Universal Soldier
Published November 28, 2020
Film info
- Title Universal Soldier
- Director Roland Emmerich
- Year 1992
- Run time 1hr 42m
- Genres Action, Thriller, Crime, Science Fiction
- Tagline The future has a bad attitude
Two soldiers kill each other in Vietnam and are then brought back to life 25 years later for a secret government program. Known as Unisols, they're genetically enhanced, unstoppable killing machines with no memory, no feelings and no free will. But on an anti-terrorist mission, Devreaux's memory starts to return and he escapes from the program. A superhuman chase across the country begins, with Sgt. Scott in unrelenting pursuit of the man who killed him. Devreaux heads for his home and a reunion with his unbelieving parents. There Sgt. Scott corners him for the ultimate clash of the titans.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 6:22 | Blimey, they killed each other. Short film. |
| 8:27 | Dolph said more in the first ten mins than he did in the whole of the Rocky series. |
| 10:09 | Lorry in a plane confuses me. |
| 13:46 | Showbiz in twenty seconds! She’s amazing. |
| 16:29 | Are real life people actually really running down that real life dam? Terrifying! |
| 20:19 | Many, many questions about the ethics behind this. |
| 25:19 | That’s the worst getaway ever! How’d they even have enough speed to get up the ramp! |
| 31:32 | Oh, ok, there are no ethics. |
| 38:55 | Yea, I don’t understand what waterbeds are about either. |
| 42:54 | “Twenty dollar security deposit.” |
| 52:58 | Always wear seat belts. Always. |
| 53:19 | Sergeant Hot Priest. |
| 1:02:50 | These men are so stupid, can’t they see the size of his muscles and what he’s done to the first guy? RUN! |
| 1:08:18 | OMG it’s Dr Houseman. |
| 1:14:29 | That’s clever. Romantic moment but oop, enormous amounts of police. |
| 1:21:39 | He must need some ice right now. |
| 1:27:25 | “Wow, you really have beautiful ears.” It’s creepy but it’s not a good catchphrase. |
| 1:36:24 | Should have known the minute they stepped on to a farm. |
Thoughts
I was expecting the worst from this because it fits in that slightly odd sci-fi work of the 80s/90s where super muscles do the bizzo at the expense of any acting skills. However! It was far better than I’d expected. It had its problems, sure, and there were a few minor plot holes that didn’t quite stack up and thus made me question the whole premise.
But put that aside and it had great humour (the restaurant scene was a lot of fun), some amazing fight sequences (could have done without the farm machinery, if I’m honest), and a female sidekick who was impressive rather than irritating. I also liked the recall of various moments repeating themselves… for good or for bad. So not a top notch movie but a lot of fun.
Rating: 3 / 5