History Film / UniversalSoldier

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme plays a RagingCajun, and his accent is even brought up at one point.

* NightOfTheLivingMooks: the UniSols are pretty much Bioaugmented Cyborg Zombie Super Soldiers.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme plays a LouisianaCajun, and his accent is even brought up at one point.

The first film (made in 1992, and directed by Creator/RolandEmmerich) begins in 1969, during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) is finishing when he finds out that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Lundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. Deveraux then attacks the Sergeant, and the two men kill each other. Their deaths are covered up, and they are entered into the "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers"–cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott. While the film did not garner critical praise at the time of its release, it was later recognized as a cult classic.

The film was followed by two direct-to-video sequels in 1998: ''Universal Soldier II: Brothers In Arms'' and ''Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business''. ''Brothers In Arms'' has the [=UniSol=] program being used by mercenaries to smuggle diamonds, while ''Unfinished Business'' has Deveraux helping Veronica Roberts clear her name, while Deveraux's brother is cloned and turned into a new [=UniSol=]. These sequels featured none of the original cast or crew, and are largely considered to be inferior to the original.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:First movie]]
* ActionPrologue: Set in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar.
* AmbiguousSyntax: When Scott thinks he's about to finish off Luc, he says "say goodnight, asshole". Luc then surreptitiously injects himself with Phlebotinum and says "goodnight, asshole" and kicks Scott's ass. Probably a ShoutOut to the apocryphal Creator/GeorgeBurns and Gracie Allen "Say goodnight, Gracie" bit.
* AxCrazy: Sgt. Andrew Scott goes totally bonkers in 'Nam and murders his squad and a whole Vietnamese village, making for himself a necklace made from the ears of his victims before he is stopped by Pvt. Luc Deveraux, who also dies in the process. After dying and being turned into a Universal Soldier, he eventually recovers his memories and returns to his old, murderous habits to pursue his vendetta against Deveraux, who has also been turned into an UniSol
* BaseOnWheels: The titular soldiers are based in a large expanding shipping container on the back of a semi. Originally a non-villanous example, as it is part of an experimental US military program. Later on, though, it gets taken over by Scott.
* BattleInTheRain: The final fight.
* BigBadassRig: The mobile base for the Universal Soldier Strike Force. Expandable compartments, reasonably armoured and came with a trailer in which the Unisols cooling chamber and memory wiping equipment could be kept. It eventually got destroyed by Scott in his pursuit of Devereaux.
* BondOneLiner:
** "You're discharged, Sarge." "That's the spirit, Soldier!"
** Devereaux dispatches of Scott by shoving him into a wood chipper. When asked where Scott is, Devereaux replies, "Around".
* BoomHeadshot: Happens a few times. It's how [[AxCrazy Sgt. Scott]] kills one of the villagers in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar scene, how the Unisols dispose of the first [[{{Mooks}} terrorists]] in the Hoover Dam hostage takeover, and [[spoiler: how Scott [[MoeGreeneSpecial kills]] Col. Perry.]], to name a few instances.
* BottledHeroicReserve: Luc is only able to defeat Scott after he takes a dose of supersoldier serum.
* ClockKing: The general is one of these, thanks to the superhuman abilities of the UniSols, he can accurately predict how much time it takes for them to swim a mile and a half under four minutes, then comment that they're ''eight seconds behind schedule''.
* CreepySouvenir: Andrew Scott wears a necklace of human ears at the start. He wears another necklace (again) of human ears later on.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: GR 13/Sgt. Scott meets his end when he's turned into mincemeat in a wheat thresher.]]
