Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms Reviews

Recommended for action junkies and connoisseurs of the male physique, this telefilm is less a sequel to the original UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, a theatrical release starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, than a tangential rip-off. Once again, a daffy military program &#151 UNISOL &#151 that seems to have been cooked up by General Norman Schwarzkopf in association with George Romero, is reanimating the corpses of beefy soldiers as lean, mean fighting machines. Pushy TV reporter Veronica Roberts (Chandra West) goes on the lam with universal soldier Luc Devreaux (Matt Battaglia) after uncovering the US government's mandate for deceased warriors. Meanwhile, right-wing repo man Otto Mazur (Gary Busey) is planning to sell Uncle Sam's back-from-the-dead corps to terrorists. UNISOL scientists reactivate Luc's brainwashing mechanism from afar, and he returns to headquarters; Veronica follows, and while Luc is being re-educated with other soulless recruits, she locates the frozen cadaver of Luc's brother Eric (Jeff Wincott), a Vietnam vet. Eric perishes during an escape attempt, while the new, improved model Luc survives to pursue Otto's reanimated death squad. Among the movie's interesting revelations: Universal soldiers occasionally need to be packed in ice to avoid meltdowns, and, Veronica doesn't get around much &#151 at least, that's what we deduce from her refusal to quit pining for a disinterested (if often-naked) cyborg. Some padding and extraneous plot developments aside, this gruesomely graphic action picture is a must-see for those who enjoy seeing undead marines impaled on farm machinery or crushed in trash compactors. This cable movie was made the same year as UNIVERSAL SOLDIER III: UNFINISHED BUSINESS; the following year, Van Damme reanimated the big-screen UNISOL franchise with UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN.