REVIEW: Universal Soldier – Regeneration (2010)

This fifth installment in the UNIVERSAL SOLDIER franchise marks a welcome return to form originally set by Roland Emmerich’s successful 1992 sci-fi actioner starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. After two lousy TV movie sequels minus any of the original cast and one disappointing 1999 production that squandered the involvement of Van Damme and fellow martial arts star Michael Jai White, the father-son filmmaking team of Peter and John Hyams step in to present a lean, well-crafted and action-packed movie with tight pacing, no fluff and plenty of hard-hitting, robust combat. Best of all, it brings back Van Damme and Lundgren, who although visibly older and a little slower, manage to hold their own opposite impressive MMA newcomers Andrei Arlovski and Mike Pyle. Put simply, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION is an action movie for action lovers that delivers where it counts.

The first thing this film does right is completely disregard the previous three hokey sequels and their depiction of Universal Soldiers, or Unisols, as having personality to pick up years after the original where Unisols go back to being lean and mean killing machines. It isn’t necessary to watch UNIVERSAL SOLDIER to enjoy REGENERATION but fans of the original will appreciate some of the content more, particularly Dolph Lundgren’s role as an insane Universal Soldier, or Unisol, named Andrew Scott who we last saw meeting a grisly demise thanks to a well-aimed kick from fellow Unisol Luc Deveraux (Van Damme).

REGENERATION opens with the frantic kidnapping of a state president’s son and daughter by separatists occupying Ukraine’s condemned Chernobyl nuclear facility. Their aim is to exchange the teenagers for captured members of their resistance movement. The Unisols get involved because one of their latest models, NGU (Arlovski) has gone AWOL with Dr. Colin (Kerry Shale), a rogue scientist now using his Unisol to provide muscle for the insurgents in exchange for financing to build a private army of Unisols. An initial rescue attempt by a small team of Unisols, backed up by military soldiers, ends in disaster when NGU effortlessly takes them out one by one.

Enter Luc Deveraux who has spent several years in rehabilitation in an experiment to reintroduce him to society. It’s not going so well but that doesn’t matter because he’s soon forcibly reenlisted as the last, best hope of countering NGU and stopping the separatists.

This simple setup is nicely filled out with several complimentary plot devices that alter the direction of the story. When is appears that the separatists’ demands will be met, a dissatisfied Dr. Colin enacts his own plan which includes unleashing his secret weapon, a regenerated Unisol based on Andrew Scott (Lundgren), the insane former Vietnam vet. That’s bad news for everyone because, as we learned in UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, he couldn’t be trusted by anyone as a man or a Unisol. Meanwhile, as Deveraux is being prepped for his mission to make a frontal assault, a particularly skilled soldier, Capt. Kevin Burke (Pyle), infiltrates the facility on his own in an attempt to rescue the children. So by the time that Deveraux begins his attack, the stage is set for a running battle involving four men, each with their own objectives and potential for kicking ass.

From the start it’s clear that producer Peter Hyams, also acting as cinematographer is giving the presentation of this film the same high-grade treatment he extended as director to films like OUTLAND, 2010 and TIMECOP. He favors long, continuous takes with smooth (not jerky) handheld camera operation that lends action scenes a real dramatic flair rarely seen in direct-to-video features. I don’t want to take away from John Hyams’ direction which appears to be very good, particularly when it comes to pacing and juggling his lead actors, but the photography in this film is fantastic.

The real treat is to see how the Hyams handle action sequences ably choreographed by Charlie Picerni and Borislav Iliew. There is a rare degree of clarity, impact and smooth editing that together produce fight scenes I had almost forgotten than Hollywood filmmakers were capable of. Close-ups and inserts are used sparingly while wider shots of the eye-catching industrial environment are used to enhance the rugged tone of the fighting.

Andrei Arlovski doesn’t really act in the movie because his role doesn’t call for it but when it comes to screen fighting, the guy appears to be a natural. With his MMA background, he doesn’t do the fancy extreme martial arts that current stars like Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror favor but he sufficiently telegraphs power and control in clean, efficient moves. I’m sure he’ll have to brush up on his acting for future roles but I would very much like to see more of Arlovski, perhaps in part because his looks remind me a little of a fit, no-nonsense version of late, great comic actor John Belushi. Maybe there is a future role for Arlovski involving a certain samurai deli chef.

Mike Pyle also made a good impression with his turn as a military captain a bit out of his league fighting amongst Unisols. He has a brief but enjoyable match against Arlovski that lets Pyle show off some of his own moves. Like Arlovski, he comes across very well as action star material despite having to share screen time with heavyweights. Hopefully, this film will give both men a launch pad for stardom in the future. It’s definitely a solid start.

The film’s sci-fi element is handled with equal skill with Unisols appearing adequately superhuman without relying on wirework and CG effects. Fans of the original film will notice some familiar nods to Emmerich’s film such as during a sequence where Unisols go barging through a series of walls. Yet for the most part, action is played straight with the humor of the original film toned down. This is aided greatly by the decision to leave out any sidekick for Van Damme. The supporting cast is kept to the sidelines to let the action do most of the talking, especially during the film’s unusually long 25-minute action finale.

In this way, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION is difficult to really criticize in spite of its simple plot and underdeveloped characters because it delivers exactly what it advertises. By design, plotting and dialogue takes a back seat to quality action. I often point out in other reviews the importance of using action to tell a story in an action movie. This is also what I mean by frequently saying that action must serve a story, even when the action dominates the story as it does here. This film advances a simple plot effectively by removing much of the unnecessary elements that tend to weigh down lesser dedicated action movies (see MATRIX REVOLUTIONS). On the other hand, the movie isn’t mind-blowing by genre standards. It’s obvious that Van Damme and Lundgren are past their prime for doing intense physical fighting of this nature and it could be argued that neither of them get enough screen time. The basic premise is cheesy while the whole kidnapping/terrorist plot is presented in an all-too-familiar and predictable manner. But none of this should get in the way of enjoying the film because the fundamentals for great B-action are present.

This is easily the best UNIVERSAL SOLDIER film to date and shows promise that despite major franchise missteps in the past it’s still possible to resuscitate a franchise with proper direction. Should John Hyams continue to follow in his father’s footsteps (minus that failed merger of wire-fu with swaskbuckling in THE MUSKETEER) then I expect more entertaining action and sci-fi movies in the future from this up-and-coming filmmaker. I’ll also be keeping an eye on Andrei Arlovski. There has got to be a “Samurai Delicatessen” script floating around Hollywood.

REVIEW: Universal Soldier - Regeneration (2010), 8.0 out of 10 based on 21 ratings

by Mark Pollard

Related Topics:
Andrei Arlovski  •  Dolph Lundgren  •  Jean-Claude Van Damme  •  John Hyams  •  Peter Hyams  •  Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2010)