Transcript
Zach Sheets: Hello and welcome to the everything extra cast podcast week of August 31st, 2026. I'm your host, Zach.
Chris Prime: I'm your cohost, Chris.
Zach Sheets: And this week we we got to make sure we have plenty of ice because we're talking about Universal Soldier. 1992 classic because we got a Very Universal Soldier reminiscent movie in theaters right now, Onslaught.
Zach Sheets: uh the new and wind garden movie that's i guess i guess it's in the same universe as the guest Or it's like, it's like the spiritual success. successor to the guest.
Chris Prime: Sort of.
Zach Sheets: i think I think it said think said it's in the same universe, but then it's...
Chris Prime: i mean
Zach Sheets: So it's so it's kind of like, but not like the same. characters or anything but
Chris Prime: I mean, yeah that Like. guests didn't have. like onslaught powers or He didn't bring up, like, a lab. So.
Zach Sheets: he was He was in some sort of like weird like secret... like organization or something though.
Chris Prime: Was he? I thought he was just a...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Liar. i thought like Did he even show where he came from? he just I think think he just showed up one day, right?
Zach Sheets: Mm -mm. But then, like, rent Lance Rex showed up and was like... oh this guy this guy's part of like he's a dangerous black ops person we gotta to stop him
Chris Prime: It's so like vague.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm. but But the the yeah the onslaught... Soldiers are definitely like... you universe They're like just... Full -on was like... Genetically engineered. Killing machines. Just like Universal Soldiers.
Zach Sheets: And yeah. Rowan Emmerich's Hollywood debut. He had made a a couple smaller movies before this, but this was his first big... Uh, blockbuster movie And I think the first team up between Jean -Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.
Zach Sheets: To the titans of... Action cinema.
Chris Prime: Yeah, it's... it was that age of the 90s where all these Uh, like... just like... Rising. 80s action hero stars now needed to do Team -up movies.
Chris Prime: And instead of them being like buddy cop, as was the tradition. They were rivals, which was new. I don't think. Like...
Chris Prime: I don't think America was ready if they did make a Arnold versus Salone movie.
Zach Sheets: Oh, God, yeah.
Chris Prime: Still, they kind of test the waters with this idea of. Two martial artists. But... They don't really do. a ton of martial artists things to themselves like to to each other you know what i mean like it's and And based on like the movie, you think it would be more of a shootout movie between like two.
Chris Prime: like skilled marksman or or something, but it's it's not.
Zach Sheets: mm -hmm
Chris Prime: and And where the... The final fight kind of goes into it. It's sort of like... Just becomes a bar fight.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: I don't know. Leading up to this movie, I remember. all the comic books I had. especially Marvel's. Marvel Comics, they had the back cover. or the like insert at the end was universal soldier it was just like really vague of what it was about
Zach Sheets: Yep. mm -hmm
Chris Prime: Because. I think around this time. There was a whole bunch of like. gizmos and gadgets for kids that made you look like a soldier? And it's like.
Chris Prime: I figure forgot what this toy was, but it's like this headset. that was you're able to like Get like... A laser scope or something on your face? You know what I'm talking about?
Zach Sheets: Like... like Like for the and NES or just like in general?
Chris Prime: There was the and NES one. That's the most famous one. But there have been like...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Oh.
Zach Sheets: There was i remember there was like a Nerf one. Or like like a Super Soaker one.
Chris Prime: Yeah. yeah yeah
Zach Sheets: That was like.
Chris Prime: It was something that was later, but there was a, there was a, like a laser tag that you played with like your eye.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Like you had to like. line up your Your head.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: to like whatever target it was on the other player so you not only had to buy the one set you had to buy like another set and of course it didn't sell i think all this was like super expensive and
Zach Sheets: I like the R zone, too.
Chris Prime: Like...
Zach Sheets: I think it was probably later than this, too.
Chris Prime: That was way later, but yeah, but it's that.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: I remember looking at the comic and just not knowing this was a movie, you know, because I was. young and i was like i don't know what this is is you Do you wear this? Is it a toy? and But...
Chris Prime: Yeah, I didn't like. commercials i i see now like to see an actual ad for universal soldier It made it may seem like.
Chris Prime: This movie was everything. It's like... It's America. It's Vietnam. It's... It's soldiers of, like, trauma. Also it's got a sexy reporter.
Chris Prime: I mean... that is like a lot of.
Zach Sheets: What?
Chris Prime: Elite. 80s, early 90s plot lines.
Zach Sheets: And it's also it's also coming off of like... Terminator 2 was the year before this. So now it's like... to kind of they're they're not robots, but they're, they're kind of robots.
Chris Prime: Robotic.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. And they're like, so these two kind of like opposing. Super soldiers are fighting each other.
Chris Prime: The... The one thing that... What does balance it is that they both come from the same program. You know, like, they they both... Have the... Like...
Chris Prime: their control is the same and their mission was the same except the one that went rogue but the other goes rogue too so they're Like. even. in in how they break their brainwashing.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, there's but there's a lot of flaws in the Universal Soldier program, it seems like.
Chris Prime: Or.
Chris Prime: Oh, my God, yeah. Like, there's no kill switch, so if the soldier just goes rogue, you just have to deal with it?
Zach Sheets: Yeah. yeah Yeah, try to like trick them into like... sitting in a chair and like getting like a A brain erasing a serum.
Chris Prime: Uh, no, they stole that from RoboCop.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Zach Sheets: And he also I love that they like they decide, like, oh. This, this, got this, like, sergeant in Vietnam that, like, went absolutely apeshit, like, batshit insane, like... cut of everyone's ears off that that's like a perfect like candidate for becoming like a super soldier.
Chris Prime: to To be fair... There were Not a lot of people reporting that. So they didn't know. That. you know this guy had Psychosis.
Chris Prime: And then. If they want like a killing machine, that guy is. morally, like... Dark. he will just kill okay you know like
Zach Sheets: Hmm?
Chris Prime: They thought the only thing they needed was brainwashing, but... whatever method they were doing is not working.
Chris Prime: You know, it. He broke his programming really fast. I don't know how long they've been super soldiers for. and how long they've been on ice because it's been 25 years so who knows how long they've been Doing this.
Zach Sheets: Those are my big questions. is like because because so yeah So Van Damme and Adolf are in Vietnam. and so it'ss So it's like 1969 or whatever it is. And then...
Zach Sheets: Yeah, Dolph goes crazy. He's cutting everyone's ears off, kill like killing civilians. He and Van Damme have their... kind of like a fight. They kill each other. And then...
Zach Sheets: They... you're putting body bags in like a guy's like hey make sure they're in ice But then it's like. We don't have any idea, like, did they have the technology to turn them into... universe soldiers in the 60s or did they just like freeze them until they did? and they like But they had the idea of like...
Zach Sheets: We gotta gather, like, dead soldiers. It's okay, because, like, in, like... 20 years, we're going to have like a a super soldier program.
Chris Prime: I...
Zach Sheets: Because it's...
Chris Prime: i Yeah, i know i don't they don't quite explain.
Zach Sheets: tweet
Chris Prime: That. They've been keeping these corpses. That fresh? And without decay, because that's impressive. Doesn't matter. That.
Chris Prime: you know they broke their so their programming and they're healed by ice Right.
Zach Sheets: mm -hmm
Chris Prime: Uh... What? What was that technology that they just sort of like? befuddled. You know, it's like. There's a whole different movie that happens with jerry orbach who's late intro to introduce this movie.
Chris Prime: But... It just... It just sort of goes like... If this was like a soldier that died. Two years prior and then got resurrected. Like, I believe that.
Chris Prime: But. When it's 25 years, like and it it doesn't play in. to the story. You know, it's not like. He's fighting the Viet Cong again.
Zach Sheets: Well, I mean, Dolph thinks he is.
Chris Prime: Or...
Zach Sheets: because they when he like
Chris Prime: Right. But that's just that's just PTSD. Like, you know, that's just the stress and the fog of war that's warping his brain.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: And then. you know, the the just The inhumane things that he did in the name of war. But... That could just be any war.
