taramason | 22 Oct 2012 | 1,565 Views | 4 Likes | 1 Dislikes

Toronto After Dark 2012: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Toronto After Dark, 2012, Review

I want to do nine nights of double genre movie screenings, but alas, I have to leave that level of participation to the truly devoted. Thankfully, my final Toronto After Dark 2012 film was probably my favourite: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Going in, I had no knowledge whatsoever—pardon me for not being a certain kind of dude of a certain kind of age—of the first or second Universal Soldiers. My worries were over quickly, though. Director John Hyams kicked the night off by dropping some Universal Soldier insight on us and showed the original 1992 trailer. And in the end, fans of the original might disagree, but this seems like the coolest reboot ever.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Toronto After Dark, 2012, Review

To give you some insight on the first film, the plot follows Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) who were soldiers killed in Vietnam but the army develops a secret project to bring the dead back to life as perfect Captain America-like soldiers controlled by the government. One Belgian, one Swede, both enormous, both killed in Vietnam. OK. They start regaining their memory, then begin to act on their own.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Toronto After Dark, 2012, Review

The story picks right back up with the original characters portrayed by ultimate action legends as leaders of a underground army of soldiers rising up against their oppressors (aka the "Day of Reckoning"). Martial Arts master and action up-and-comer Scott Adkins is the non-geriatric presence in the film. He plays John, a man who is awakened by his young daughter claiming there are monsters in the kitchen. He goes to investigate to reassure his daughter that there are no monsters to discover that there are three masked men with weapons who then brutally beat him and murder his family in front of him. The man unmasked himself only to see that it is Luc Deveraux. He was beaten so severely that he remains in a coma for 9 months but once he wakes, he vows to kill the man responsible for his family's death.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Toronto After Dark, 2012, Review

This film was the by far coolest action thriller I have seen in a long time. The fights scenes were absolutely incredible and Scott Adkins was a great lead man for this film. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire duration and both Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren were terrifying. They way they filmed it also gave it a really cool, gritty and Fight Club kind of feel. It was also very unnerving and psychological which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait for the next instalment Universal Soldier to be released.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Toronto After Dark, 2012, Review

I would like to send a huge thank you to Toronto After Dark for having us! It was a blast and we will see you again next year.

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