My goodness, what an appalling movie. When the beginning of the film rips-off the ending of UNIVERSAL SOLDIER by replacing Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren with two minor no-name actors - neither barely resembling their counterparts - then you know the film is in trouble. Not that UNIVERSAL SOLDIER warranted a sequel in the first place. Sure, it was enjoyable dumb entertainment, but no classic. Suddenly towards the end of the '90s, there came two "unofficial" television movie sequels - yes, there's another sequel to this piece of garbage, probably shot back-to-back - and a cinema sequel with Van Damme himself returning to the fold. The three films together probably represent the nadir of all science-fiction/action movies out there.
I can't think of one thing to recommend in this film. It looks and feels cheap at all moments; the acting is appalling from an unknown (and forgettable) cast; lead Matt Battaglia plays the same character as Van Damme and does his job so badly that you end up crying out for Van Damme to return to the role (yes, he makes Van Damme look like Laurence Olivier in comparison). The action sequences which everybody came to see are sparse, as if they couldn't afford to stage them, and limited to a few explosions and poorly-executed martial arts moves (the highlight of which comes when one of the bad guy Unisols - only displaying a fraction less emotion than his human counterparts - is pushed into a garbage compactor and crushed). Even if Van Damme can't act, at least he knows his stuff when it comes to the fighting, but this no-name Battaglia hasn't got a clue. Lots of the film takes place in the dark, and the script concentrates on inane dialogue and half-baked ideas left over from the first film, at times directly ripping off scenes in that movie also (the implant removing from the leg scene is replayed almost shot-for-shot).
It's really sad to see a portly Gary Busey appearing in this garbage, but here he is, for all to see. Basically he chews the scenery a bit and makes a fool of himself as most has-been stars do when they appear in worthless productions. The only spark of enjoyment this film has to offer is Burt Reynolds in a hilariously bizarre Mr. Mystery-type performance. His identity and face are kept hidden until the very end of the film, where he spins around in his chair to reveal his amusingly smug face. Otherwise, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER II is a definite miss, even as a bad film experience, because there just isn't enough going on to hold your interest.
I can't think of one thing to recommend in this film. It looks and feels cheap at all moments; the acting is appalling from an unknown (and forgettable) cast; lead Matt Battaglia plays the same character as Van Damme and does his job so badly that you end up crying out for Van Damme to return to the role (yes, he makes Van Damme look like Laurence Olivier in comparison). The action sequences which everybody came to see are sparse, as if they couldn't afford to stage them, and limited to a few explosions and poorly-executed martial arts moves (the highlight of which comes when one of the bad guy Unisols - only displaying a fraction less emotion than his human counterparts - is pushed into a garbage compactor and crushed). Even if Van Damme can't act, at least he knows his stuff when it comes to the fighting, but this no-name Battaglia hasn't got a clue. Lots of the film takes place in the dark, and the script concentrates on inane dialogue and half-baked ideas left over from the first film, at times directly ripping off scenes in that movie also (the implant removing from the leg scene is replayed almost shot-for-shot).
It's really sad to see a portly Gary Busey appearing in this garbage, but here he is, for all to see. Basically he chews the scenery a bit and makes a fool of himself as most has-been stars do when they appear in worthless productions. The only spark of enjoyment this film has to offer is Burt Reynolds in a hilariously bizarre Mr. Mystery-type performance. His identity and face are kept hidden until the very end of the film, where he spins around in his chair to reveal his amusingly smug face. Otherwise, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER II is a definite miss, even as a bad film experience, because there just isn't enough going on to hold your interest.