Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012)

Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012)- * * *1\2

Directed by: John Hyams

Starring: Scott Adkins, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andrei Orlovsky, and Dolph Lundgren


 "Under their own command..."










John (Adkins) has suffered a horrendous family tragedy, and former UniSol Luc Devereaux (Van Damme) is now the target of his quest for revenge. Not helping the already volatile and complex situation is an out-of-control maniac on the rampage named Magnus (Orlovski, who was so unforgettable as “The Freak” in the previous installment of this series) who is tracking John’s every move. Meanwhile, our old buddy Andrew Scott (Lundgren) has assembled an army of disaffected former UniSols and is acting as their leader. 

Their aim is to form a militia-style separatist group in an attempt to be free from their former masters, the government. (this was a genius plot development as a potential direction to take the series, in our opinion). But that’s just the beginning: as John travels through the treacherous world in his quest for answers, he won’t just have to fight for his life, he’ll have to question the very nature of reality itself. Now that’s a concept for an action movie. Will Luc or Andrew finally face their DAY OF RECKONING? Or will it be John? Find out today!

There are many praiseworthy things about Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Probably the most obvious is that it is an action movie with a difference. Its weird and somewhat nonlinear structure sets it miles apart from the more pedestrian beat-em-ups all too prevalent in the market today. The unorthodox style is highly effective - truly ANYTHING can happen and the viewer is excited and thrilled to see what’s coming next. This “dare to be different” approach scored big with us, which brings us to another reason why we praise this movie: it appears to be “by fans for fans”, or BFFF as our new clothing line will be called. In other words, it would seem the film is tailor made for hardcore action movie fans, who have seen thousands of them in their lifetime, and crave something different that will throw them for a loop. It seems unlikely that a non-action movie fan would like or even understand this movie.

Truly John Hyams is keeping the current state of action afloat, single-handedly. US: DOR is beautifully shot and directed, and he’s clearly not afraid to take chances. Just about all of his gambits worked, as the movie fires on all cylinders and is, frankly, riveting. And while a lot can be made about the film’s violence, or ultraviolence, which is a more appropriate term, violence for its own sake means nothing and is very boring without solid ideas behind them. 

Thankfully, US: DOR has the brains and the brawn to make a satisfying spectacle. While Hyams’ Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009) is a truly excellent piece of work and to date Hyams’ masterpiece, Day of Reckoning, we felt, was superior to his Dragon Eyes (2012). But at least he’s keeping Van Damme employed...seemingly also single-handedly.

Van Damme appears to be on a winning streak of late, and his career, we say tentatively, is back on form. JCVD has a small, but pivotal role here, not unlike his turn in the aforementioned Dragon Eyes. Personal hero Dolph Lundgren is typically great, but the movie is all about Scott Adkins, in one of his best roles to date. Add to that some awesome fights and a standout car chase, all done, daringly, without music, and you have another potent piece of work from Mr. Hyams. If you happen to be reading this, Mr. Hyams, we just want to say to you: more please!

Make sure you get the movie on iTunes, as this is the unrated director’s cut not found elsewhere. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is like manna from heaven for true action fans, and we recommend it highly.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, Cool Target and DTVC!

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)-* * * *

Directed by: John Hyams

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andrei "The Pitbull" Orlovsky, and Dolph Lundgren 

When a terrorist group takes over part of Chernobyl and threatens radioactive death if their demands are not met (and they kidnapped the son and daughter of a prominent politician to boot), Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) is called back into active duty.  Now in a kind of rehab/therapy where he's learning to live again, he must retrain for combat. He faces his toughest challenge yet, as the terrorists used stolen technology to create the ultimate emotionless, unstoppable killing machine, dubbed "The Freak" by U.S. forces (Orlovsky). But they also open Pandora's box and resurrect Deveraux's old nemesis Andrew Scott (Dolph). Deveraux has his work cut out for him this time around...

It's actually pretty shocking how good Universal Soldier: Regeneration truly is. It doesn't even really HAVE to be this good. Far from your average "dumb" action movie, this seems to be a rejection of that notion, striking an excellent, precise balance between melancholy intelligence and frighteningly brutal violence.

Regeneration appears to be a reaction to The Return. Almost as if the filmmakers were embarrassed  by the badness and silliness of that unfortunate outing, the swung the pendulum back the other direction (almost too much), creating a dark, adult, nihilistically violent creation, but it's not without some emotion and humanity as well. Just a great job done all around.

Everything from the production values, to the acting, to the action, and everything else in between is light years beyond The Return, making it truly a travesty that that turkey was released theatrically in the U.S., while this wasn't. Regeneration is well-shot and well-directed by John  Hyams, son of director Peter. Hyams treats the material seriously and with respect, and everything that happens plotwise makes perfect sense. It's all idea-based (even retaining the best ideas from the first Universal Soldier film), not throwaway action. In the hands of another director, this could have been half-heartedly slagged off as "just another Universal Soldier movie". But the fact that Hyams does not do that, or even come close, is totally refreshing and comes as a great relief for true action fans. 

Hyams hits all the right notes - from utilizing the bleak Bulgarian locations to their fullest potential, to bringing the Universal Soldier franchise into the present day. Using the Navy Seal-like soldiers strongly reminiscent of the U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the uncompromising nature of war, as a background to amplify the audience's fears about our own mortality. After all, even our best soldiers are no match for their SuperSoldiers. We'll definitely be watching to see what Hyams does in the future, as he seems to have a strong grasp of how to do muscular action.

Undoubtedly, many consumers probably thought that this IS just another Universal Soldier installment - it's almost a shame that this movie doesn't have another title. Having been burned on The Return, consumers might not know what they're truly getting here - something much, much different and worthwhile.

Van Damme puts in an excellent performance, Dolph is always awesome, and Orlovsky is perfectly cast as the scary freak. All the actors in the film do a pitch-perfect job. A definite win for everyone involved, we enthusiastically support Universal Soldier: Regeneration.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty