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Universal Soldier: Regeneration

post #1 of 111
2/2/10 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
Van Damme only makes it to avoid a lawsuit. Lundgren is only available to shoot for a week. The most screen time in the first half belongs to an MMA fighter with barely any dialog. Filmed primarily at a factory in Bulgaria.

Despite all those hurdles director John Hyams was able to dig deep within his gene pool and create the first worthy sequel to the landmark 1992 extravaganza. It manages to both build upon the mythos of the original while creating its own unique ominous tone.

Hard to tell whether Van Damme is not really interested in playing his role, or if he’s just relaying an accurate account of what it would be like to live most of your after-life as an incurable killing instrument. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he’s doing the latter.

Lundgren makes the most of his limited screen time. Gone are the psychotically colorful tendencies of his character in the first film. Here he’s a clone who knows he’s not quite right in the head, but isn’t sure why. He pulls that dynamic off perfectly.

Loaded with brutal fight scenes, expertly staged set pieces, and a lovely synth score. It was a long time coming, but a proper continuation of the UNIVERSAL SOLDIER saga has finally arrived.
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post #2 of 111
2/2/10 at 12:14pm
If he's not playing the amazing Sgt. Andrew Scott of the original this film loses all of my interest.
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post #3 of 111
2/2/10 at 12:34pm
This is a must-see.

On paper it looked like absolute crap, but I should have known better to doubt the Hyams family. This is well-made DTV action.
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post #4 of 111
2/2/10 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
That whole sequence of Van Damme blasting and knifing his way to the factory is thrilling.

Really hope The Hyams 2.0 is able to springboard from this to a theatrical flick. He deserves a shot.
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post #5 of 111
2/2/10 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Nunziata View Post
If he's not playing the amazing Sgt. Andrew Scott of the original this film loses all of my interest.
Nick, without spoiling too much, he is and isn't the same Scott.

For DTV, this is definitely a must see, if not for the opening scene alone.
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post #6 of 111
2/2/10 at 4:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matalo View Post
Nick, without spoiling too much, he is and isn't the same Scott.

For DTV, this is definitely a must see, if not for the opening scene alone.
Yep and even though it sounds disappointing on paper, it's actually awesome what they did with him!
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post #7 of 111
2/2/10 at 5:03pm
Thread Starter 
I keep reading all these reviews saying his role is just a cameo. I disagree with that assessment. He has 3 well done scenes that give his character a satisfying arc. Sure, more would have been nice but considering the amount of time he was available I'm fairly pleased.

The tribute to BLADE RUNNER was a nice touch as well.
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post #8 of 111
2/2/10 at 5:08pm
Yeah, it was much more than a cameo. He plays a role in this movie. Of course, I would have loved to seen him in it a little more.

I really liked some of the supporting actors in this as well, such as the guy from COMMAND PERFORMANCE and the older guy who was in charge bringing Van Damme back to stop Arlovski. The doctor lady did a good job as well. The acting was actually pretty good for this type of film.
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post #9 of 111
2/2/10 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
I'm glad they used that one guy who is in all these Bulgarian-filmed flicks. You know, that husky fellow that Van Damme whoops on when he snaps in the restaurant. Always enjoy him.
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post #10 of 111
2/2/10 at 5:20pm
Yeah Nick, you're really missing out if you skip this one. It's probably one of the best DTVs I've ever seen. I don't know if that sounds as complimentary as its intended to be, but there it is.

The aforementioned Van Damme slice n dice scene reminded me of Children Of Men, in fact. And I know that's a little hyperbolic but I think you'll understand what I'm getting at if you see the film. (And no. I'm not actually comparing it to Children Of Men.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moltisanti View Post
The tribute to BLADE RUNNER was a nice touch as well.
You know? It's not something that I thought about off the bat. But you're absolutely right! That was a nice touch.

Lundgren is able to bring a lot of gravitas to his role. While more subdued than the first US, it's still a memorable turn.

EDIT: Has that Bulgarian guy shown up in any of the Seagals? I'm sure he has. He looked familiar. One more question: Was that scene supposed to be set in the States? The obvious accents made it kind of hilarious.
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post #11 of 111
2/2/10 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erix View Post
EDIT: Has that Bulgarian guy shown up in any of the Seagals? I'm sure he has. He looked familiar. One more question: Was that scene supposed to be set in the States? The obvious accents made it kind of hilarious.
Don't know if that guy has been in any of Seagal's films. I think he plays two roles in NINJA. Don't know his name and it's hard to look him up because all those films are full of supporting actors who have names full of consonants.

All of the early Van Damme scenes are "supposed" to be set in Switzerland.
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post #12 of 111
2/2/10 at 6:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Nunziata View Post
If he's not playing the amazing Sgt. Andrew Scott of the original this film loses all of my interest.
He is. Though with a twist.