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Except for Luc Devraux, cyborg conversions didn't go too well. He was able to overcome his programming and have a normal life. The villain, Andrew Scott, didn't, but [[AxCrazy he was pretty screwed up to begin with]]. In the latter's case, it's also subverted: when Luc visits the scientist who was involved in the original project before he resigned, the scientist points out that the bad guy still thinks he's in Vietnam. However, by the end Scott seems to have realized that the war is long over, and is only continuing to pursue Deveraux to destroy his life and kill his family out of spite.
* DangerTakesABackseat: Scott pulls this.
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Invoked by Perry when he reveals to Woodward that the entire Universal Soldier operation was done without anyone in the Pentagon knowing exactly where the soldiers came from and they're in trouble if it gets out.
-->'''Perry''': Do you really think for one second those wimps at the Pentagon would allow the regeneration of dead soldiers, American soldiers?
* DinerBrawl: It featured an example in which the hero started the fight, although not intentionally. Luc has just discovered food and orders multiple plates without realizing that he has to pay for it. You can imagine where it goes from there.
* EvilIsHammy: Lundgren, once he regains his memory.
* {{Fanservice}}: Yes, we get to see Van Damme's naked butt in this film.
* FastRoping: We get to see some of the unconventional methods of warfare that the [=UniSols=] are trained to perform. They use the Australian variation of fast roping, which involves them running face down a sheer surface.
* HandCannon: The [=UniSols=] use .357 Desert Eagles.
* HeroicRROD: [=UniSols=] have superhuman [[SuperStrength strength]], [[MadeOfIron endurance]] and [[HealingFactor heal much faster from their wounds]]... [[PowerAtAPrice At the cost]] of being unable to control their bodily temperature, meaning they'll overheat and die if they're not put into cold storage between missions.
* InnocentInnuendo: Deveraux and Veronica are hiding from the [=UniSols=] in a gas station. Van Damme promptly strips naked and asks her to "look for something ''hard''". No, not [[GagPenis that]], he was talking about an implanted tracking device.
* InterruptedIntimacy: Deveraux and Veronica manage to evade the [=UniSols=] hunting them at the motel by [[RefugeInAudacity hiding in the same bed an unfortunate and terrified couple were having sex in]] before the shootout started.
* IntrepidReporter: Veronica Roberts is [[InformedAbility implied to be this]], though we never get to see the big scoops she got.
* MadeOfIron: Deveraux uses this ability to smash through walls, along with ignoring a gunshot wound before cauterizing it with a cigarette lighter. He also ignored having the black box surgically removed from his thigh without flinching. Scott himself used this to survive being ejected head first out of a car during a collison, and to survive the Unisol Mobile Base crashing into a canyon floor and exploding.
* MadScientist:
** Dr. Gregor, the creator of Operation Black Tower, the original [=UniSol=] program. Becomes TheAtoner, because of what he created.
** His successors, Dr. Porter and Dr. Colin, who headed Operation White Tower, which was responsible for the next-generation of [=UniSols=].
* MoreDakka: Courtesy of Andrew Scott and his M60. The motel scene also features the Universal Soldiers pumping copious amounts of lead into said building.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Justified by mentioning that Deveraux's parents hail from France and spoke mostly french instead of english. The novelization also mentions that Deveraux grew up on the Louisiana bayou.
-->'''Veronica:''' [[LampshadeHanging I figured you had to be French or something because of your accent.]]\\
'''Luc:''' [[CaptainOblivious What accent?]]
* PineappleSurprise: [=GR74=] was ordered to hold a live grenade that was handed to him by Woodard, one of the Black Tower handlers. [=GR74=] survived the explosion and underwent subsequent regeneration. Woodard himself wasn't so lucky.
* SuperStrength: With the muscle booster, Scott was able to throw Deveraux around like he was a toy and flatten a barn door. When Deveraux got a hold of it, he was able to dropkick Scott with enough force to throw him through a wall.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films in general]]