Chris Prime: I don't know why specifically Vietnam. Like. You know, and it doesn't play into it where. There's like. major major like themes about vietnam war or even Like...
Chris Prime: Someone from his past platoon, like a Rambo. kind of thing. Like there's no Trapman. That comes in.
Zach Sheets: drop it in.
Chris Prime: But that's what I'm saying. It really tried to be like. New Age Rambo. And. In Rambo, that was more relevant. you know when that was released. Here, it's like...
Chris Prime: So... So much time has passed that, like... Desert a Storm is already happening. This could have just been a Desert Storm. Analogy.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, where where are the other guys from, too? Where was like Tommy... Tommy Tiny Lister, like, fighting and died. and Or like, uh, like Ralph Moeller.
Chris Prime: No idea. I mean, Ralph Muller, they're just picking up any bodies for who knows. So he could have been like a war to. Like...
Zach Sheets: but
Chris Prime: Corpse. That's the thing. It doesn't. They don't quite explain. uh how how much regeneration they can bring back a corpse unless it's completely burnt You know?
Chris Prime: Some bodies seem like... Oh, if it if he dropped in combat, he's not technically dead? Until... I guess. All of the nervous system's gone. You know, he's more like it's like a Wolverine principle where.
Chris Prime: As long as his brain stem isn't severed, he can still regenerate somehow.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, because they can get shot like quite a bit, and they come back. I mean, even even if they're like they get slightly burned, it seems like they can like. Like...
Zach Sheets: they still like are functioning. it's yeah like it's like It's like a total total body like it like just total body burning. or like like told Like... And... fixable injuries like because they're trying to do like surgery at one point i think i'm On. Tommy Lister. He's like, he's not going to make it.
Zach Sheets: But yeah, they can survive like... quite quite a lot of punishment and then also like yeah like if they get Cool draft. then they... heal like bullet wounds and All the other...
Chris Prime: you know
Zach Sheets: or most of their movements.
Chris Prime: it's It's cool the first time you see it, and after that it gets more and more ridiculous to see how Van Damme finds ways to cool down.
Zach Sheets: Well, the over the overheating thing is is like a super major flaw. It's like, it' it's it's also, it's so... kind of There's no... rules about it. It's just kind of like... It just seems like whenever... It's just randomly, he's like, I'm overheating.
Zach Sheets: He has like a wrist thing that tells him he's overheating, but there's like no time frame. I'm like, oh, if I don't get iced in 30 minutes, I'm going to like shut down or something. it's just like Oh, I'm too hot now.
Chris Prime: Well... Yeah, that. That's cool because at least they established that rule where... I guess the body. heals itself in such an overloaded fashion the way like having a fever kind of Throws your body into overdrive to produce enough white blood cells to heal and kill like infections.
Zach Sheets: Well, I think Jerry Orbach also mentioned something about like The way they like brought back the cells causes the overheat more or something? that that like They couldn't overcome.
Chris Prime: Right. And then they like stroke out.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, they couldn't overcome like the weakness of... like Yeah, they the the but the but because they they're suppressing the brain function too to like make them more pliable. But that's causing like... Like their brain to overheat. So it's like cool down and I give them like the.
Chris Prime: Very good.
Zach Sheets: serum that wipes their memories.
Chris Prime: don Okay. Well, I don't know why the memory thing. It's like, is it so that they don't... Overload their... Click. chlorotex. It's more just blank slates all the time.
Zach Sheets: it's funny like it's i mean it's gotta be like It's kind of like a Winter Soldier thing, I would imagine. like You know how they waste the Winter Soldier's memory every mission?
Chris Prime: Yeah. Which I think they stole from this.
Chris Prime: I mean, technically, they we all everyone stole it from the Manchurian candidate.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. yeah
Chris Prime: They at least sort of played with that idea, but Van Damme gets his memory back in... Two days.
Zach Sheets: Well, it's funny because like... at the beginning At the beginning of the movie... Like the... like the It's not like the ho the Hoover Dam like rescue. like That's like their third mission. That's like the third mission ever for like the Universal Soldier Program.
Chris Prime: Oh yeah, you're right.
Zach Sheets: Because like the colonel Colonel Perry, who was like the head of it, was like, another third search successful mission for the Universal Soldiers. He's like talking to the reporters.
Chris Prime: Also, why are they disclosing it to like the public like that?
Zach Sheets: you know it's like Yeah, like super public. Like, here's our black ops. We've like. Uh... You're like... super soldiers that we're just like unleashing
Chris Prime: And it's... non -consent we just have these bodies that some of their family could just turn on the news and be like our son from 25 years ago is on the news
Zach Sheets: Yeah. we Well, he's covered like crew pairs covering it up by saying like well we're not going to disclose their... identities with a lot of families.
Chris Prime: Right. They have, they have like families, but I mean, Someone can eventually just take a photo. Or there's gonna be video of... Of them. and then Then they've got like a whole new problem on their hands.
Zach Sheets: I guess it's 1990. Uh... four i guess because it's 25 years from 1969. So I'd like. The internet's not. Anywhere near close to what it would be.
Chris Prime: True, they didn't know the speed of the news.
Zach Sheets: so
Chris Prime: I mean there's still news.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: So... Because the reporter, like... to like every now and then she catches the news and it's like exposition just like by the way like this is happening now and Did you hear about this murder?
Zach Sheets: Idiot! They just keep adding, like, crimes to her.
Chris Prime: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: She's like, oh, she she killed her cameraman. Oh, she, like, she shut up this hotel. Like.
Chris Prime: I can't even imagine.
Zach Sheets: She's involved in like a drug deal.
Chris Prime: Yeah, I can't imagine what... Her producer is just like... What the hell? Like, we fired her.
Zach Sheets: He's like, thank God I fired her. like
Chris Prime: Yeah. Either like, thank God, or are they the ones producing this new story and just like escalating because they don't like her?
Zach Sheets: i don't yeah i don't that was I don't know if that was her network that was like reporting on it.
Chris Prime: it'd be funny if it was it's like former Oh, yeah.
Zach Sheets: Her replacement.
Chris Prime: yeah It's like they upgraded the weather girl. to
Zach Sheets: Mm.
Chris Prime: kind of shit on. the exclusive reporter
Zach Sheets: Yeah, because... the like they cover up like that because like Uh, cause Dolph, like, murders, like, her cameraman because she's, like, trying to sneak in and, like, get, like... Uh, photos and like information about what's going on with like the universal soldiers and then they get caught And then Dolph, like, shoots the cameraman and then, like, the cover -up is, oh!
Zach Sheets: Veronica... Uh... Whatever her name is. i So. Veronica Roberts like shot her cameraman and like we found drugs at and the the hotel room too. So that's like a drug deal going wrong.
Chris Prime: I like how... The drug, it was just the extra cherry on top. It had nothing to do with anybody. And just like, I don't know, just get some drugs, plant drug.
Chris Prime: For all we know, that's like the the motel owner's drugs.
Zach Sheets: and
Zach Sheets: hu
Chris Prime: Cause he seemed a little like sketchy and.
Zach Sheets: I don't, I don't think, I don't, I don't think it was, was it that, was that motel or was it like just like a different, like it was like dumped his body like a different motel.
Chris Prime: No, I think it was the same one.
Zach Sheets: Because they're... Because they're watching the news and she finds out. at the hotel that like mo the the motel that gets like destroyed.
Chris Prime: Oh, they went to another motel.
Zach Sheets: Like some some other shitty hotel was like. His body was found like in a... Yeah. Like... drug paraphernalia all over the place and shots.
Chris Prime: Okay. Yeah. Yeah, okay, so... You bring up a good good point. about that. About how... All these mom and pop places like these motels and and like other.
Chris Prime: places along this famous route because They take a major highway to get from the Hoover Dam to this hotel. like it It seems like...
Zach Sheets: yeah is du is it is it I don't think... Is it? Route 66? Or is it like... it's it's If it's not Route 66, it's like a similar kind of like...
Chris Prime: Very similar. So it's...
Zach Sheets: Like... south southwest like they're like kind of traveling to southwest going he's like Kind of like, yeah, like small off the beat path.
Chris Prime: Passover counties.
Zach Sheets: yeah Hmm.