I watched this in the Cinemas here in Singapore. I'll rank this within the Top 5 of Van Damme's flicks. The last 20mins is non-stop action. Including a nice sequence where VD enters a building and proceeds to wipe out an entire army with a combination of knives and guns.

The Dolph vs VD fight is real good as well. It makes the final fight almost anticlimatic (Though its pretty decent).
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post #13 of 111
2/2/10 at 7:03pm
Yeah... VD's siege on that building is definitely the set piece of the movie. I didn't find the final fight anti-climactic at all. And the final blow (so to speak) is cool as hell.

I'm with Molt on John Hyams getting a crack at a big screen release. Let the Hyams name get redeemed. I wasn't even joking, really, when I suggested he do Taken II.
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post #14 of 111
2/2/10 at 7:08pm
Maybe Anti-Climatic may have been too strong a word. But you have to admit that the finishing touch wasn't as good as how the Dolph fight ended.

Dolph is real good here, by the way. In the 3-4 scenes he has.

"Do you often think of the complexity of life?"

"It's just on the tip of my tongue. You understand what I mean...don't you?"
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post #15 of 111
2/2/10 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Aside from how it concludes, the best part of the Van Damme/Lundgren fight is during one point when they're about to hurl each other through a wall and you can hear Dolph yelling with crazed gusto.
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post #16 of 111
2/2/10 at 7:38pm
I got an advanced copy and I wasn't impressed.

Hater-ade flavor I'm drinking: Cold Mountain Blue Freeze
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post #17 of 111
2/2/10 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moltisanti View Post
All of the early Van Damme scenes are "supposed" to be set in Switzerland.
Well then I suppose that their having funny accents is appropriate, given that Swiss people may sound funny while speaking English.

Though why they're speaking English at all is anybody's guess.

Quote:
Originally Posted by felix View Post
Maybe Anti-Climatic may have been too strong a word. But you have to admit that the finishing touch wasn't as good as how the Dolph fight ended.
It's a more traditional action movie villain sendoff, I agree. But it still made my buddy and I laugh out loud.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForsakenNoMore View Post
I got an advanced copy and I wasn't impressed.
Well my friend, I'm afraid you will be forsaken when it comes to your opinion on Universal Soldier: Regeneration.

* * *


Actually... I was thinking that this shares some similarities with Punisher: War Zone in the way it was perceived over at The B Action Thread. We spent months lampooning all the set pics and making derisive comments about the production stories...

The DVD cover art (which is still awful) and trailer were more cause for derision and scorn.

Then we actually saw the movie and it exceeded our expectations spectacularly.

I'll even go as far as to say that, on cinematic terms, it's a far classier work than Punisher: War Zone. I had a blast with P:WZ, don't get me wrong, but I was ultimately more impressed with this one - considering how low my expectations were.
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post #18 of 111
2/3/10 at 2:15am
Just ordered this sucker off Amazon. I can't wait to see it!
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post #19 of 111
2/3/10 at 3:07am
One of the main things I loved about REGENERATION was how clearly shot the fight scenes. It's so refreshing to see a fight without shaky cam or CGI tricks. They're easy to follow and thereby deeply enjoyable.

The Dolph vs JC fight is a highlight. The action never stops moving as Dolph/JC crash into walls and fighting down the stairs. It all feels organic and real.
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post #20 of 111
2/3/10 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moltisanti View Post
Don't know if that guy has been in any of Seagal's films. I think he plays two roles in NINJA. Don't know his name and it's hard to look him up because all those films are full of supporting actors who have names full of consonants.
The fellow goes by the name of Vladimir Vladimirov (might have another alias), he's actually a location/production manager at Nu Image BG but I guess with such a look they always find him a part to appear in the movies that he works on. He's sort of intimidating but a cool guy. Unlike 98% of the crews there, he doesn't speak English at all; so I remember on one scene with Dolph on DIRECT CONTACT it was an issue to have him change his lines even a little bit...
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post #21 of 111
2/4/10 at 12:33am
I liked the Andrei fight against the Fourth Unisol and that Army guy in the end.
They both know they are outclassed but they are determined to give as good as they can.

I do wish they shot it in more bright hues though. That greyish Romania tone is a deadgiveaway of DTV.
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post #22 of 111
2/4/10 at 12:44am
Wasn't great. Nice to see Van Damme and Dolph again though.
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post #23 of 111
2/4/10 at 12:55am
What were your problems with it?
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post #24 of 111
2/4/10 at 1:03am
The cheapness and terrible script/actors.

