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Soldier 4k Review
Kurt Russell returned to Sci-Fi very quickly after the disappointment of Escape From L.A., and here he really pumped himself up for the role, and it shows. And this is no mean feat for a guy heading towards his late-40s at the time.
Unlike some of his Sci-Fi leading counterparts, here he plays Todd, a character that melds Universal Soldier and the Terminator together. A fighting machine of very few words, bred for combat, only to discover themselves once they have been thrown out with the trash. And this is just the first act – and it’s sadly where the best of the film is relegated. The opening act that shows Todd grow from birth and instantly guinea-pigged along with several other children as they are trained, taught and tested to solve situations, endure pain and stamina and learn how to fight. This then translates to a montage of different combat scenarios where Todd takes down enemy after enemy, often shooting through civilians to get to his target.
It’s the mid-section of character discovery is where the film falters a bit. It isn’t a particularly overlong film at under 100 minutes, but it does sag, and this could well be due to the familiar territory – see the aforementioned Universal Soldier. It’s all a bit predictable, but at least it’s well acted, particularly by Russell.
Jason Scott Lee looks great, and was a name at the time that was very quickly getting forgotten despite his successes. And here he’s kind of wasted, as he, like Russell, isn’t saying much, but is given very little time with which to do anything. His casting seems to sort of hurt the film and his career by being almost a non-entity. That’s kind of the part of his role, but why get him to play it if you are just going to waste his talents when a suitably gruff-looking stuntman will do?
Sadly, the story isn’t surprising us, so it needed a little bit of a jolt forward in terms of momentum, which the first act had. Retrospective or newer viewers may be more kind to these elements now, however.
The package itself is fine enough. There are a bunch of new interviews for this release. The only actor to show up is James Black, who played. Riley, one of the random soldiers. There are a few interviews with members of the production design and FX teams, which is a huge plus. There is a decent retrospective by historian Heath Holland.
Sadly, the only word we get from the director is on the archival commentary, where he is joined by the producer, Jeremy Bolt. They are a lively couple and give away all sorts of information, so if you are not familiar with it, then it’s worth a listen.
Overlooked? Underappreciated? The jury is still out on Soldier. But in that regard, it’s worth a watch again, even if for only what does work: Russell, the vision, the production design, and its ambition! It may not have been a success, but it is still a worthy Kurt Russell performance worth checking out.
Steven Hurst
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films approved by director Paul W.S. Anderson
• 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Archival audio commentary by director Paul W.S. Anderson, co-producer Jeremy Bolt and actor Jason Isaacs
• Reporting for Duty, a brand new interview with actor James Black
• Fire in the Hole!, a brand new interview with assistant director Dennis Maguire
• On the Front Lines, a brand new interview with associate producer Fred Fontana
• Designing for the Future, a brand new interview with production designer David L. Snyder
• VFX Before and After, a brand new behind-the-scenes look at how the film’s special effects were created with visual effects supervisor Craig Barron
• Weapons of Mass Creation, interviews with visual effects supervisors Craig Barron and Van Ling and miniature supervisor Michael Joyce
• A Soldier’s Journey, a brand new interview with Danny Stewart, author of Soldier: From Script to Screen
• We Don’t Need Another Hero, a brand new retrospective on the film with film historian Heath Holland
• Archival electronic press kit
• On-set interviews with cast and crew
• Trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Orlando Arocena
• Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic Priscilla Page
Soldier is out on 4K Blu-Ray April 27th