UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (John Hyams, 2012)

[leigh1975]

As unbelievable to us as it seems that some actually do prefer UNISOL: THE RETURN and Bill Goldberg's redneck goofball-ness!

That's incredible. Aside from Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, that must be one of the most incompetently directed major studio releases ever made. I Can't believe they turned down Vic Armstrong in favour of Mic Rogers, who seemed to think he was making an R-rated live action Looney Tunes cartoon.

[dolphage]

I agree, UniSol 2 is exactly on the same level as The Last Patrol, it's not even like a real movie.

I tried to nerd out and watch all of the UniSolsin a row (almost) as a build-up to "Reckoning" but I got depressed five minutes into UniSol 2 and had to turn it off (in favor of pornography) (-which un-depressed me)

[Jox]

The John Hyams interview by Twitch
http://twitchfilm.com/2013/01/interview ... oning.html

[bomaz]

I'll try to make a more elaborate review later, but so far, I really liked the movie (I'm a Gaspar Noé fan, so it kinda helped i guess).

[Gieferg]

This movie is almost unwatchable. It has good beginning, shoot-out in a whore-house is good (and it's the only one good scene with Dolph), but then... I've almost fallen asleep, finale was extremely boring and disappointing, and they've managed to **ck up the beginning with their stupid and predictable plot twist (I've seen it coming after 30 minutes of the movie). btw, Adkins isn't good choice for leading role, he can be fighting henchman, but nothing more.
Complete waste of time, and no, it's not "something more" than typical action movie. It tries to be "something more" but fails miserably. Just another cheap straight-to-torrent movie trying to gather some $$$ on well known names (Dolph and JCVD being there for 10 minutes can't save this steaming pile of sh..).

3/10 (2 of 3 points for first 15-20 mins)

And after all those disappointing sequels, I'm not going to see another UniSol movie whether Dolph is there or not.

[Jox]

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/8018/un ... oning.html

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning' comes as a single 50GB Blu-ray disc in the standard keep case. Released by Sony the disc comes with a double-sided sleeve, featuring artwork and images on the inside and outside of the case. The disc will auto play several skippable previews prior to the top menu, which allows easy navigation to either the movie, set up or special features.

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

Shot on RED, 'Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning' comes with a very clean and detailed 1080p AVC-encoded image that is clearly shot on a budget, and clearly comes across as digital, but is otherwise a good example of what can be done with a skilled cinematographer on hand.

A great deal of fine detail is present in nearly every shot, whether it is in low light or the shining light of day. Skin tones all look natural; textures are readily present on everything from Scott Adkins' stubbled face to the blood-soaked T-shirt he wears in the films' final action sequence. Moreover, the depth of the image looks great, giving a real sense of liveliness to the picture – especially in the POV scenes – that puts the image well above action films of a similar nature, or budget.

Although there is quite a bit of detail present in the image and the colors all look vivid and bright, there are occasions where the cinematography may have been just a bit too rushed, or the budget just not quite where it needed to be to get the best possible outcome from the RED camera. As with the film's storyline, the image vacillates between looking polished and professional or somewhat amateurish, which, depending on the scene in question, can make the digital image look very filmic, but it can also make it look like it had been shot on something not quite as sophisticated as what was used (though, again, this likely has more to do with the film's budget and schedule than anything else).

Still, there's a lot of good detail present in low light and the shadow delineation here is superb. Despite the incredibly morbid and dark storyline, there is a surprisingly extensive color palette on display that really plays well on large screens and helps to temper some of the more violent aspects of the film.

All in all, this disc offers an excellent picture that presents the best of what a film shot on digital can look like. Although it's clear the film's shooting schedule and budget hit a ceiling, the picture still looks as bright and as detailed as possible.

The Audio: Rating the Sound

With its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, 'Universal Solider: Day of Reckoning' will certainly please the ears of action movie fans. All of the dialogue is easily heard, even with Adkins' tendency to speak in a low growl, rather than his full voice. Curiously, although it was filmed in Louisiana, the film boasts a multitude of accents ranging from Adkins' English tone to Van Damme's familiar inflection – all of which the mix manages to reproduce without the slightest hint of distortion or muddling.

