JCVD's Universal Soldier Took 5 Movies & Scott Adkins To Become Great
The Universal Soldier franchise has had a unique history, and it really wasn't until its straight-to-DVD installments starring Scott Adkins that the film series hit its stride. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the original Universal Soldier starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as American soldiers who were killed in action during the Vietnam War. More than two decades years later, the two characters are revived as part of the top-secret UniSol program, with each of them gradually regaining his memory and resuming his prior conflict.
Universal Soldier was a moderate hit when it was released in theaters in 1992, and though the series would continue, its path would be anything but linear. The next two Universal Soldier movies — Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business — weren't even released theatrically, instead debuting as cable TV movies. Although the franchise would find its way to theaters again with Universal Soldier: The Return in 1999, a confluence of factors led to it standing as the end of the series, at least for a few years.
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The Universal Soldier franchise inexplicably returned to life with 2009's Universal Soldier: Regeneration, and then the Scott Adkins-led follow-up, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, arrived in 2012. What made the revival unique was not only how belated it was but also how changed the home video environment was at the time. Adding to this was the career renaissance these movies marked for their two stars as well as Scott Adkins's rise as an up-and-comer who would become one of the most revered modern action stars.
The 1992 release of the original
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