Soldier

Kurt Russell’s name doesn’t pop up when it comes to action heroes, yet his career is littered with iconic performance in the genre: Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, Tango & Cash, Stargate, Breakdown and about a half dozen others on the fringes. But 1998’s Soldier might be his most on-the-nose attempt hang with Stallone and Schwarzenegger, a ‘80s throwback full of weaponry, explosions and enough macho posturing to embarrass a Greek god.

Raised on warfare from birth, Sgt. Todd (Russell) and his corps of space soldiers are deemed “outdated” after a new program introduces genetically engineered commandos who can kick ass more cost effectively. Literally thrown out with the trash, Todd lands on a waste disposal planet populated with displaced colonists who find his demeanor at odds with their peaceful existence. But when more space baddies arrive to cause trouble, he’s the only things standing between them and complete destruction.

Written by David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner) and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson hot off Event Horizon, this one had no shortage of talent to play with. Yet it’s dumbed-down narrative, full of cast-off ideas from countless other sci-fi movies and novels, is inexplicably beneath the capabilities of everyone involved. Well, almost everyone. As usual, Russell turns in a performance that’s hard to fault, physically impressive and surprisingly sympathetic. His character is part Terminator, part Universal Soldier, part Frankenstein, but the eyes are all Kurt, a ruthless steely blue with hints of empathy peeking through.

Anderson lays on the schmaltz thick, populating the trash planet with noble savages who exist solely to teach our human weapon how to feel. It’s all painfully familiar and remarkably unsubtle (not to mention the very “suss” special effects). Yet the final half hour wins the audience back by stripping away all the sentimentality and focusing on combat, including Aliens-inspired tanks and tech that give the film some pleasantly tactile space opera appeal. There’s solid B-movie buried in the margins. Just be sure to skip to the highlights.

Review be damned, Arrow’s new Ultra HD is the sort of film 4K was made for. The shoddy CGI stands out more, but everything else looks terrific in this new restoration. New extras include several crew interviews, special effects featurette and critic retrospective along with an archival commentary track, press kit, more interviews and such. The set includes a collector’s booklet and reversible sleeve.

PS.  Watch for Wyatt Russell playing a young Todd waaaay before father and son did the same thing in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

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