Review of Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2010) by Erno K — 05 Feb 2010

Well, this might just end up being one of the biggest surprises of the year. Straight-to-dvd sequel to Universal Soldier ten years too late actually wasn't too bad!

This was one of those annoying movies for me. I expected it to be complete horseshit, but because of sheer nostalgia I simply had to check it out. I mean, it even reunited Dolph Lundgren with Van Damme!

You can clearly see that the budget was quite minimal, as the movie essentially takes place in a single, decommissioned ruin of a nuclear factory (cheap setting), where the characters just run around chasing each other. There are some glaring plot holes and all that stuff, but goddamn, the action is pretty sweet!

The melees are quite well shot and utilize some nifty choreography. There are also many hand-to-hand combat scenes, which always brings a smile to this bastard's face. For some reason, though, the conclusion to every fight was somewhat anticlimactic. Especially between Ivan Drago and Frank Dux.

Sadly, the under/misuse of Dolph was one of the biggest letdowns for me. He has no purpose in the context of the movie, and I would have loved to see him working alongside Damme against the new threat (MMA alert!). Alas, they make them fight again.

I will see many movies that are way shittier than this during this year, probably all of which have a significantly bigger budget. This was a nice little snack, while I wait the next juggernaut to come my way. Thank you, movie, for not making me hate myself as a result of watching you.