Everything that wasn't a fight or shootout basically. Opening scene did kick ass though.
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post #25 of 111
2/4/10 at 1:03am
This flick was 100 ways of awesome. The movie needed more Dolph, that's for sure. Although the few scenes with him were great.
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post #26 of 111
2/4/10 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
The cheapness and terrible script/actors.
I thought it was servicable enough. We're talking DTV here after all. I thought it was above standard as it is.
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post #27 of 111
2/4/10 at 6:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by felix View Post
That greyish Romania tone is a deadgiveaway of DTV.
Maybe or maybe it's just that you associate it with it. Any DP will tell you that every place in the world has a different light to begin with. At least here the place is supposed to bleak (I don't think Chernobyl is bright and shinny) and they don't pretend the film to be set elsewhere so it serves the film and the story, just like it did with THE MECHANIK for instance.
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post #28 of 111
2/4/10 at 6:44am
Way, way better than it had any business being. Shit, you never realised how HUGE Arlovski is until you put him next to normal people.

Fight scenes were fantastic - as mentioned, everything was so clear, and therefore, each strike had more impact. Just awesome. And VD's assault was amazing . . . did you guys notice how much of that was actually one take at the start?!
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post #29 of 111
2/4/10 at 7:17am
So I'm guessing Dolph didn't repeat his trick of taking out 3 cowboys at once with 3 kicks. With his hands behind his back. Shame!

Movie sounds good, although I've read that VD and Dolph are doubled noticeably, even for stuff they could easily do. Disappointing, although I guess this is because of time constraints.
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post #30 of 111
2/4/10 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
The only doubling that bugged me was the shot of Van Damme's character training with a knife back in the lab. That was lazy.

There was really nothing during the major fight scenes that pulled me out of them. I know there are parts where they are doubled but it wasn't anything too jarring like Eddie Murphy in 48 HOURS.
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post #31 of 111
2/4/10 at 12:56pm
That's good. It just annoys me when Martial arts guys are doubled for stuff they are good at. Like Van Damme in the late 90s in stuff like Knock Off. I can't believe they are always too busy.
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post #32 of 111
2/4/10 at 11:47pm
Redbox'd Regeneration, watched it, and made a point to buy the sucker the next day. We gotta reward this kind of solid work.
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post #33 of 111
2/5/10 at 1:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
Everything that wasn't a fight or shootout basically.
Yeah, but give it some credit Tati... You're basically talking about 10% of the film.

I can appreciate your reservations. But you have to admit that, for DTV, this is beyond average.
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post #34 of 111
2/5/10 at 1:35am
Does Arlovski get knocked out cold when someone punches him in the chin?
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post #35 of 111
2/5/10 at 1:45am
Regardless of whether or not it was DTV, this flick rocked. I'd say it kicks the shit out of the Bourne films any day. Especially in the camerawork department. The cuts are so far between I am surprised the producers didn't take it out of Hyams's clearly capable hands. No one shoots action like this anymore.

Van Damme was great, especially once he returned to UniSol mode, giving his character the drowsy, hypnotized eyes from the first film and running and moving like he did then as well. But the real surprise for me was from Mike Pyle, who comes off pretty naturally. He was able to give the film a more human quality and imbue it with heart and heroism, being that his character was just a tough-ass soldier and not some science-built monstrosity.
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post #36 of 111
2/5/10 at 1:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erix View Post
Yeah, but give it some credit Tati... You're basically talking about 10% of the film.

I can appreciate your reservations. But you have to admit that, for DTV, this is beyond average.
It is. I'm just not used to watching those. At all.

Also, it's not 10%, it's like 30%. Still, well above average yes.
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post #37 of 111
2/5/10 at 2:21am
There are some really great DTVs out there you should check out, Tati.

1) Blood And Bone
2) Scott Adkin's Ninja (Beats that CGI Ninja Assasin crap anyday)
3) Command Performance
4) Undisputed 2 (Check out Undisputed 3 this year)
5) The Tournament
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post #38 of 111
2/5/10 at 6:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
It is. I'm just not used to watching those. At all.

Also, it's not 10%, it's like 30%. Still, well above average yes.
That's the thing when people are not used to DTV standards and forgot how action movies were in the 80's and 90's (when this would have looked cool to anybody), they watch one are like "heyhhh"...
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post #39 of 111
2/5/10 at 8:02am
Good point Jox. DTV is the last bastion of old school action.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kain424 View Post
The cuts are so far between I am surprised the producers didn't take it out of Hyams's clearly capable hands. No one shoots action like this anymore.
This is something I think we can all agree on. I have nothing against shaky cam per se... Though it has gotten boring. But it is refreshing to see a modern action film with visual clarity like this.
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post #40 of 111
2/5/10 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kain424 View Post
Regardless of whether or not it was DTV, this flick rocked. I'd say it kicks the shit out of the Bourne films any day. Especially in the camerawork department. The cuts are so far between I am surprised the producers didn't take it out of Hyams's clearly capable hands. No one shoots action like this anymore.
Tell me you're not seriously suggesting this is better than the Bourne flicks.
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post #41 of 111
2/5/10 at 12:35pm
I'll seriously say that the fight scenes here are more enjoyable than the Bourne ones.
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post #42 of 111
2/5/10 at 12:42pm
Come on. The fight in Tangiers is amazing. Yes, the edits are very fast but it is still very easy to follow. There is a gripping, visceral impact which I don't believe you could get in this movie. It sounds fun, but it can't be that good. Oh well, it's not released in the UK until April so I will find out then.
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post #43 of 111
2/5/10 at 12:59pm
I agree that the Bourne vs Castel/Desh fights are great. The rest...well they are decent enough.