Chris Prime: Where it's really just the famous thing there is the gas station. Bye. not Not to crap all over those places, but it's like... You don't see them so much these days. Just because, like... you know, globalization and And like. you know.
Chris Prime: Sheets would have been there.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: if
Chris Prime: But... Uh... Yeah, no. This universal program, if you think about how many places they do mess up. And Zach, you brought this up.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Do you want to mention it?
Zach Sheets: I mean, yeah, there's there's there's causing like just an absolute path of destruction to go like to all these like mom and pop. Like they're blowing up gas stations, which like that guy's probably been there for like.
Chris Prime: generator.
Zach Sheets: 50 years. 40 years. They blow up his gas station. They just like absolutely destroy like that motel. like like Every room gets like destroyed.
Chris Prime: And that's not the one where like they dropped off a dead body in a drug deal. frame job that is just the one that they stopped at
Zach Sheets: No.
Zach Sheets: Like Dolph goes to like a like a strip club later and like just like beats a bunch of people up outside of it. And then they're like...
Chris Prime: That's not so bad. That's just bar fighting.
Zach Sheets: yeah yeah least the bill At least the building didn't get like Destroyed it all. But then they go to he goes to a grocery store and like just like absolutely like kills people in the grocery store and like is like destroying the grocery store.
Chris Prime: Who did he kill in the grocery store?
Zach Sheets: Like a bunch of cops ran Trying to like stop him And he just like shot all the cops
Zach Sheets: He's like, look, at it's surges are everywhere. The Viet Cong are everywhere.
Zach Sheets: Because he was also he was dragging in... i think he was striking like ralph moeller and tiny lister's like bodies into like the freezer like into the meat locker.
Chris Prime: Yep. Yep.
Chris Prime: Because he couldn't work his own... freezing unit in the truck Like... and also let's talk about that truck for a sec
Zach Sheets: Well, I think...
Chris Prime: That thing is...
Zach Sheets: Oh. yeah but but the Like the battle rig?
Chris Prime: The Battle Rig looked like a G .I. Joe toy.
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: It's like... it's so bulky it's what do you think like two garbage trucks mushed together would Damn. But then, like, inside of it is so roomy.
Zach Sheets: Or kind of...
Chris Prime: It's like a giant, like... Hospital wing.
Zach Sheets: It reminded me a little bit of like... like the lost world. Like they're like, like they're like, big like the big van or like the big like truck that they have in the lost world
Chris Prime: Yep. the like lab.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: But yeah, it's yeah it's got like yeah all kinds of like computer equipment. It's got like the big like sub -zero freezing room. because it's like it's like The go in there and it's like negative 30.
Zach Sheets: And then like the the regular like scientists have to go in with like these like special like suits or else they'll freeze to death.
Zach Sheets: it's Yeah, so they all all that equipment in there, and then... So yeah, it's like... But yeah, but it's it's it's just like a like a regular -sized, like... But. like big rig.
Zach Sheets: but think But that's like just like like chasing the like like Van and the the reporter like Veronica around constantly. It's like the shark from Jaws. It's like, oh no, the panel rings behind us.
Chris Prime: Yeah, that thing's not quite... but it does sneak up on them later.
Zach Sheets: And then and also, like, Van Damme has, like a like, a tracking device. They all have, like, a tracking device, which I guess that's, like, their one failsafe, which is, like... We put an easily detectable... tracking device in their body that you can just like feel for it and find it
Chris Prime: Yeah, you figured you you would...
Zach Sheets: And just like cut it out.
Chris Prime: push it deeper, but Van Damme was able to just detect it by just going, yeah, there's something in me. I don't know where. You gotta to keep finding it.
Zach Sheets: I'm going to strip down and then you need to feel press on all of my orifices to find it.
Zach Sheets: Which is... Because they this one they go to the gas station and they're like they but like they like both go in the bathroom and the guy's like... What are y 'all doing in there?
Chris Prime: Yeah, that's... That... This movie has some weird bits of comedy, like forced in -hit.
Zach Sheets: yeah
Chris Prime: Because. Again, and you think it's going to be an action movie, it's going to have the... you know, Just like brutality of someone that's.
Chris Prime: You know. i Someone that should be like. A traumatic. like, recall. yeah Think, like, Logan. or something where it's The movie should be more depressing than it is.
Zach Sheets: Get it.
Chris Prime: But...
Zach Sheets: Yeah, they're they're getting like they're getting memories like the worst moment of their life, like they're like the last moment of their life where they died, and then it's like, it's the only thing they're seeing, and then... But then... and There's like bits where like Van Damme's eating a bunch of food at a diner.
Chris Prime: Or he's making jokes at the end where he's like a sense of humor. And like.
Zach Sheets: m
Chris Prime: And just like. Irony?
Zach Sheets: Well, it's weird because like... Something because Sometimes they're they they act like they're like a robot or like an alien or something. or like van du but like like he' he Remember how to eat or something? He has to look at other people and be like, oh, I need to eat food with a fork and eat it.
Zach Sheets: Oh food is good.
Chris Prime: He like forgets. Certain. Stuff now?
Zach Sheets: Like, how much how much do they wipe? I mean, do they just wipe like... All they're like... like experience like elder can experience they have no knowledge of anything
Chris Prime: See, I think if you go back on the Winter Soldier idea where they have to keep wiping... The... Like... The daily activity. so every time they show up it's just like blank slate told what to do go back like they don't recognized there's like All these nuances about life that...
Chris Prime: Is it robotic? like You have to drink water. You have to go to the bathroom. So...
Zach Sheets: yeah we don't we don't really see if they have like any sort of like like a special like universal soldier like uh you know like robocop you have to eat baby food that we don't we't see if they like inject them with like some sort of like here's your protein uh vile.
Chris Prime: Mm hmm.
Zach Sheets: Take that.
Chris Prime: Well, we do know that they do inject themselves with a so like a crazy form of steroids.
Zach Sheets: Like a steroid.
Chris Prime: Which.
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: Which, like... It's so late in the movie to just bring that in.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Where that should have been like. Unless they bring in... and I gotta watch the beginning again. If they... mention it where Before the combat, they like get an injection. So not only are they super soldiers. From the dead?
Chris Prime: They actually need, like... An activation formula to... like function or else their body can go back to rigor mortis
Zach Sheets: Well, I think they're probably already, because, like, You know, they're doing, like, superhuman things. Like, they're running, like, like a couple miles in, like... four minutes or whatever it is and like if it was like pushing a car like 30 miles an hour But...
Zach Sheets: So I think they have like the muscle enhancer. in them and then Dolph just like ejects like Way more. He just like like overloads himself with muscle enhancers. Suddenly he's like super powerful.
Zach Sheets: But I think they all got like some sort of like base level of like muscle enhancer. and all i like yeah All the other stuff that they've been injected with. and genetically modified with.
Zach Sheets: Because I think it's like... like cherry rx were like or like someone's like oh yeah we you're like you're like modified down to your cells like we change your entire like cell your structure
Chris Prime: Just make a robot at that point. yeah i i don't What Frankenstein monster did they... Make. That. They just like. Like it doesn't have fear of things, you know, like at least Frankenstein.
Chris Prime: monster had was a afraid of fire.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Yeah. This they're just like annoyed
Zach Sheets: Yeah, just yeah the their weakness is just like, if they see something... that reminds them of a traumatic event from their life and then also an overheating
Chris Prime: Yeah, it's... Which is... like they should be very overheated because where they are is arizona which is just Right.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Desert Heat.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: So you're overheating constantly, but they seem fine. you know
Zach Sheets: Dolph seems more fine than Van Damme. Like, Van Damme's, like, constantly overheating. He's just like, I need ice. I need to sit in a bathtub of ice.
Chris Prime: Well, I think. Because... Dolph has his truck. So he's... fine You know, he's got his recharging station.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: And Van Damme broke free early, so he's... He should have been. Like... There should have been a... gradual slowdown.
Chris Prime: of him. Where Van Damme... Like... through the the motions and then. expending all the super soldier energy. He just becomes normal.
