Universal Soldier (franchise)

Luc Deveraux, the main character of the Universal Soldier series

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).

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.

Scott Adkins was the lead actor in the latest entry 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

1. Benson, Jim (1995-02-05). "Carolco Sells 'Soldier' Rights To Skyvision". Variety.
2. "Universal Soldier: The Return". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
3. "Universal Soldier: The Return". The Numbers. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
4. "Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) FAQ". IMDb.
5. Daniels, Hunter (December 6, 2012). "Director John Hyams Talks UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING, Plus the Top 11 Things to Know About Hyams and His Film". Collider.
6. Kenber, Ben. "Interview With Dolph Lundgren And John Hyams On Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning". We Got This Covered.
7. "Universal Soldier Franchise". The Numbers. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
8. "Universal Soldier: Regeneration". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
9. "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
10. "Universal Soldier". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
11. "Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
12. "Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
13. "Universal Soldier: The Return". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
14. "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
15. "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
16. "Universal Soldier". GameFAQs. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
17. "Universal Soldier for Genesis (1992)". Moby Games. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
18. "Universal Soldier [SNES]". Unseen64. Retrieved March 28, 2013.