Universal Soldier: Regeneration Blu-ray Disc Review

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Universal Soldier: Regeneration Blu-ray Disc Review

By Howard ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅

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UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION (2009, Blu-ray released February 2, 2010 - MSRP $34.95)

Out of the fridge and into the fray! Van Damme and Lundgren both return, in this age of recycling, in Universal Soldier: Regeneration to discover that times have changed for the better. Regeneration revisits the franchise without re-hashing. The third official installment of the Universal Soldier films showcases the talents of a father-son team capable of bringing a movie franchise back from the dead.

In the summer of ’92 I was old enough to see an R-rated films, but I didn’t see the original Universal Soldier when it came out in theaters. I would have watched this direct-to-video release, directed by John Hyams and shot by Peter Hyams, in the theater. Yes, the classic (see: older action stars) UniSols, short for Universal Soldiers, are back, but this time they have their mettle tested against a new (see: younger, up-and-comer) update and even perhaps try to find their place in a world they can’t quite remember. Van Damme and Lundgren can both still pack a wallop, and they show each other how it’s done, up close and personal like.

At a time when mixed martial artists are cropping up more in films (look for Rampage Jackson to sport the mohawk in the A-Team movie out this spring), it’s not surprising to see a couple of them thrown into the mix with of the all the nigh-unstoppable, killing machines running around. Rounding out the cast are Andrei “the Pitbull” Arlovski and Mike Pyle–known figures to UFC aficionados. It’s Arlovski that plays the newest, most dangerous and nameless NGU (Next Generation UniSol). The ground-and-pound technique of subduing an opponent fits right in with the savagery with which the UniSols dispatch their foes. Roland Emmerich, director of the original Universal Soldier film used some comedy to lighten the mood whenever he felt the need to relieve some of the tension, but Regeneration doesn’t pull any of its punches. The action sequences are all-action. There is no need of one-liners, or most of the time, any dialogue at all for that matter. It works. The acts speak for themselves and watching the UniSols face off with each other provides a lesson in staging and filming proficiently executed fight and stunt coordination.

A simple, yet subtly clever story unfolds without any big moral entanglements; however, the theme of control runs throughout the film and exists on several levels. We see the obvious control the military has over the UniSols, the control of humans over technology, the political control some possess as well as the struggle for self-control. An honestly picturesque, closed-down steel plant in Bulgaria serves as the Chernobyl nuclear power plant backdrop for the story of a politically motivated hostage taking by the NGU and orchestrated by his controllers. The looming and intimidating appearance of the location functions as a reminder of how a real danger of the past can persist, or soldier on, even. Did I mention there’s a bomb at the Chernobyl plant counting down to the explosive release of radiation if the hostage takers demands are not met?

The film was shot with a Red® camera, and while it captured all the immersive moments that make the viewer feel like they’re playing a first-person shooter, it lacked some image stability when panning quickly and blurred some actor movements. Other than that, the digital marvel that is the Red One, delivers all of the detail of the harsh environment and it delivers without an abundant use of CGI. The film was shot primarily using in-camera effects–Through creative editing and real stunt work, the director lets the toughness of the characters (and the performances of the actors) be what it must, brutal and final. For the most part, the Blu-ray handles the Red footage with aplomb, only exhibiting the occasional banding, wavering contrast levels and loss of detail.

What you will notice first in the DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks is the distinctive automatic weapons gunfire sound—It’s deep, in the lower register and sweetly comes through all of the speakers. The sound of blows struck in the hand-to-hand combat sequences, and there are a lot of them, land with more realistic and painful sounding thuds. All other sound effects pale in comparison and are, at times too quiet or don’t have enough oomph; however, the center dialogue track is clear and never overpowered.

On the extras front, we are treated to an engaging commentary track with the director and Lundgren, who discuss their experiences working on the film as well as others. Praised is the work of the stunt people on the film and it’s rightly deserved. It added an element of realism to a franchise one wouldn’t expect it from. Also offered is a featurette where John and Peter Hyams talk about making a film that could breathe new life into an old idea, modernize it with losing any of the elements that worked, tell a compelling story and make it more realistically exciting than it had been before.

Universal Soldier: Regeneration proves that it’s hard to keep a good or bad, regenerated, dead soldier…or film franchise down.