Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Universal Soldier 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 5, 2019

So, what’s it going to be this time: a recycled and some might argue dated 1080p Blu-ray packaged with a “new, improved” 2160p version on a 4K UHD disc, or a telltale “really new and improved” 1080p transfer with a StudioCanal logo? For those who have been following the rather circuitous and maybe even labyrinthine release “strategy” of Lionsgate vis a vis their 4K UHD content, that continues to be a pressing quandary, and for any readers of this review who may be wondering, Universal Soldier falls into the second category, with both the 1080p Blu-ray and 2160 4K UHD discs sporting the StudioCanal identifier, as well as what has become another giveaway that we’re dealing with new transfers, namely a boot up menu asking the viewer to select what language they prefer. It also appears that the (way) old Blu-ray release from Lionsgate sported a VC-1 encode, while the 1080p Blu-ray in this set is encoded via MPEG-4 AVC.

As mentioned above, Lionsgate released Universal Soldier at the veritable dawn of the Blu-ray age back in 2008, and there's a plot recap available on our old Universal Soldier Blu-ray review. This review is so old that its reviewer, who evidently went by a nom d'internet (hey, that's a thing), is unknown to me, and I most likely would not have been nearly as generous in my video assessment of that now long ago release, so my score here should be taken within that context.

Universal Soldier 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Universal Soldier is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films and StudioCanal with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. As stated above, this release seems to be offering a new 1080p version as well, and so my comments may ping pong back and forth between the two presentations a bit more than usual. As also stated above, I probably would have been nowhere as kind to the video presentation of the old 1080p Blu-ray, but that said, I no longer have it in my personal collection to do a side by side (by side) comparison, and so my comments will be based at least partly on what I readily admit may be faulty memories. However, one of the reasons I don't have it is because I do clearly remember how disappointed I was with its overly digital, excessively "tweaked" look. The first thing fans of this film may notice about both the 1080p and 2160p presentations is that there is film grain in evidence, and in fact it can be quite thick at times, though kind of interestingly, I found resolution to be less pleasing in some different places in the 1080p and 2160p presentations. To cite just one of several potential examples, at around 31:34 at the beginning of the motel sequence, the 1080p Blu-ray can look just slightly splotchy, while to my eyes the 2160p presentation looked at least marginally more organic. Other moments, like the helicopter flying through fog and/or mist at circa 6:36 looked a bit rougher to my eyes in the 2160p presentation than in the 1080p presentation. The 2160p presentation does seem to encounter some occasional slight hurdles in the resolution of scenes that involve a lot of smoke or mistiness. Detail levels definitely enjoy a general uptick in the 2160p presentation, and some fine detail elements, like the knit fabric of the ski mask a hostage taker wears in the Hoover Dam sequence, really pop with considerably more texture in the 2160p presentation. Dolby Vision and HDR add some notable shadow detail across the board in the 4K UHD version, something that can be especially noticeable in the rainy bookending sequences or even in a number of very dimly lit material, like some of the interiors of various vehicles. There are some really appealing highlights added in the 4K UHD version, with hues in the yellow spectrum (which I'd also include oranges and peaches in) really popping vividly. Teals also get some interesting highlights, especially in some of the lab material, but also in more "mundane" elements like the color of the steering wheel in the vintage Chevy. A late supermarket sequence offers some incredibly well saturated reds as a backdrop. The entire "desert" sequence offers a substantially warmer palette and the better lighting conditions probably help to promote overall better fine detail.

Universal Soldier 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix on both discs in this release offers a recreation of a soundtrack which isn't completely up to today's hyperbolic sound design standards, I was generally more favorably disposed toward it than the initial reviewer of the long ago Lionsgate Blu-ray release evidently was. There is good engagement of the surround channels in the opening Nam sequence, with gunfire clearly emanating from the side channels and an impressive amount of immersion, along with some signficiant bursts of LFE. As might be expected, the action sequences, including a climactic battle involving trucks, provides a lot of surround activity and good use of the low end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. One small anomaly, which appears to be baked in: what sounds to me almost like tape "wobble" afflicts the music underlying the Carolco logo on both the 1080p and 2160p versions.

Universal Soldier 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Both the 1080p and 2160p discs sport the same supplements (video supplements on the 1080p Blu-ray disc are in 480i and on the 2160p disc in 1080p):

• Commentary from Roland Emmerich, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Dean Devlin


• Commentary from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin


• A Tale of Two Titans (14:12) is a kind of actually sweet dual biography of Van Damme and Lundgren.


• Guns, Genes and Fighting Machines (18:53) is a decent EPK with interviews, behind the scenes footage and interviews.


• Alternate Ending (13:08)


• Behind the Scenes (15:28)


• Trailer (2:19)

A propos of nothing major but simply offered as a passing observation, I believe this is the first time I've seen upscaled 480i material on my Oppo 4K UHD player, and I have to say I was kind of surprised that it looked at least as relatively decent as it did.

Universal Soldier 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Universal Soldier is described in one of the supplements as a "mini-Terminator", and that description probably suffices as well as any, but it may also point up the fact that the film often feels derivative. Fans of the film should be pleased with the overall technical presentation on this release, and the inclusion of two commentary tracks will probably be appreciated as well.