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

[Jox]

http://www.the-filmreel.com/2012/10/22/ ... van-damme/

surprisingly fun and intensely violent film

The story is very interesting, but remains a mystery for much of the film. Most of the surprises are easily figured out, but there manages to be a few moments that you aren’t expecting. It’s not the strongest dialogue around, but story frequently takes a backseat to absolutely insane action sequences.

Even though they’re in very little of the film, the moments where Van Damme and Lundgren hit the screen are filled with large amounts of evil and a knowing wink to their previous action film popularity. They’re certainly taking advantage of the success that has come from the Expendables series. Scott Adkins becomes the focus of this film, and his action scenes are incredible. This is the real reason the film is so much fun.

Action scenes are plentiful in this sequel, and they are insane. Filled with excessive blood, and some very over the top moments, it’s the strength of these moments that truly make this film what it is. Scott Adkins is unbelievable in these moments, and there is a real power to the fights that occur. You can feel the intense pounding that each character gets, and the film is worth it for just a few of these scenes.

the film does exactly what it should. There’s an amazing villain and stunning fight sequences. Fans of the action genre should find plenty to enjoy here.

[Jox]

http://www.skonmovies.com/2012/10/tad20 ... oning.html

Overall, despite a somewhat bland and generic plot, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning still had some very impressive and extreme action scenes, which is enough for me to give it a mild pass.

http://www.soundonsight.org/tadff-2012- ... art-house/
‘Universal Soldier – Day of Reckoning’: a generic action movie disguised as art house

Taking the same direction as The Raid: Redemption, Day of Reckoning assumes that blimey, balls-to-the-wall action will overshadow the fragility of the script. But at least The Raid had the courtesy to set up the simple premise in the beginning and have the action play out for the rest of the duration. Day of Reckoning wants us to piece together a vague story that seems to meander along and is put aside for stretches of time. This is essentially how the movie pans out: five minutes of bland exposition, then five minutes of hardcore violence, then five minutes of bland exposition, and so on and so forth.

That being said, the fight sequences are really well choreographed, are often visceral, and downright wild. You don’t really need to try and follow the story (they explain everything in the last scene, anyway), but fans of the series, or fans of inspired fight sequences, will likely enjoy Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning for what it is: a generic action movie disguised as art house.

[Jox]

NEW RED BAND TRAILER EDITED BY JOHN HYAMS HIMSELF!

http://movies.yahoo.com/trailers/red-band/#universal

[Jox]

John Hyams presenting the film in Toronto
http://www.thesubstream.com/dbimages/up ... G_1619.JPG

http://www.thesubstream.com/html-toront ... oning.html

my final Toronto After Dark 2012 film was probably my favourite

this seems like the coolest reboot ever.

This film was the by far coolest action thriller I have seen in a long time. The fights scenes were absolutely incredible and Scott Adkins was a great lead man for this film. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire duration and both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren were terrifying. They way they filmed it also gave it a really cool, gritty and Fight Club kind of feel. It was also very unnerving and psychological which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

[Jox]

"So-so" review
http://www.iheartmoviesto.com/toronto-a ... reckoning/

NEW RED BAND TRAILER EDITED BY JOHN HYAMS HIMSELF! [/url]

No reactions to this phenomenal trailer??!!

[Jox]

In Toronto

[Jox]

http://geekhardshow.com/2012/10/after-d ... reckoning/

I never thought I’d say this about a Van Damme film but this movie is easier experienced than explained.

The concept and plot for Day of Reckoning is solid. There’s fertile ground for a multitude of stories by the film’s end but it’s execution lacks any definitive choice. During the Q&A after the screening, John Hyams addressed this fact. He explained that he wanted a more ambiguous tale to be told where there are no real influences of the director on the audience. You as the viewer are left with the brutality of each scene with no manipulation. This is evident in the editing and the scoring of the film, most notibly in the action sequences. The rythm to the fights feels off, almost like one would expect the hits to fall before they actually do. The music is more ambient, used as background noise to fill the silence as opposed to lending to the visuals. It makes for a very disorienting film. Whether or not this was the intention of the filmmaker, the flow of the piece really hurts from this approach. Some scenes go on for far too long, including the fight scenes. With a running time of 1hour and 13 minutes, it feels more like it’s over 2 hours. This could’ve easily been fixed with a tighter editing job but may’ve gotten rid of the desired effect of the director. The disjointedness of the film is saved throughout by some stand out performances from two individuals: the afore mentioned Plumber character and Dolph Lundgren, reprising his role as Andrew Scott. Lundgren appears in 3 key scenes and seems to be the only one in this film who’s able to rise above the heaviness of the story and actually have a little fun. Hearing him say “That’s the spirit, soldier!” once again woke me up a bit after seeing Atkins take down nameless thug after nameless thug for what appeared to be an eternity. Unfortunately, Lundgren’s time is short in the film. For the most part, the action of the 3rd act is very repetitious. Even the fight scene with Van Damme is lacking in excitement. The attempts to transcend being just an action film caused the actual action to suffer for the most part.

