Review of Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2010) by Mika H — 24 Jun 2010

This film has received surprisingly positive reviews for a DTV action film and I have to say it was better than I expected. Universal Soldier: Regeneration is directed by John Hyams who is the son of director Peter Hyams(Timecop, Busting, Narrow Margin, Presidio) and he certainly has learned how to craft an exciting action vehicle just like his dad.

Both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren are in the film though Dolph is basically relegated to an extended cameo performance. Van Damme though gives quite a nuanced performance and it seems he learned a few things about acting after making JCVD. MMA stars Andrei Arlovski and Mike Pyle also star in the film and lend credibility to the numerous action scenes.

US:R starts off with a very exciting and violent chase scene that sets the tone for the rest of the film. For a DTV film US:R makes use of some outstanding location shooting and high quality sets. This film looks like a major Hollywood summer film and I was impressed by the scope of the whole film.

I never was a huge fan of the Universal Soldier films, I thought the first one was ok and the sequel was awful but Universal Soldier: Regeneration is a surprisingly effective action film that should please most fans of the series.