[[/folder]]

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Except for Luc Devraux, cyborg conversions didn't go too well. He was able to overcome his programming and have a normal life. The villain didn't but he was pretty screwed up to begin with.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Except for Luc Devraux, cyborg conversions didn't go too well. He was able to overcome his programming and have a normal life. The villain didn't but he was pretty screwed up to begin with. Now, ''Redux'' features his friend being converted to a soldier and allowing herself be blown up because, as she tells him, it's "too late for her" even though a living, breathing proof that "no, it isn't" stands right in front of her. Plus they didn't turn evil because of the cybernetics, they turned evil because the AI that's controlling them turned evil-ish (it didn't want to be shut off).

* MadScientist: Dr. Gregor, the creator of Operation Black Tower, the original [=UniSol=] program. Becomes TheAtoner, because of what he created. His successors, Dr. Porter and Dr. Colin, who headed Operation White Tower, which was responsible for the next-generation of [=UniSols=].

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Justified by mentioning that Deveraux's parents hail from France and spoke mostly french instead of english.

%%* CloneArmy

%%* RaginCajun:

%%* RevengeOfTheSequel

%%* WesternTerrorists

* AxCrazy: Sgt. Andrew Scott goes totally bonkers in 'Nam and murders his squad and a whole Vietnamese village, making for himself a necklace made from the ears of his victims before he is stopped by Lt. Luc Deveraux, who also dies in the process. After dying and being turned into a Universal Soldier, he eventually recovers his memories and returns to his old, murderous habits to persue his vendetta against Deveraux, who has also been turned into an UniSol

* AxCrazy: Andrew Scott. Very, very, ''very'' much so.

* BondOneLiner: "You're discharged, Sarge." "That's the spirit, Soldier!"

* DinerBrawl: It featured an example in which the hero started the fight, although not intentionally. Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme played a cyborg who just discovered food and orders multiple plates without realizing that he has to pay for it. You can imagine where it goes from there.

%%* RatedMForManly

* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Invoked by Perry when he reveals to Woodward that the entire Universal Soldier operation was done without anyone in the Pentagon knowing exactly where the soldiers came from and they're in trouble if it gets out.
-->'''Perry''': Do you really think for one second those wimps at the Pentagon would allow the regeneration of dead soldiers, American soldiers?

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Zig-zagged. To explain Van Damme's accent (read NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent below) they gave his character a french origin and backstory (the novelization says that Deveraux is from the Louisiana bayou). Van Damme can actually speak french, and does so in the film. ''HOWEVER'', he is doing so with a thick Belgium accent (just like his english). But because it sounds foreign regardless (and it is), needless to say no one in the US noticed. French viewers, on the other hand...

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Zig-zagged. To explain Van Damme's accent (read NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent below) they gave his character a french origin and backstory. Van Damme can actually speak french, and does so in the film. ''HOWEVER'', he is doing so with a thick Belgium accent (just like his english). But because it sounds foreign regardless (and it is), needless to say no one in the US noticed. French viewers, on the other hand...

* ActionPrologue: Set in TheVietnamWar.

* BoomHeadshot: Happens a few times. It's how [[AxCrazy Sgt. Scott]] kills one of the villagers in TheVietnamWar scene, how the Unisols dispose of the first [[{{Mooks}} terrorists]] in the Hoover Dam hostage takeover, and [[spoiler: how Scott [[MoeGreeneSpecial kills]] Col. Perry.]], to name a few instances.

* MoreDakka: Courtesy of Andrew Scott and his M60.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Deveraux and Veronica are hiding from the [=UniSols=] in a gas station. Van Damme promptly strips naked and asks her to "look for something ''hard''". No, not [[GagPenis that]], he was talking about an implanted tracking device.

* InterruptedIntimacy: Deveraux and Veronica manage to evade the UniSols hunting them at the motel by [[RefugeInAudacity hiding in the same bed an unfortunate and terrified couple were having sex in]] before the shootout started.

The first film (made in 1992, and directed by Creator/RolandEmmerich) begins in 1969, during TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) is finishing when he finds out that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Lundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. Deveraux then attacks the Sergeant, and the two men kill each other. Their deaths are covered up, and they are entered into the "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers"–cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott. While the film did not garner critical praise at the time of its release, it was later recognized as a cult classic.

%%* BlondGuysAreEvil

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: GR 13/Sgt. Scott meets his end when he's turned into mincemeat in a combine.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: GR 13/Sgt. Scott meets his end when he's turned into mincemeat in a woodchipper.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath. [[spoiler: GR 13/Sgt. Scott meets his end when he's turned into mincemeat in a woodchipper.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath. [[spoiler: GR13/Sgt. Scott meets his end when he's turned into mincemeat in a woodchipper.]]