I'll let you be the judge when you see it in April. I think you'll be quite satisfied with what you get.
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post #44 of 111
2/5/10 at 7:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle View Post
There is a gripping, visceral impact which I don't believe you could get in this movie. It sounds fun, but it can't be that good.
Not to bash on Bourne or anything, but I'd say that the actual abilities of those involved in US:R make for a greater experience. They do the same sort of thing as Bourne films, with the sound effects and shot styles, but but there is far less cutting which is likely owed to the talents of the main fighters. Lundgren, Van Damme, Mike Pyle, and Andrei Arlovski can all o much of what is shown, and the film makers make the best of it.

There is a car chase sequence that doesn't quite match the intensity of those found in the last two Bourne films, but its clarity makes up for it. Still, I'd take this one over any of the Damon movies. But I'll readily admit I have some bias for a Lundgren and Van Damme pairing.
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post #45 of 111
2/5/10 at 8:10pm
Yeah, I won't go as far as to call it superior to the Bourne films in terms of general quality. The Bourne films (certainly 2 and 3) are very well-written, solidly acted and classy action thrillers. And I do really love those films.

I won't even say (as Vern did) that this is superior to the first Universal Soldier. It isn't. It's a much thinner picture. And that one has more Lundgren so, obviously, it wins.

But what this really has going for it is the old school flavor and the action, in general, has a thrust and a clarity that has been missing from theatrical action films lately. It's what I was saying about DTV being the last bastion for the sort of old-fashioned action picture that The B Action Thread really appreciates. I like that Hyams Jr did that. He's not trying to change the face of cinema. He just wants to give fans a nice throwback.

It's very much in line with what Stallone was doing in John Rambo (and what he hopefully will continue with The Expendables), and what we got with Taken. Just a good meat & potatoes good time.

There you go. This is about on a par with Taken for me. And it has the R-rated action that was missing from that great picture.
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post #46 of 111
2/7/10 at 6:13am
Rewatching the movie again, I was able to see, as was already stated how many sequences seem to be shot in one long take. Especially loved in the commentary when Hyams mentions several times how they'd have the stunt double going through a room, then Van Damme or if it was Arlovski in the scene, exiting and continuing the shot seamlessly.

I hope they do another one really soon. Them body bagging Sgt. Scott's corpse makes it a good possibility that he'll be in the next one again.
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post #47 of 111
2/7/10 at 8:18am
Having just seen Universal Soldier for the first time last month, I thought Regeneration was considerably better.

And the action scenes are just excellent, such as the aforementioned Children of Men-esque building clear-out, or Van Damme vs. Dolph.
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post #48 of 111
2/8/10 at 11:59am
I didn't really understand exactly why Andrew Scott was in the movie. I know the crazy doctor wanted a back up plan to get his demands met but it seems like Scott was just in the movie for the sake of having him in the movie. I know this, in the end, a DTV movie but something better would have maybe had some scenes of Luc breaking down when he sees Scott again and going through flashbacks. Maybe even ending the movie with both being rehabilitated. I don't know... the use of Scott just seemed kind of lame.

But most of the action was quite impressive. The atmosphere was nice and some of the acting was a little stale but I'd let it slide. This is definitely better then Uni Sol: The Return with Goldberg.
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post #49 of 111
2/8/10 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
Disagree on both of the issues you had. Don't feel at all that Andrew was in the film just to be in the film. If that were the case they would have just had him rehash stuff from the first movie and have him going around screaming Asian slurs and chopping off body parts. To me nothing is more cliche in sci-fi-ish films than cloning. But in this one they actually managed to do something interesting with that concept, if only in a brief amount of time.

As for wanting Van Damme to break down at the sight of Andrew and have flashbacks and that sort of junk, that would have been awful for this style of movie. I love the fact that once Luc is sent off to battle he's a 100% no B.S. killing machine.
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post #50 of 111
2/8/10 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moltisanti View Post
I love the fact that once Luc is sent off to battle he's a 100% no B.S. killing machine.
Agree with you on this.

In fact, I really enjoy Luc's arc in this film. It's like the first one in reverse. Where he started out as this drone and slowly started making his way towards humanity. Here he's still where we left him at the end of the first one and hasn't been able to find that humanity... So he reverts back. It's tragic and it works for the character.
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