Chris Prime: like So by the end, it's just normal Van Damme versus the super soldier -like...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Juiced up. version which that we kind of get but it's not doesn't pay off in a very you know, unbalanced challenge. where it's like, okay, hey.
Chris Prime: you know Maybe Van Damme won't make it, but it's fine because he he basically gets to be alive one more day. than he would have gotten. You know? but No, it... It's sort of like...
Chris Prime: We don't even question that science. It's just like. Van Damme's back to normal, I guess. And it's like. I...
Zach Sheets: Well, well.
Chris Prime: He's just as strong as before.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm. Well, he, well. In the final battle, he steals, like, because, like... Dolph has, like, another vial of, like, Muscle Lancer, and then, like, Vietnam steals it, and, like... Oh, I mean i inject myself. Now we're but I'm as strong as you again.
Zach Sheets: no i can know but Now it's even.
Chris Prime: Yeah, and it's a roid fight.
Zach Sheets: Hmm.
Chris Prime: But that's what I'm like, oh, they... They pull the thing where they they can kind of like go. evenly match and i I don't know. I kind of wanted Van Damme to...
Chris Prime: to win by some like Weird.
Zach Sheets: more being like more tactical or more tricky like yeah
Chris Prime: Tactical... Or just, like... Mess with the other dude's psyche. where Maybe Van Damme wears his own necklace of ears or something.
Zach Sheets: Well, Well... Well, also, like, Van Damme's, like, home he's back home so maybe that he remembers like no like's like I'm home now I know where everything is like I can like I can use my like the home field advantage. like fight him.
Chris Prime: I guess. I get what, like... the idea and it becomes a like true guerrilla warfare. And maybe, again. again if you really want to play into the theme about the vietnam war and not be too silly have it be that Van Damme like Hots.
Chris Prime: puts the like tension back on. on Uh... his sergeant. like bring up the fact that he had like comrades that maybe The sergeant betrayed. Or,
Chris Prime: Like... bring his old soldiers who survived the war to the farmhouse.
Chris Prime: I know it sounds weird, but.
Zach Sheets: Or show, or show, I mean, there's a picture of them like in Vietnam. Maybe show them like the picture of like. Remember this? Remember this picture we took?
Chris Prime: Yeah, who took that photo and then gave it to the parents 25 years prior? Does that photo look like it was taken?
Zach Sheets: I mailed it back to them. yeah
Chris Prime: But like. That photo looked like it was taken. The day before the beginning of the movie.
Zach Sheets: like then Like... Literally the next day, Dolphins went insane.
Zach Sheets: Everything changed after I took that photo.
Chris Prime: Yeah, no That was the last happy moment as a squad.
Chris Prime: Uh... While we're speaking about like squad things, can we mention that... pretty much at the halfway point of the movie. everyone sort of doesn't look like the universal soldier outfit anymore like the cool Stelling Point.
Zach Sheets: There's like...
Chris Prime: about the movie.
Zach Sheets: They're just done. Everyone's like, average's like we're we're not wearing these anymore.
Chris Prime: let's take off our Like. desert khakis our desert combat gear our cool headset our No one uses like cool guns. In fact... Dolph just uses more grenades in this movie.
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: I've never seen a movie just you casually throw more grenades in this that isn't the... The, like... The big. Like... explosion at the end. You know, like in the 90s, grenades were always done like that. And sometimes just like unrealistically, like it exploded like a whole room. Unlike like a tiny puff, as they do sometimes.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Like... In the beginning of the movie...
Zach Sheets: well Especially...
Chris Prime: In the beginning of the movie... Dolph Lundgren. Hux a grenade at a person. with like A huge arc. I... That person must have ran like.
Chris Prime: 15 feet away and Dolph. lands that grenade.
Zach Sheets: her Yeah, perfectly nails like that shot and like blows her up. And she's like, she's running she's like running, a moving target, running away from him.
Chris Prime: In the rain.
Zach Sheets: In the rain, yeah.
Chris Prime: And this is pre -Super Soldier. golf So I get why he was.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Pretty much like an evil Captain America already.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, and then later, like especially like when they're like doing the chase along on the Grand Canyon. With the prison bus and the the battle rig? and then like yeah that was just like tossing grenades it's like hey let's play catch
Chris Prime: Did he run out of guns in his... Battle rig. Or he just loves grenades.
Zach Sheets: I mean... I mean, I think he just loves grains because he has like a giant machine gun, too, that he's not really using. Like, well, he like hung i think he outside the door of and I was like blasting them. Like the... the the bus and then like kill the driver would like uh,
Zach Sheets: a gun and then but he's but he's just like throwing grenades at them.
Zach Sheets: But they have, like, a really good, like, long cook time, too, because, like, Farag is able to, like, grab them and throw them back outside or at least, like, get them out off off the bus.
Chris Prime: Yeah, it becomes just like a... like a video game section where you'll see someone throw grenades at you and you have like Only seconds to shake them off.
Zach Sheets: You gotta cook them. You gotta cook those grenades.
Chris Prime: I don't know, even... In the... middle of the movie where one of the professors or scientists just blows up the rig with him and inside it by accident or on purpose i have no idea
Zach Sheets: No. I think on purpose, because, like, at that point, like, he was the only one left, and he's like, I have i have to stop, I have to stop Dov Lundgren. So but that said then... ralph moeller who's like still like pliable or like still like kind of like obeying orders oh
Zach Sheets: He's like, hey, hold this grenade for 30 seconds and then drop it. He's like, All right. One. Two. three Four.
Chris Prime: To the... The scientist takes himself out on purpose?
Zach Sheets: Yeah, I think just just try to stop. like stop Stop Dolph, because I'll blow up like these like the like the cooling system and all of that. equipment so we can't use it anymore.
Chris Prime: Yeah, but I get trying to take them out. I don't get why. He just stayed and died with it. it Super honorable, but... We don't really see the result.
Chris Prime: I mean we just know that The the thing exploded.
Chris Prime: Again, another grenade. And the grenades like vary. They're like powerful enough to... Destroy the war rig. Partially. Or sometimes they're not able. not strong enough to kill a reporter.
Zach Sheets: hu
Chris Prime: So it it varies. Like. Not to spoil really the ending, but... Uh... that reporter just like goes, I have a headache from this grenade.
Zach Sheets: Which... Yeah, I mean, it looked like another like perfect toss from Dolph. It was like the same exact... I mean, obviously, it's they're like mirroring the the scene, but like it looked like the exact same like distance away from the grenade that like Veronica was. It's just like...
Zach Sheets: Is there like getting your arm blown off like the other like the Vietnam? Vietnamese woman is just like, oh man. Yeah, that was... i got like My ears are ringing for that one.
Chris Prime: Yeah. That's what I'm like. What? This is the Super Soldier version, too.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Uh... All right. Do you want to get into like the antics of... of uh... Luke Devereaux?
Chris Prime: Praise the Lord. Van Damme's name in this or am I confusing him with someone else?
Zach Sheets: Yeah. No, yeah, he's Luke Devereaux.
Chris Prime: Okay. He's supposed to be a Cajun American.
Zach Sheets: Yes, because because that's That's the crazy part is that this is entire like most of the movie takes place in like the Southwest. like We're in like Nevada. We're in Utah. we're in all like We're in the Grand Canyon. And then they're like...
Zach Sheets: Oh. We found your parents. They're in Louisiana. We have to drive all the way to Louisiana for the finale.
Chris Prime: And that does not look like Louisiana.
Zach Sheets: I mean, yeah, it's like... it's like
Chris Prime: A farmland. Just a random Midwest farmland.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: I do also love that his parents are like, they look like straight out like American Gothic. Just like give his dad like a pitchfork. They'd be like the American Gothic couple.
Chris Prime: Oh, it's so weird whenever... What's his name? It's... Ron Howard's dad.
Zach Sheets: Oh, yeah.
Chris Prime: He just shows up. I'm like, oh, he is not going to fake a Cajun accent, is he?
Zach Sheets: No, he's he's American, and then then his like Luke's mom is French, so I guess that explains why he has a French accent.
Chris Prime: Okay, because he is just like, it would have been funny if it was the reversal where Ron Howard's dad. had the Cajun accent and it's like, I don't think he has that range.
