier unites a pair of veteran action stars behind a potentially intriguing premise, but on this battlefield, entertainment value is largely AWOL.". On Metacritic it has a score of 35% based on reviews from 15 critics.

However, the reception of this film has become increasingly positive in recent years and many people now see it as a cult film.

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Trivia

 * Though they are supposed to be American, the Universal Soldiers are played by a Belgian (Van Damme), a Swede (Lundgren) and a German (Ralf Moller).
 * The Vietnam scenes were filmed at the Kingman, Arizona golf course with set dressings and fake foliage.
 * Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren got along with each other during production and became good friends.