While I am impressed that Hyams wanted to tell a more cerebral story ala The Manchurian Candidate, his approach in pacing outshown his actual story causing distraction more than insight. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of cool concepts here, which I’m sure will be better examined in future films should they decide to continue the franchise. However, I feel this film tries to do too much and tries too hard to do it. While I don’t think this film is for everyone, I will recommend it to those who are looking for an alternative to your typical action sci-fi film. But if you’re looking for a big, crazy, shlocky action akin to the the original Universal Soldier, you might want to steer clear.

[Jox]

Review: Why the Latest 'Universal Soldier,' Now On VOD, Is Better Than 'Skyfall'
http://www.indiewire.com/article/review ... an-skyfall

'Skyfall' mostly plays by the rules. If, however, you seek a wholly original, unexpected dosage of action ingenuity, look no further than Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning"

The bizarrely inventive fourth entry in an unorthodox franchise with a greater capacity for taking risks, 'Day of Reckoning' explores the action genre with a grab bag of possibilities"

Film noir, body horror and martial arts all come into play"

The fourth wall doesn't just break; it explodes in calculated mayhem

[Abyss-Lord]

So this will be available "On Demand" on the 25th?

Would that mean, tonight at MIDNIGHT?

Or is there a specific time?

I've never ordered On Demand ever before... so I have no clue how that works. But i'm definitely going to check it out. If it's going to be available at midnight, then i'm going to stay up tonight! I'm hoping!

[Abyss-Lord]

OR is it going to be at http://home.vod.com/?

steaming?

[Jox]

So this will be available "On Demand" on the 25th?

Would that mean, tonight at MIDNIGHT?

Or is there a specific time?

I've never ordered On Demand ever before... so I have no clue how that works. But i'm definitely going to check it out. If it's going to be available at midnight, then i'm going to stay up tonight! I'm hoping!

OR is it going to be at http://home.vod.com/?

steaming?

I'm not sure, check these links:
http://www.magpictures.com/ondemand/
http://bit.ly/UniversalSoldierOnDemand

Dread Central review
http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/uni ... oning-2012

Despite the fact that this movie is not for everybody, it’s hard to ignore how director John Hyams has managed to breathe new life into a franchise that has been ridiculed for years. If you’re looking for a gory horror film immersed with full throttle action, then Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning will be right up your alley.

3 1/2 out of 5

[whiteandblank]

I just checked on amazon, and its available. I have never used amazon beforem ever, anyone know what it is like?

[Jox]

Exclusive clip
"You came here to kill me. Yet I'm prepared to give you his greatest gift."
http://www.craveonline.com/film/preview ... -reckoning
(possible spoilers)

Watch on iTunes
http://bit.ly/UniversalSoldieriTunes

On Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Soldier ... +reckoning

[whiteandblank]

I am work now, I just tried to buy the film on itunes, but it re-directed me to the US store, can I still watch it?

[Jox]

I don't know much about it you need something to hide your IP address (that tells them you 're in the UK and won't allow you to) to do so.

Joblo review
http://www.joblo.com/arrow-article-2012 ... john-hyams

it's Hyams' surreal, aggressive filming of these events that gives US:DOA a potent dose of adrenaline. The fight scenes are shot not as overblown bouts of mindless mayhem, but as savage, damaging encounters, filled with so much blood and gore that it's clear the production's Red Food Coloring budget was substantial. (Yes, it indeed looks like most of the red stuff is courtesy of squibs, not a computer, which is really refreshing.) The director isn't looking to make a by-the-numbers sequel, he's got a vision, and bathes his movie in atmospheric dread so that every sequence feels like it wants to inflict pain on the audience. There's a severely grimy mass-killing/fight scene in a brothel that will absolutely send all but the most committed genre fans for the exit, and the very fact that the film is referencing APOCALYPSE NOW at the end - right down to Jean-Claude as a painted up Col. Kurtz stand-in - definitely earns it points for thinking outside the box a little.

DAY OF RECKONING features another lean, effective performance from Scott Adkins, who continues to work at becoming our next serious action star.

It should also be said that Van Damme and Lundgren, while relegated to supporting roles, give convincingly ominous and unsettling performances; Van Damme in particular says a lot without saying much at all, his warped face providing a peculiarly unnerving sight in a few key spots. Lundgren is allowed to overact vividly during his handful of appearances, injecting a bit of crazed humor into what is otherwise a dour and laugh-free movie.

And if it wasn't clear already, DAY OF RECKONING likes to bash brains quite a bit.

Vern
http://outlawvern.com/2012/10/25/and-wh ... g-trailer/

Give me some time to write my review, but I’ll give you a preview: DAY OF RECKONING is as shockingly different from REGENERATION as REGENERATION was from the other UniSols. But unlike some of the reviews I’ve seen I think that’s a good thing. It’s a puzzle and full of mystery, but I don’t think it’s nearly as confusing as some have reported. If you’re one of the people who tried to clock the amount of screen time that Jean-Claude and Dolph had in the last one, don’t ever watch this, you will cry. But you’re missing out. I loved it and I hope you will too.