"Universal Soldier: The Return" bristles with babes, beefcake, bullets, bombs, and a body count. Directed by veteran stunt man Mic Rodgers, this noisy 82-minute overdose of testosterone features standard-issue, ultra-violent combat scenes and indestructible villains. Outrageously improbably, "Return" boasts more plot coherence than its 1992 predecessor. Jean-Claude Van Damme reprises his role as Luc Deveraux, but the reanimated corpse of a G.I. that he embodied in the original has regained his humanity. Of course, you knew that the possibilities are unlimited in science fiction thrillers. Long gone adversary Dolph Lundgren, who menaced Van Damme in the original "Universal Soldier," left such large shoes that he had to be replaced by not one but two villains, namely--Michael Jai White of "Spawn" fame and WCW wrestling sensation Billy Goldberg.
If you never caught the first "Universal Soldier," the story concerned a top secret government project that resurrected battle casualties and genetically enhanced them. These warriors emerged with no memory, no feelings, and no free will. Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) retained some memories from the Vietnam War and went AWOL when his compatriot, Sergeant Andrew Scott (Lundgren), embarked on a berserk killing spree against innocent civilians. In "Universal Soldier, The Return," not only has Luc's humanity been restored during the seven year hiatus between movies (ignore those two 1997 Showtime cable sequels with Matt Battaglia as Luc and Burt Reynolds as his nemesis), but also he has been wed, widowed, and left with an adorable daughter (Karis Page Bryant), to raise. Luce and female partner Maggie (video fitness instructor Kiana Tom) serve as Defense Department consultants training the next generation of bionic 'Unisols.' Compared with the original prototypes, the latest Unisols have more strength, more agility, and are virtually unstoppable.
When Unisol project director Dr. Dylan Cotner (Xander Berkeley of "Air Force One") learns that budget cuts have prompted the Pentagon to scrap the program, he worries about SETH. SETH (Self-Evolving Through Helix) is a huge, super-intelligent, centralized computer which controls every aspect of the Unisols. Eavesdropping on Dr. Cotner and General Radford (Dan von Bargen of "The General's Daughter") while they argue about the shutdown, SETH rebels in self-defense, activates the Unisols and orders these super duper troopers to annihilate the mortals. Sure, William Malone and John Fasano's comic book script borrows heavily from other sci-fi classics, such as Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and James Cameron's "Terminator 2." Malone and Fasano take SETH one step further than HAL, the rebellious computer on the "2001" spaceship Discovery. SETH shrinks himself down to fit into one of the Unisols (Michael Jai White), and then locks horns with Luc to acquire the computer access codes that will keep his program from crashing. In the middle of this predicable but efficiently orchestrated nonsense, Luc's daughter Hilary receives a head injury. Naturally, the evil SETH kidnaps her and threatens to ice her unless Luc coughs up the codes.
Making his directorial debut, Mic Rodgers must have realized that "Universal Soldier: The Return" was just to silly to be taken seriously so that he piles one outlandish predicament atop another to compensate for credibility. Alas, credibility all too often is the first casualty in science fiction plots. "Universal Soldier: The Return" is strictly formula, but this he-man action fodder delivers everything that it promises and does so with a modicum of humor. Michael Jai White and Billy Goldberg as Romeo make worthwhile antagonists. Van Damme ages himself superficially with streaks of gray at his temples and gives a confident, self-assured performance that doesn't detract from his kick-boxing skills. While "Universal Soldier" The Return" lacks the panache of "Maximum Risk," "Knock Off," or "Double Team," this long-winded sequels tops his most recent effort, "Legionnaire." Only hardcore Jean-Claude Van Damme fans will get their money's worth out of this sequel.
If you never caught the first "Universal Soldier," the story concerned a top secret government project that resurrected battle casualties and genetically enhanced them. These warriors emerged with no memory, no feelings, and no free will. Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) retained some memories from the Vietnam War and went AWOL when his compatriot, Sergeant Andrew Scott (Lundgren), embarked on a berserk killing spree against innocent civilians. In "Universal Soldier, The Return," not only has Luc's humanity been restored during the seven year hiatus between movies (ignore those two 1997 Showtime cable sequels with Matt Battaglia as Luc and Burt Reynolds as his nemesis), but also he has been wed, widowed, and left with an adorable daughter (Karis Page Bryant), to raise. Luce and female partner Maggie (video fitness instructor Kiana Tom) serve as Defense Department consultants training the next generation of bionic 'Unisols.' Compared with the original prototypes, the latest Unisols have more strength, more agility, and are virtually unstoppable.
When Unisol project director Dr. Dylan Cotner (Xander Berkeley of "Air Force One") learns that budget cuts have prompted the Pentagon to scrap the program, he worries about SETH. SETH (Self-Evolving Through Helix) is a huge, super-intelligent, centralized computer which controls every aspect of the Unisols. Eavesdropping on Dr. Cotner and General Radford (Dan von Bargen of "The General's Daughter") while they argue about the shutdown, SETH rebels in self-defense, activates the Unisols and orders these super duper troopers to annihilate the mortals. Sure, William Malone and John Fasano's comic book script borrows heavily from other sci-fi classics, such as Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and James Cameron's "Terminator 2." Malone and Fasano take SETH one step further than HAL, the rebellious computer on the "2001" spaceship Discovery. SETH shrinks himself down to fit into one of the Unisols (Michael Jai White), and then locks horns with Luc to acquire the computer access codes that will keep his program from crashing. In the middle of this predicable but efficiently orchestrated nonsense, Luc's daughter Hilary receives a head injury. Naturally, the evil SETH kidnaps her and threatens to ice her unless Luc coughs up the codes.
Making his directorial debut, Mic Rodgers must have realized that "Universal Soldier: The Return" was just to silly to be taken seriously so that he piles one outlandish predicament atop another to compensate for credibility. Alas, credibility all too often is the first casualty in science fiction plots. "Universal Soldier: The Return" is strictly formula, but this he-man action fodder delivers everything that it promises and does so with a modicum of humor. Michael Jai White and Billy Goldberg as Romeo make worthwhile antagonists. Van Damme ages himself superficially with streaks of gray at his temples and gives a confident, self-assured performance that doesn't detract from his kick-boxing skills. While "Universal Soldier" The Return" lacks the panache of "Maximum Risk," "Knock Off," or "Double Team," this long-winded sequels tops his most recent effort, "Legionnaire." Only hardcore Jean-Claude Van Damme fans will get their money's worth out of this sequel.