Zach Sheets: It's me, Luke Devereaux. 100 % American GI Joe.
Chris Prime: Ma, Pa, don't you get the news? Like, nope. Also, did they call them ahead of time to let them know they were coming? cause They show up and then...
Zach Sheets: I don't know They just show up, yeah.
Chris Prime: Yeah, they just run out like, hello, son. Like they're not even holding each other all three of them crying or anything. It's just like Well, thanks for bringing back our boy from 25 years and...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: There he is looking like he's 22 I guess Van Damme is supposed to be like 22, 23.
Zach Sheets: thank thankfully he yeah Thankfully he was frozen So that like stopped him from aging because Yeah, because like i do they say like, oh, he's 50. Like, he's 50 years old, technically.
Chris Prime: And Van Damme is like. 28? 30?
Zach Sheets: I mean, he was He's born in... 60. So... 34. Or 32 when this movie comes out.
Chris Prime: Great, but, like, if he's 32 plus 25... he would be... Like 60. In. Uh...
Zach Sheets: Well, I guess he's 25 in... vietnam because they said it's 25 years later and he's like oh you look good for like a 50 year old so i guess said he was like 25 when he was fighting in vietnam
Chris Prime: Yeah, okay, but see what I mean? like Van Damme is like playing at someone 10 years younger.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: So he should look more like... Like Timothy Chalamet. Then he would look like Van Damme.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: I'm not saying they should do a Universal Soldier movie where Timmy Chalamet is, like, accurate of, like, hey. You're going to Vietnam. and Now you're a universal soldier now. that That's like...
Chris Prime: That's where like the math gets fuzzy. I'm like, Dolph looks fine. I never questioned about him. The cool thing about him is that it seems like he he already had. Like super villain origins.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: He was evil in the past and he's evil in the present.
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: Even when they activate him. for duty in the universal soldier program like he already has such a like menacing stare. And he's... scanning the surrounding because there's something about his brain that won't let him go about this rivalry.
Zach Sheets: And he's doing like extra violence. like He's like like doing like extra kicks to guys' faces and stuff.
Zach Sheets: Because the one the one like technician's like, oh man, I think he likes it.
Chris Prime: It's like, oh, you shouldn't be doing that. Like, it's fine. Huh? What? I don't know, A. It's not like the science isn't perfect. Like they know it's imperfect.
Chris Prime: And then B, the head scientist who will... who seem to make this. left. for like some reason and it's like they out don't even question it
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: This head scientist, it's not even he's doing another program and like a... Universal Pet Program. or so You know, bring back dead animals or something for, like, kids to enjoy. I...
Chris Prime: He's just like a... A mental doctor?
Zach Sheets: Yeah, he's like yeah he just like a so fled to like do like... a private practice. or something
Chris Prime: But even in that private practice, he's not even using his, like... Bring the life formula. He. is just, like, a physician. Like, a pediatrics doctor.
Zach Sheets: Mm -hmm.
Chris Prime: it's like playing with kids like wearing sweaters he's basically mr rogers in that town
Zach Sheets: like don't yeah Don't tell them I i made zombies, basically.
Chris Prime: but I don't want to mention what I did in the Vietnam War.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, we we don't get any we any sort of information about what the training was. for like We just know it's like... Oh. They're three missions in. and they're just like this is like they're like Just like fully using the universal soldiers now.
Chris Prime: So.
Zach Sheets: it just kind It seems like there was like no testing. no but we We have no idea how long they were like developing this stuff. it's like Throw them out there. put Put those cool headsets on them and set them out there.
Chris Prime: So Roland Emmerich is the master for having. cool Like scenes, but then it. fall apart. want. Like. structure narrative if you're trying to figure out in a Uh...
Chris Prime: Like... long -term viewing or repeat viewing. that's why independence day falls apart after like the fifth viewing. That's why independent day two falls apart on the first viewing apparently
Zach Sheets: All right. Mm -hmm
Chris Prime: Uh... just because when you kind of like need them to explain the world it's just like You can't. It's the movie magic, MacGuffin. And I think it's not that clever.
Chris Prime: If anything, they should have said. This is the latest branch of the... Universal Soldier. program or something and it's like They just kept collecting bodies and they keep storing them.
Chris Prime: But... The fact that in the 25 years, Van Damme has just been like... The best. seller Like the best. Like, soldier to keep in rotation?
Chris Prime: But he breaks his program. Like it. On the third mission ever, they're just like, oh, well, that fell apart.
Zach Sheets: he sees He sees a random woman and he's like, oh god, it's happening again!
Chris Prime: It's not even like an Asian woman. It just... Another woman?
Zach Sheets: Like a tourist. this yeah's like like and like Just like a regular tourist woman.
Chris Prime: oh no no that one yeah yeah that activates it just the chance of like an asian american At the Hoover Dam.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Which. It happens a lot. Hoover Dam is a big tourist destination. Awesome. Now that we mention it. What was that terror terrorist organization's plan? It was just, we hold these people here until...
Chris Prime: vague comrades are released.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, they wanted they wanted so so like other terrorist releases And they were like killing they're just like killing people i guess on a timeline or something if you don't Give us like... Release them, we'll kill another person.
Chris Prime: yeah I mean, they trap themselves and basically... a two -way canal. like There's only two ways on the Hoover Dam.
Zach Sheets: well we We do it we we we do the cool, like, uh... like running like straight down like the Hoover Dam. Like, I don't know if they actually run over dam, like running down like the dam side, like front.
Chris Prime: Hmm.
Zach Sheets: Good stuff.
Chris Prime: It's a cool repel scene that... GoldenEye stole.
Zach Sheets: Well, well they they went up to it with like. Well, he's going to like – yeah, he's going to like – But you jump off of it.
Zach Sheets: Not even running on the surface. It's like straight, like. Doing a bungee.
Chris Prime: Well, yeah. the The running down is the more. Actual. tactical move. you're That's actually like...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: You're supposed to like hop. down. running i guess but hopping is the more like secure in case you have to like get to your gun What? Uh... Just the bungeeing is the most insane part about the...
Chris Prime: golden eye where it's like bonzo extreme but Like. Dude, there's so many variables that can go wrong. bungeeing so close to the building.
Zach Sheets: I think my favorite like step of the operation. like that over damn operations is they just send like ralph muller in with like a hard hat Just like walk in just just to get shot.
Chris Prime: Can you imagine if they actually talked to him? It's like... hey what are you here to fix is like i must fix The wire. You know? it's
Zach Sheets: I am a handyman. I'm here to fix things.
Chris Prime: Also, you're the biggest, buffest handyman that the Hoover Dam has. like Is he here to fix the water? what And also...
Zach Sheets: I mean, was like...
Chris Prime: How do they like miscount this hostage where it's like anyone that's coming to you is obviously. not a hostage like you've been killing them you have them all secure
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: And you're like, oh no, this guy got through.
Zach Sheets: wow How did he miss this giant bodybuilder slash maintenance man?
Chris Prime: Oh. ralph muller was like 6 '6"? Like, he's a...
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Big man! Basically the equivalent of like Jack Reacher like coming down a hallway and you're like...
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: At least they did the smart thing by shooting first. The terrorists weren't like kind of trying to fist fight him and then... You know, lose. But... I thought the Universal of Soldier Program would also have soldiers that are more like...
Chris Prime: uh tankish You know, like, they'll take hits but keep coming. It seems like with enough damage they can just fall down and then you're like well they're just like regular people but Ice heals them
Chris Prime: that's if they get to ice in time and that's if, You don't hit anything vital.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, cause they see because finds him in like that cooler out like later, and he like they like pops up and is like, Hello!
Zach Sheets: I'm healed.
Chris Prime: Well, okay. Scene. Another thing is... We only got the flashback that explains it Van Damme. was a decent guy.
Zach Sheets: Mm -hmm.
Chris Prime: Who died in combat in a... like a friendly fire. Not really friendly, but like, you know. what A team kill. Uh, how did Raph Moeller die? you know like Let's go.
Zach Sheets: That's what, like, yeah, like, what's the criteria? like like Because like so you know people people are dying in wars all the time. like like How are they deciding?