But, really, this is an action movie, and what counts most is the way it represents itself when punches are being thrown, kicks are spinning into heads and cars are crashing into one another on the freeway. With its robust mix, the DTS-HD manages to make it sound like the film is much bigger than it actually is. Everything from fists landing to gunshots to the aforementioned twisted metal of cars being flipped resonates with a distinct signature that echoes across all channels with equal aplomb.

For the most part, dialogue is driven through the center channel, but there are occasions where it pops up in the rear channels or when directionality and imaging requires actors' voices to emanate from the front channel speakers. Mostly, though, the fronts are used to push the surging sound effects from the fights and other actions scenes, and the mix handles this quite competently, adding in appropriate levels of LFE when necessary. Crowded bars register with the appropriate din of drunken folks in search of a good time or a violent throw down, while Lundgren's over-the-top speech to his machine-like followers effectively echoes off the walls of his underground bunker.

This is a very good mix that works hard to provide action fans the kind of immersive sound experience they are looking for.

The Supplements: Digging Into the Good Stuff

Commentary with director John Hyams and Dolph Lundgren – In the beginning of the commentary, John Hyams mentions that Dolph will only be around for about 30 min. or so, but apparently, the conversation proved so stimulating that the actor sticks around for the duration. We learn here that Lundgren and Van Damme have script approval, and that the first draft of the film was deemed to have gone too far off the reservation – which, considering how far off the reservation this film actually is, is saying something. As a side note: throughout the commentary, Dolph is obsessing over a parking attendant that apparently recently ticked him off. It's not really related to anything else the two discuss, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

Making of Featurette
Coming Into Focus (HD, 27 min.) – This portion of the featurette discusses the genesis of the film and how Hyams managed to find and cast Scott Adkins in the role of John. There is also a good deal of time spent discussing the development of the film's overall look and tone.
There is No End (HD, 23 min.) – This segment tackles the difficulty of figuring out the continuity of the characters in a non-linear shoot, where the climax was filmed several days before anything else. Additionally, this portion illustrates how the crew brings complex and detailed sets and very ambitious action scenes to life on a very short film schedule.
Production Wrap (HD, 29 min.) – This focuses on the finale of the film, and the final days of shooting. There is some discussion about how the film has come together, up to this point, and how it's going to look once it's all put together.

[udar55]

My buddy's review of the new film on our blog:

http://originalvidjunkie.blogspot.com/2 ... ldier.html

[dolphage]

and they've managed to **ck up the beginning with their stupid and predictable plot twist (I've seen it coming after 30 minutes of the movie)..

Which plot twist?

[Jox]

Vern comes back on the U.S. extras:
http://www.outlawvern.com/2013/02/07/le ... -releases/

...decided on the region A blu-ray on the strength of the extras. It has a feature length making-of documentary (divided into 3 featurettes of about 30 minutes each – you know how they do it) and a commentary track with John Hyams and Dolph Lundgren, but only the R-rated cut of the movie.

The extras are indeed great. The documentary was made independently by fans from what I understand, and was clearly not by some studio advertising department. There are no shots of the actors sitting in front of a movie poster giving canned answers to dumb questions. It’s on set footage, lots of direct cinema of the filming taking place, interspersed with Hyams in hotel rooms and different places between shooting, talking about his progress and problems he’s facing at the time (such as when they find out before one of the big fight scenes that Scott Adkins has been hiding a serious knee injury).

Although there’s footage from throughout the shoot it really zeroes in to focus on the making of particular scenes, including the Adkins vs. Van Damme fight and the car flipping outside of the sporting goods store. I really like the detail they go into about filming a stunt like that. I wish they had more on the fight that takes place inside, but so goes life.

My favorite part of the documentary is a section focusing on Andrei Arlovski. They all love how much he gets into it. In one of the scenes where he’s chopping shit up with an ax he was apparently swinging a real ax in front of the real actors. Because of his high threshold of pain from MMA he sometimes has them hit him for real, because otherwise he doesn’t know how to do reactions. Adkins talks about how alot of guys in fight scenes are nervous about really hitting the leading man and causing trouble, but Arlovski “doesn’t give a shit.”

After they paint a portrait of a real lunatic they have a great montage of him throughout the shoot doing weigh-in style face downs with various actors, towering over them and looking them straight in the eye with pure hatred. The best one is with the old lady from the plumber scene, who says she’s not scared of him. There are also shots of him talking to his pitbull. He seems like a lovable guy.

One thing I noticed in the documentary: they shot an effect of Arlovski getting the top of his head knocked clear off when Adkins hits him with the baseball bat at the end of that sporting goods store fight. That is clearly the exclamation point that belongs at the end of that scene. Now all the sudden I feel more frustrated that I don’t have the uncut version of the movie.

The Hyams/Lundgren commentary track is also fun. The biggest theme is the contrast between Hyams’ rebellious instincts and Lundgren’s more commercial ones, and how they tried to find a balance. At the beginning they talk about an earlier script that Lundgren didn’t like, which was apparently even weirder and had a protagonist with no dialogue. Toward the end Hyams asks Dolph if they made another one whether he’d like to continue in this weird direction or go back to the more normal style of the original. Dolph feels that they can combine a DAY OF RECKONING approach with a plot about saving the president’s daughter or something, to please everybody. It’s kind of comical as they go back and forth about it.

In the middle they kind of get off the movie and into talking about movies they like and their philosophies about how to make movies, which makes it kind of more like an interview than a commentary track, but it’s a good interview.

Only thing I'd correct is that the making of was not made by fans by one of Hyams's co-writers on the film, Doug Magnuson, who's a friend of his.

[Gieferg]

Which plot twist?

that he had no family at all, opening sequence actually didn't happen and it was only implanted memory. That was weak, because suddenly, I did't have any reason why should I even give a F about main character and his mission.

[dolphage]

Which plot twist?

that he had no family at all, opening sequence actually didn't happen and it was only implanted memory. That was weak, because suddenly, I did't have any reason why should I even give a F about main character and his mission.

Ah,that plot twist!

Well, I know what you mean, but I had the opposite reaction; I thought it was a great twist. To me, it deals with the need to find purpose and motivation in humans and it also asks "how subjective are our memories?" and "how much we can trust our own recollections, and by extension; our own minds?".

But more importantly; the fights in the movie are fckng INCREDIBLE!

[Gieferg]

Yeah, I've almost fallen asleep during the last one.

[Jox]

I thought it was a great twist. To me, it deals with the need to find purpose and motivation in humans and it also asks "how subjective are our memories?" and "how much we can trust our own recollections, and by extension; our own minds?".

But more importantly; the fights in the movie are fckng INCREDIBLE!

EXACTLY.

[Jox]

Another John Hyams interview
http://www.squabblebox.co.uk/2013/02/in ... reckoning/

Here's what he says about a possible sequel:

There is another film being planned. All I can say about it is that the story will be told from an intimate, character-driven perspective. The action, however, will be on far grander scale than any of the other films. We’re definitely going to need a few more bucks for this one.

[Tom]

I'd love to see where Hyams takes the next one. I just can't see them doing another one. I loved DOR but I fully appreciate why some people hated it. Hyams basically, and bravely so, had to alienate a large proportion of the fans of the franchise. To a lesser extent he did with the third film but the fourth film is so far and away from the tone of the first film. I appreciate that some can't fathom just why a Universal Soldier movie is taken so seriously, and in many regards perhaps they're right but the tone and style Hyams went for, I dug personally. It's no surprise too that because of how much thought went into it, it's the most critically well received of the franchise. Critics absolutely murdered the first two films, and didn't really notice the third. Most JC fans just couldn't get behind the direction that Luc was taken too. Fair enough really, but for me, I felt it was a really interesting concept to have him turn Colonel Kurtz.

But yeah, I don't see this making the sort of money that will guarantee another film, and most definitely, 100%, there's no chance Hyams will get a bigger budget to play with. That is a shame because I'd love to see him with a big budget at his disposal. He'll have to hope he's had enough notice that he'll get approached by a bigger studio to do a film.

As for Dolph and JC? I think their time in this franchise should come to an end. Most definitely in Dolph's case. There's nowhere he can take Scott, and there's only so many times they can keep bringing him back before the audiences will just totally give up on it. Scott has run his course. Maybe there's room for Devreaux mk 2 to get his redemption somehow.
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