Universal Soldier (franchise)
The Universal Soldier series is a series of science fiction action films. The series began in 1992 with Universal Soldier and as of 2012 comprises six entries, though only three are considered to be canon. The films centered on the character of Luc Deveraux (played first by Jean-Claude Van Damme and then by Matt Battaglia) until Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, which focuses on a new protagonist named John (played by Scott Adkins).
Contents
Films
- Universal Soldier (1992), directed by Roland Emmerich
- Universal Soldier: The Return (1999), directed by Mic Rodgers
- Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009), directed by John Hyams
- Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012), also directed by Hyams
TV
- Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998), directed by Jeff Woolnough
- Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (1999), also directed by Woolnough
Overview
The series centers on the characters Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott. Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme in the original films and Matt Battaglia in the TV sequels, is an American soldier killed in the Vietnam War and reanimated in the 1990s as a highly advanced Universal Soldier, or "UniSol" for short. Andrew Scott, portrayed by Dolph Lundgren, is a fellow soldier who suffers a psychotic break before being killed and is reanimated as Deveraux's sadistic nemesis for the majority of the series.
After Universal Soldier was released, Carolco, the production company that backed the film, went bankrupt. In 1995, Carolco sold the rights of the series to Skyvision Entertainment in Toronto.[1] Two TV films, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business, were released direct-to-video, starring Matt Battaglia as Luc Deveraux and Jeff Wincott as his brother Eric Deveraux. They were produced for Showtime / The Movie Channel as a miniseries meant as a backdoor pilot for a series. Having almost no input whatsoever from the original filmmakers, their canonical status is questionable.
Van Damme eventually returned for the fourth installment, Universal Soldier: The Return, which has since been removed from the series canon. An overwhelming critical and financial failure, The Return contradicted several elements of the previous film's plot by making Luc Deveraux no longer a Universal Soldier, giving him a daughter, and removing female protagonist Veronica Roberts.[2][3] The subsequent film in the series, Universal Soldier: Regeneration, disregards the events of The Return entirely.[4] Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning featured Van Damme and Lundgren in much smaller roles, introducing a new protagonist named John (Scott Adkins) fighting against both Deveraux and Scott. Although no explanation is given for why Deveraux has become a villain, Scott is assumed to be a clone like the one in the previous film. Cloning was added to the story as part of the UniSol program during the second and third installments. Boeing 707-123B reg number N7515A is used in film.
Future
John Hyams, director of Regeneration and Day of Reckoning, has said there may be more films to come, depending on the performance of the sixth installment.[5][6]
Characters
| Character | Film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Soldier (1992) |
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998) |
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (1999) |
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) |
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009) |
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012) |
|
| Luc Deveraux | Jean-Claude Van Damme | Matt Battaglia | Jean-Claude Van Damme | |||
| Andrew Scott | Dolph Lundgren | Andrew Jackson | Dolph Lundgren | |||
| Eric Deveraux | Jeff Wincott | |||||
| Veronica Roberts | Ally Walker | Chandra West | ||||
| Romeo | Bill Goldberg | |||||
| Seth | Michael Jai White | |||||
| Capt Blackburn | Justin Lazard | |||||
| Erin Young | Heidi Schanz | |||||
| Maggie | Kiana Tom | |||||
| Magnus / NGU | Andrei Arlovski | |||||
| Miles | Kristopher Van Varenberg | |||||
| Dr. Colin | Kerry Shale | |||||
| Dr. Porter | Garry Cooper | |||||
| John | Scott Adkins | |||||
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Foreign | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | ||||
| Universal Soldier | July 10, 1992 | $36,299,898 | $36,299,898 | #1,835 | $23 million | [7] | ||
| Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms | September 27, 1998 | |||||||
| Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business | December 1999 | |||||||
| Universal Soldier: The Return | August 20, 1999 | $10,937,893 | $270,000 | $10,717,421 | #3,837 | $40 million | [3] | |
| Universal Soldier: Regeneration | October 1, 2009 | $844,447 | $844,447 | $14 million | [8] | |||
| Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | October 25, 2012 | $5,460 | $363,719 | $369,179 | #11,358 | $11.5 million | [9] | |
| Total | $48,087,698 | $633,719 | $48,230,945 | N/A | N/A | $88.5 million | N/A | |
Critical reception
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Soldier | 20% (25 reviews)[10] | |
| Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms | 0% (7 reviews)[11] | |
| Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business | 20% (5 reviews)[12] | |
| Universal Soldier: The Return | 6% (52 reviews)[2] | 24 (14 reviews)[13] |
| Universal Soldier: Regeneration | ||
| Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | 50% (44 reviews)[14] | 58 (18 reviews)[15] |
| Average Ratings | 19.2% | 41/100 |
Video game
A Universal Soldier video game was produced by The Code Monkeys and released by Accolade in 1992.[16] The game was a conversion of Turrican II: The Final Fight for the Sega Genesis and Game Boy. Another version was developed later for the SNES, but it was never released.[17][18]
See also
Universal Soldier (1971 film), unrelated british film.
References
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