Chris Prime: Unfortunately, unfortunately.
Zach Sheets: like like how how Yeah, but like, like how are they deciding, like... This guy is a candidate to be a universal soldier.
Zach Sheets: that like the the program, this this program, like 25 years, like. In the future. There'll be a a program. like We just gotta get him to... Collect him now, and then we'll use him later.
Chris Prime: See, I would have liked at least. In a weird way, a another secret organization. that collected these bodies and then dumped them into a healing tank like a baptist tank
Zach Sheets: It looked like they had a back -to -tank element on the truck.
Chris Prime: You've never seen them in it, right?
Zach Sheets: there' was like I think there's like one guy in it.
Chris Prime: Oh.
Zach Sheets: Oh, God. like Like floating in it. like but we yeah but there's no explanation like what it's doing or why he's in there it's like oh yeah there's a guy in a tank
Chris Prime: But it makes sense if they did it. a like robocop style where they only have like a limited time to grab the body. and then, like, hook it into the preserving method, you know, like a machine or a...
Chris Prime: Some sort of liquid goo.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: We don't get that. like I would have.
Zach Sheets: Like, like vi yeah, the Vietnam War, they literally, like, they just, says like, pack them in ice, like, just, like, in, like, a cooler, like, make sure they're in, like, a a big cooler, and then, like, ship them to, like... wherever.
Zach Sheets: Wherever they're doing this like experiment or this operation.
Chris Prime: Like. days later they find this body and they're like oh good condition like Was that healing rain? Like, was that like. You know, it's sort of, I think about like Jurassic Park where like the sap.
Chris Prime: ink and made, like, an ember. Like, an amber, like... case for the bug that had all the dinosaur dna So they kind of follow that idea, but instead of...
Chris Prime: any of that they just said ice the magical healing power of ice
Zach Sheets: Yes. Yeah, because I don't think they had any of the technology that they needed for like the Universal Solution Program. and like the Vietnam War. They were just like... collecting they was gaining their bodies, and then...
Chris Prime: You know what they had? they had
Zach Sheets: Somehow.
Chris Prime: You know what they had? For the be Vietnam War, like... Agent Orange. That was the best they got for any.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Prime: Crazy. Uh, like... Science. That we know of. So, I... Do I think? Like... Unless...
Chris Prime: Like that makes more sense.
Zach Sheets: Mm -hmm.
Chris Prime: It's sort of like how they did in Robocop where they put like... really good cops in dangerous areas in the hopes that they'll get a candidate. for RoboCop.
Chris Prime: So...
Zach Sheets: Yeah, because I think...
Chris Prime: They said that like they say that in the middle or the beginning of the movie, then it's like, all right, then they've been having this crazy. science plan in the beginning.
Zach Sheets: Well I mean that's what that's what you you expect from like the Jerry Orbach Like when they find him it's like Alright finally we're gonna get all the answers We're gonna like get all the background like how he did this Like how they like how they like brought them back and he's just like what dre works' like a two minute thing it was like Oh yeah, we figured out how to reanimate dead cells.
Zach Sheets: and But they overheat. Oh. Bye.
Zach Sheets: That's the still explanation.
Chris Prime: He's like. I got more sweaters to fold. I have to leave now.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: I mean, it's a nice cameo really from Jerry Orbach.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: But... He... Doesn't. Tell us anything that we don't really know by the movie showing us already.
Zach Sheets: And will then there's like the there's like the weird flashback to like Van Damme on the operating table. I was like, and he's just like, Jerry Orbach's just like. Calm down, Luke. It's fine.
Chris Prime: Yeah, I don't think so. It seemed like Van Damme died right in the war. And then.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, they they were. They were absolutely like 100 % dead. then i guess they've reanimated them but then they'd like operate on them to like do we the universal soldier stuff to them
Chris Prime: So was that the universal soldier? Like. Present or past in that flashback? Because that's the thing too.
Zach Sheets: that was That was like.
Chris Prime: jerry orba there should have been right that could have been like a week prior
Zach Sheets: It was like a month ago.
Chris Prime: but There should have been like. A young Jerry Orbach? Or something in the flashback. in the in the past that have explained and then like present day Jerry Orbach to Like... Catch up with the time?
Chris Prime: Also, does Jerry Orbach take his own? like soldier serum because you look the same if you think about it if like If the flashback was truly 25 years prior, and then...
Chris Prime: You know, like now.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, I feel like i feel like like for the title sequence or like during the the credits, they should have had like just like... showing them like being frozen or like going through like the process To be like.
Zach Sheets: oh man they're they're they're like it's like you know they they zip up the body bags and it's like And then it like cuts like them and like in the program like you being like created. like It's like, here's how you're making Universal Soldiers.
Zach Sheets: I mean, it's kind of cool when they, like, zip up the body bags, and it's like, they zip up, and Van Damme's like, SHUT CLEVER DAMN! these but doph It's like Dolph Lundgren.
Chris Prime: It is a pretty good opening. That's the thing. like Roland Emmerich is really cool at making good scenes. It just... When you... Figure out how it all flows is where they start falling apart
Chris Prime: Did Roland Emmerich also direct Universal Soldier?
Zach Sheets: Wait, what? Which one?
Chris Prime: The one with Kurt Russell?
Zach Sheets: Oh, just just just Soldier?
Chris Prime: You a soldier?
Zach Sheets: I don't think he did.
Chris Prime: Because like Soldier and this have a very... I'm sorry, yeah, you're right. Universe Soldier and then, like, Soldier. Like. Soldier has a very... Like a very similar. background to universal soldier except but Without the... regeneration just more like we've made killing machines like in we took out we stripped the humanity out of these people and made them into warriors
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: And they show you that throughout the years, they've been on like all these battles and stuff, and then they're just battle -hardened.
Zach Sheets: there's There's quite a few of those in the 90s. Solo with Mario Van Peebles, that was also kind of a similar thing, where he was like a... Yo.
Chris Prime: He was a robot.
Zach Sheets: Robot, yeah, but he, like, found his humanity.
Chris Prime: Mm hmm. That's another weird movie that I think a few years later, they they said that was it showing up in my comics.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: And i saw I told my parents I want to see it. When I saw it, I was like... And I realized, oh, I made a mistake.
Zach Sheets: people's like That poster of Solo is so weird because it's like... I love how they just say took like a fern in front of him and was like, he's in the jungle! There's like a... but Tiny bit of a fern in front of his face.
Chris Prime: Oh, the one where he's peeping out?
Zach Sheets: Yeah, it's just like him holding a gun. it
Chris Prime: I've seen one where it's like. He's wearing basically the John Matrix. vest and commando pants and he's like swinging
Zach Sheets: hey like like Like doing a slam dunk off the of the logo.
Chris Prime: Something like that, right?
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: And it's like. Yellow?
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: It's like solo. I'm like, what is this?
Zach Sheets: Is this like a basketball movie?
Chris Prime: And they sold it on the idea after Space Jam where it was like, he wants to be just like Mike. I'm not even kidding. That was like the point of Solo. It's like.
Chris Prime: This is a... Michael Jordan parody soldier movie.
Chris Prime: Anyway. Universe of Soldier though. Okay. It starts strong with like an original premise and you hope it pays off. But yeah, by the end of everything we're talking about, it's like.
Chris Prime: The middle of the movie is just like.
Zach Sheets: it's It's just like a yeah a typical just like Chase movie where it's just like they show up the show somewhere and then...
Chris Prime: chase movie but like Wait wait wait You could swap and substitute. the like... point of it with like a time traveler. You could swap it with like someone who's not from America, like a Crocodile Dundee.
Zach Sheets: yeah
Chris Prime: And you could swap it with a...
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: Like a magical child who became an adult. Right? Like, it's all of that.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: In the middle.
Chris Prime: But yeah, what you're saying?
Zach Sheets: Oh, it's like it just it's just like, yeah, too much it's just a chase where like they you go somewhere. And then Dolph Lundgren shows up and they have to fight, like either escape, fight him or escape him. And then it's like, go to the next spot. And he shows up again.
