bheadher ...and frankly, I don't care if you like it or not. Without having much dialog at all, Kurt Russel gives an outstanding performance in a rather awkward yet entertaining scifi adventure...yes, Soldier is both a scifi movie, and an adventure movie in one. It has elements of several genres, in fact, including a kinda shadowy love story of sorts...I'm not even gonna throw in spoilers here, but I am sure you will enjoy it for what it is. The settings are very well done, with little CGI, and believe it or not, it is easy to follow the story...I frankly watch it every time I see it come on TV...

NateWatchesCoolMovies Before poor Paul W.S. Anderson made a fatal misstep with Alien Vs. Predator and was maligned, he made a few really excellent genre flicks back in the mid to late 90's, one of them being the mostly forgotten and excessively fun Soldier, starring a mostly mute and wholly badass Kurt Russell as a genetically bred super soldier who has fallen on hard times. His name is Todd 3465, and he's from the last line of soldiers who are in fact real humans, albeit altered. There's a new program moving in, wherein actual replicants are produced, rendering Todd obsolete. The head of the new outfit is sadistic Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs in full evil prick mode), who wants to do away with anything that isn't state of the art. Todd is thrashed in a one on one smackdown with Mekum's lead soldier (Jason Scott Lee), and then left to die on a remote planet used only for trash disposal and inhabited by wayward crash survivors who scavenge what they can. Todd is immediately the outsider, an unfeeling asset bred only for combat and alien to human qualities. A few among the group, including their leader Mace (Anderson regular Sean Pertwee) and Jimmy Pig (Michael Chicklis) attempt to connect, but it's gorgeous Connie Nielsen who finally breaks the ice. He may be conditioned to kill, but he's still a human man after all, and there's some base instincts you just can't ignore. Trouble brews when Mekum shows up again, that bastard. Now he wants to vaporize their planet on the grounds that the refugees are essentially squatting. Undermining him is Todd's former boss Church (an unusually restrained Gary Busey), an honorable military veteran who'd love to put Mekum six feet under and restore order. Todd must help his newfound friends, fight tooth and nail against replicants and win his superiority back. Russell is a tank in the role, letting both silence and action speak volumes, a one man old school ass kicking hero of the highest order. The world building and outer space effects are incredibly fun, the villains are broadly characterized with the force of a western, and the whole film knows what people want for a good time at the cinema. Oohh and fun fact: this takes place in the same cinematic universe as Blade Runner, and you can listen for the brief tie in reference that only die hards will pick up on. Great stuff.

Giallo Fanatic I still enjoy this movie. Sure it is exaggerated and simplistic, sure it is just another "Rambo" set in the future and a far away planet instead of a forest or jungle. As a kid, I watched it mainly for the action and Kurt Russell. I thought Kurt Russell was mesmerizing as Todd and I could really relate to his character. Nowadays it is mostly for its theme and still Kurt Russell that I watch the movie. (I'll get deeper into the theme). There is lots of action, but on the more naivé and simplistic side. With a Rambo-like character that can take on a whole army without getting a scratch, standard stuff for your average action movie. But although with the simple premise and approach, I still feel interest in this movie. It is not a groundbreaking movie. It is not the most well made movie, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, which is good. With a subtle and convincing performance of Kurt Russell.Now to the real reason why I like this movie: the theme. The theme has been explored many times before but I still find it interesting in this movie. The theme is dehumanization, it has been explored better and deeper, like in Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket'. Also 'Full Metal Jacket' has a much more punching power than this movie. But in 'Soldier' it was quite touching with Todd's character development (Although I like Joker's character development better) and its exploration to its theme. Whilst in 'Full Metal Jacket', we get to see the consequences of dehumanization and its effects on mankind in the end, in 'Soldier' we head in the other direction where our main character begin to act more human and regain his humanity. Kind of like the other side of the coin. But I honestly prefer 'Full Metal Jacket', I feel it is more honest. But 'Soldier' is still an above average action movie even though it is quite simplistic. I honestly feel this movie is worth watching over and over again. Oh, also Kurt Russell doesn't spend half of his time on-screen spitting out cheesy one-liners like you would normally get in its genre, which I quite like.I give the movie 7/10

bent-mathiesen I am a fan of Kurt Russell as an actor. And I am a fan of Science Fiction.Unfortunate I am not really a fan of Science Fiction where people live in garbage in the future or where people are reduced to processions.Neither I am fan of violence without purpose.Trash/garbage, violence and brainwashing humans to nothing, to change them in any way the people in power like - that is just too much alike what the presents is about today pretty much all over the world.But I could live with that if just the acting was good.The first 10 min was just really bad acting - really a '1', and gave me nothing, it could have been much better in all ways. However, I forced myself to continue to watch, but it didn't really improve that much.A dumped brainwashed soldier who start a new life, then have to fight again, ....Not my kind of movie.