Here it is, the one that started it all: "Universal Soldier"! Few people will remember this, but the film was an early Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin joint and, if you watch it today, holds up surprisingly well. It’s really, really fun.
Van Damme is a Vietnam soldier killed in combat who is brought back to life thanks to the Universal Soldier program, Lundgren is the villain (and Van Damme’s old heel). While modestly budgeted, the movie provides some big thrills, and is oftentimes very funny and goofy in a charming way that keeps it from aging poorly.
What’s sort of incredible, looking back on it, is how, while it’s thought of as a success and has obviously spawned a rich and variety (and confusing) franchise, it wasn’t that much of a hit. It made $36 million on a budget of $23 million. Nowadays, that would be the kind of thing that’s shuffled to the back of a studio’s annual report, but clearly the hook was good enough that further exploration was required.
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