Zach Sheets: this is It's just like, a yeah, there's it's like... you know just travel around Uh... With... with with
Chris Prime: Southwest.
Zach Sheets: To the southwest, going to like... landmarks. with With like... Yo, some weird humor sprinkled throughout.
Chris Prime: Yeah, the weird humor, I just feel like... They didn't want to add too much sexual tension. There's a little. But. You know, they wanted to.
Zach Sheets: They don't have like a sex scene or anything. It's just like, it's just like, she has like awkwardly like, like look at him naked a couple of times. Cause he's like strips in front of the air conditioner and like walks outside and then like. when you're forced to like find like the tracking device.
Zach Sheets: he's like is that normal and he's like oh Yeah, that's that's normal. but's That's supposed to be there.
Zach Sheets: I think my favorite is like that they hide in the hotel, like crawling under the covers of like the couple having sex in the next room.
Zach Sheets: Because Van Damme's Kool -Aid manning his way through like the walls of the hotel to escape from like the... the universe soldiers and then they get to the last room it's like cement so you can't break through it but then they like they go and like hide under the covers of like the the cut the couple and then like I think Tommy was tight. Tommy Lister comes in and is like...
Zach Sheets: It's like, where are they? They're like. We don't know. And they just leave and as they pop out the covers like. Thanks. That was awkward.
Chris Prime: Yeah, why did Van Damme pick... The guy side. It's like.
Chris Prime: it's It's a funny scene. It really brings up the tension. But... Yeah, I just prefer if... That didn't happen. Just because I would rather this movie just be...
Chris Prime: what the original cover promises to be like the soldier of the future, not like. comedy situations done by Like. robotic people.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, because because like you it kind of sells it as like, oh, these guys are like cyborgs. They have like all these like crazy... oh technology technology implants and stuff, but it's it's just the headset. If you take off the headset, there's like...
Chris Prime: Normal.
Zach Sheets: Like a normal super soldier guy.
Chris Prime: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: Like... Because that...
Chris Prime: I mean, they're still vulnerable to bullets.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. I mean, they'll, like, get up. They can, like, get up from it. Or, like, are like if they throw them in the ice, they'll heal from it. but
Chris Prime: But I mean, you could still shoot them in like... The eye. And that's it. like if you
Zach Sheets: Hmm?
Chris Prime: Get them in the head. I think that's game over for them. Or set them on fire.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, cause a giant, like... gas station explosion.
Zach Sheets: or a Throw him into like a giant like farming equipment grinder thing. Like Van Damme does the Dolph Lundgren at the end.
Chris Prime: Yeah. Which, uh...
Zach Sheets: it's like it's like a hey I think it's a hate it's a hay harvester. I think that's what it is.
Chris Prime: Oh. So...
Zach Sheets: She's just like, hey, they're like.
Chris Prime: It would have been funny if he came out as like a hay bale. Like a gory email
Zach Sheets: Yep. like It's like a... Like a hay bale, but yeah, it's all it's all just like meat.
Chris Prime: Yep. Just like, whoa. And then have the... Why not add the... The fan, like... hit Dove rules family come up and just make a weird comment.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: Look up. Looks like it's a blood moon tonight. like What? Is it like. For whatever reason. Uh, Luke Devereaux's sense of humor comes back by the end.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, because he because he does he does like the one -liner where it's like... Dolph's like, say goodbye, asshole. And then Vinneb's like, goodbye, asshole. And then like he's got the muscle enhancers, and now he's just like... He was like... i like like Like five or six kicks, like Van Damme kicks to him, and like that then kicks him into like the the harvester.
Chris Prime: And I think... Doesn't it end? Dolph does the the fake out where you think he's dead, but he's like, ha, surprise.
Zach Sheets: Yeah. hmm
Chris Prime: i I still have enough energy to try to kill you.
Zach Sheets: Grab you, yeah.
Zach Sheets: but they But then he's you know he's got like he's got the muscle anchors. He's able to break it on that grip and then turn on the harvesting machine. which you don't I don't think he like has a quip for the like the machine, though. He'll turn around and say, like...
Zach Sheets: Rest in pieces or something. He just, like, turns on and, like, watches, like, all of, like, the... chunks come out of it.
Zach Sheets: But then. Somehow... In the future, someone was able to like... Clone. Delph Lundgren and bring him back multiple times.
Chris Prime: But every time he gets brought back, he's just, he's still just as crazy.
Zach Sheets: Yep. it's like It's like burned into his DNA. You just can't you can't make and an Andrew Scott that's not insane.
Chris Prime: But uh... Yeah, like... I say overall, Universal Soldier is... I guess just like... It's a Van Damme classic. Bye.
Chris Prime: It's... Like. It doesn't really make great. use of Van Damme? like I think originally it was supposed to be someone else that they... put into Van Damme's like originally for Van Damme and then I think it's supposed to be like a Steven Seagal movie?
Zach Sheets: Well, it was Andrew Davis, who directed like a bunch of like the like skull movies like like under siege above the law and and stuff like that. he was He was supposed to be direct this, and but then he was making it more of like a political thriller.
Zach Sheets: And he's also going to have like way more like they're going to be like biomechanical cyborgs were like like CG elements on them. And then it was like it was like going over budget or like so like they're like they fired him.
Zach Sheets: it so Yeah, they they brought in... a Ron Emmerich.
Chris Prime: I mean... If you Think about... Another version of this movie. And I think it plays more into the Universe Soldier The Return. Where there is a...
Chris Prime: A very like. normal non -universal soldier person. who then... has to hunt down. rogue universe of soldiers. and chase them and then take them out but because they're like killing machines it's like very difficult and You know, they're.
Chris Prime: They're more bred for war, so... Pretty much all this like normal society around them like doesn't handle that. you know like They come on and they're like, give us...
Chris Prime: we We require ice. We require... Uh... Like. you know, all your technical equipment to build a weapon or something. You know, I could see that like there there is a version that.
Chris Prime: Does sound cool. But...
Zach Sheets: I do love in Return where they're just like, oh, Van Damme's like, we just like genetically made him normal again.
Chris Prime: Just magically he's human.
Zach Sheets: Like, he's he's just not yeah he's just normal Van Damme now.
Chris Prime: Do they even explain that the reporter and him had a kid or it's just like.
Zach Sheets: But then...
Chris Prime: Just...
Zach Sheets: i Yeah. The franchise is like is like crazy because 2 and 3 are like totally different. They're not tied to anything. And then...
Chris Prime: Like made -for -tv movie
Zach Sheets: made for TVs, like a totally different character.
Chris Prime: No, no, it's still Luke Devereaux.
Zach Sheets: And then... It has looked ever okay.
Chris Prime: played by different actors.
Zach Sheets: But they don't count. And then 3 came out and like erased those two. But then...
Chris Prime: No, four. Four came out in a race.
Zach Sheets: Oh, it's like all three three erased.
Chris Prime: Two, three.
Zach Sheets: four race two and three yeah and then Like regeneration and day of reckoning. erased all the ones except the first one. and like It's like... Now this is the... sequel We're.
Zach Sheets: Things got really dark. for For Luke Devereaux.
Chris Prime: i didn't I don't mind them. I like that there are different versions out there and you can kind of pick and play with them. But... There's not it's weird because. It's a choose -your -own version of what happens to Devereaux after this movie.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: I do like the return just because it's the happier version.
Chris Prime: Two and three. Original two and three. it It's like... they delve deeper into the program because it makes sense where Like. Not everyone was on that battle rig.
Chris Prime: you know it's like That's just the mobile unit. There's probably a whole different division just at base going like, hey.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Our battle rig's missing. Never came back from the Hoover Dam. like
Zach Sheets: hey i got a call from like the parks department like it crashed into the bottom of the grand canyon
Chris Prime: And all the cops in that county don't have their ears anymore because...
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Chris Prime: Dolph. Also, now that we bring this up. There's a point where Dolph Lundgren comes back after that crash, and he's dressed like a Native American, and then he has his, like, necklace of ears again.
Zach Sheets: And he also, he's adding said he's He added like cop badges to it too like all the cops he steals all their badges along also with the ears too now he's like adding more to his collection like i think i take more trophies
Chris Prime: weird Right. Like it just. It doesn't make sense.
