Universal Soldier: Regeneration : DVD Review





Title: Universal Solider: Regeneration
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Andrei 'The Pit Bull' Arlovski.
Directed By: John Hyams
UK Release Date: 5th April 2009
Certificate: 18

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)Reanimated. Rearmed. The ultimate rematch.

Terrorists take control of Chenobyl and threaten nuclear meltdown if their comrades are not released from captivity. Chenobyl is not the only nuclear force being reactivated – as decommissioned Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux, now in rehabilitation, also is brought back up to fighting power, despite it being against the will of hi therapist.
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns as Universal Solider Luc Deveraux and once again has to go up against Dolph Lundgren as Andrew Scott in a fight to the death, before he also has to make scrap parts of a new breed of Universal Soldier, played by Andrei 'The Pit Bull' Arlovski.

Regeneration is written by Victor Ostrovsky and thus is quite a Russian affair, from setting the action at Chenobyl and packing out the cast with Russian actors, as well as having a lot of dialogue in Russian, it’s not the late 80s Universal Solider that we know and love. That’s not to say that this is not a good film however. It’s simply brought up to date in terms of the plot and in terms of the increased levels of violence. In the original the violence (which was pretty heavy for the time) was quite stylised and full of witty one liners from Van Damme and Lundgren making it feel, well less violent, however in Regeneration the violence seems a lot nastier, there’s a lot of stabbing and the new universal soldiers seem determined to kill people quite viciously.

The direction is a little one dimensional, as is the script and the plot, but it does what it sets out to do and this is a fairly worthy successor to the original film made all the more enjoyable thanks to the appearances of Van Damme and Lundgren. Lndgren only plays an extended cameo but it’s fitting that he appears in the film and fans will be pleased to see him returning. Van Damme puts on his best performance despite being twenty years older than he was the first time around. He impresses and doesn’t let anyone down with his enthusiasm or abilities.
Definitely one to watch with the lads on a Saturday night with beers and a curry.