Zach Sheets: And...
Chris Prime: Where.
Zach Sheets: and his And his jacket is the jacket... like He stole the jacket from like Colonel Perry. like He killed Colonel Perry. and they like i'm I'm wearing your jacket now because I feel more comfortable in it.
Chris Prime: Oh, it's true, yeah. And it got more and more tarnished, but... I just feel like. i feel like colonel perry would have been more of a bad guy because he's not right he's just like all right like kind of quell this but then once it goes out of control he's like oh
Zach Sheets: Well, he's' i mean he's trying to cover everything up. He's like going full, like, we need to cover this up. I will kill them if we need to like to like protect... like the the program.
Chris Prime: Right, but I thought he would be betrayed later in the movie.
Zach Sheets: er
Chris Prime: Like by Dolph. Not so much like the...
Zach Sheets: Like halfway through it.
Chris Prime: Halfway through yeah
Zach Sheets: And then Dolph's like, i'm mean I'm in command now.
Chris Prime: Because I would have liked it if Dolph was observing and kind of watching for... the weakness in the kernel and then took him out by his own hubris where it's like Oh, you thought you were in charge? Like I'm in charge.
Chris Prime: Bye. He does that pretty quick. He just, I'm assuming command. and just shoots him.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, Dolph could like... like snaps back to like his like original personality like instantly and then like like Luke has to be like... like it takes him like days to like it like barely like remember who he is
Chris Prime: And then, yeah, yeah like... Van Damme needs so much like... Ice and res.
Zach Sheets: Mm hmm.
Chris Prime: And then... Only through... Really, was the eating that onnet made him more human?
Zach Sheets: I guess. yeah
Chris Prime: The eating in the restaurant fight, which...
Zach Sheets: Well, that was another small business that they destroyed, like the diner. life They just like absolutely destroyed that diner.
Chris Prime: They kick the one chef. and they kick all these like patrons, and then...
Zach Sheets: Hmm.
Chris Prime: Yep. Then they're just on their way.
Zach Sheets: I... And you loved, like... Like, yeah, like, like, vand like, Knox. Like. like, knocks out that the cook with, like, one kick, and then the rest of the guy's like... Oh, we could take this guy.
Chris Prime: Okay, to be fair, if they don't. Like. The restaurant owner is going to be mad. You know, it's like. This is probably the only restaurant for Miles.
Zach Sheets: But... It's like, yeah, we we could take... This guy who like is clone is like clearly like some sort of like soldier or like martial artist. like like we could we could We could take him.
Chris Prime: well to be fair there wasn't a lot of like French. Or Belgium. Cajun. Sometimes, like...
Chris Prime: gambit characters walking around in Southwest, so...
Zach Sheets: Yeah. mm -hmm Yeah.
Chris Prime: It's a very new type of martial artists that... Like, rolled into town.
Zach Sheets: Mm.
Chris Prime: I get them. They're just like... Oh, we're gonna fight this foreigner. But... Cajun.
Chris Prime: If you think about it, I think like... Gambit wasn't popular yet. like It's 1991, so X -Men. Jim Lee's run of X -Men just started.
Zach Sheets: hu
Chris Prime: So not everyone knew what a gambit was.
Zach Sheets: and and And Hard Target was next year, so... we we we didn't get like We didn't get full like Cajun. We're there yet.
Chris Prime: Oh yeah, with like a full -on background of everything.
Zach Sheets: Like, on all... Who unholsters his leg. It's like a... Like a shotgun.
Chris Prime: Which amazing version of a Cajun. But...
Zach Sheets: Bye, guys.
Chris Prime: If you think about the prototype. version where it's just this version where it's just Like. Oh, Van Damme you have an accent. What accent? You know? What a weird line.
Zach Sheets: What a weird joke, yeah.
Zach Sheets: Is this how everyone talks?
Chris Prime: It would have been funny if he was dubbed over. Like. Because, uh...
Chris Prime: Ralph Webb's name is like... He's dubbed.
Zach Sheets: hu
Chris Prime: And it even it would have been like robotic that... Everyone has a very, you know. Monotone voice. It's more robotic. Bye.
Chris Prime: No, like Van Damme gets emotional like...
Zach Sheets: Yep.
Chris Prime: Instant, his brain washing wears off.
Zach Sheets: no Yeah, it would have been funny if he had like a like sort of like normal voice, and then when you like it breaks from the system, then his French accent comes back. It's like, what is this?
Chris Prime: Actually, that would be interesting. Like his programming. Forces him to not to have the accent. And then, yeah.
Zach Sheets: Yeah.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, I will say, if anyone hasn't seen... a Day of Reckoning yet for the Universal Series? like That's probably like... one of the best ones.
Zach Sheets: Cause you got Scott Atkins in there along with Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Yeah. Andrei Arlovsky.
Zach Sheets: There's like there's like an insane one -take shot at the end where Sky is just like like going through tunnels. Killy everybody.
Chris Prime: it's It's a good movie. Eventually the franchise does come back again. by the yeah
Zach Sheets: Yeah, Regeneration and The Unrecking are both pretty awesome, as far as, like, you know, like... Kind of like modern. more modern action movies.
Zach Sheets: both Both directed by... John Hyams.
Zach Sheets: who did Who did like... a but like but well he's he's the son of peter hyams so i think worked on like a bunch of other like he does like a bunch like sudden death and time caught he did a bunch of like like vietnam movies
Zach Sheets: And it's like, oh, hey, son. I know Van Damme. We'll get him in here.
Chris Prime: He owes me a favor.
Zach Sheets: We'll make him turn into Colonel Kurtz.
Zach Sheets: That's the funny thing, too. It's like... like Like, Dolph Lundgren's, like, the crazy one, like, Vietnam soldier in the first one, and then it's, like, by the end of it, it's, like, oh. Luke Daffer, I was like... full, like, Colonel Kurtz, like, evil, like...
Zach Sheets: Like I... i I control this universe soldiers now.
Chris Prime: Yeah. Any last closing thoughts?
Zach Sheets: No, I mean, yeah, it's it's it's just it's a it's a fun, solid Vin Day movie. out i mean i'm i would definitely put it maybe like in the middle for me for like vendetta movies
Zach Sheets: Like upper middle, probably.
Zach Sheets: And, like, definitely definitely a solid, like... Kind of like. debut for Roland Emmerich as far as like making like Hollywood movies.
Zach Sheets: pre Like pre -him turning into like disaster movies. Because, like, I think he did this at Stargate, and then it was, like, just, like, now i'm just I would just make disaster movies.
Zach Sheets: Because, like, Independence Day was, like, 96, so it was like... this in Stargate and depend say it's like Godzilla and... See you tomorrow. and All the other ones.
Chris Prime: Yeah. I kind of want to get back to basics like an action movie like this again. What? Keep it focused like the beginning. More more of that more big screen spectacle But like...
Chris Prime: Setups and payoffs. But... Not so much like... You know. Small Town Bumpkin Adventures.
Zach Sheets: Yeah, that's like... like that's like You can tell like that's kind of part of the budget. It's not in like an urban environment where it's in... like the the back roads of the desert. Would like. so Like...
Zach Sheets: A gas station. A grocery store. A diner.
Zach Sheets: But it but still still some pretty huge explosions. I guess these explosions are pretty huge. so They're still able to blow stuff up pretty good.
Zach Sheets: But yes, I think that'll do it for this week. Come back next week. We're going to be celebrating the 40th anniversary. of Avenging Force, a canon classic Question mark. one One of the... its outside the american ninja series uh one of the other like big michael dudikoff canon movies so we'll dive into all that next week
Zach Sheets: And ahead of us, all of our usual stuff there. We've got news, reviews, trailers. You can check out our commentary, our recent seen commentary for Carnosaur. We watched that dinosaur classic because we had a couple of... dinosaur movies debuting and last month uh in theaters and oak street and Paw Patrol, so we might watch another dinosaur movie.
Zach Sheets: And we got a bunch of other stuff up there as well. head Check all this stuff out. and yeah so for Chris I'm Zach and we will see you next week
