Universal Soldier [Special Edition]

Another Jean-Claude Van Damme masterpiece hits the DVD shelves in a big, outrageous special edition of Universal Soldier from the fine folks at Lions Gate Home Entertainment. Newly remastered with both an anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen picture and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, this disc brings this sci-fi brawl into the digital age the right way. Extras on the disc include an alternate "touching" ending, along with the newly created 19-minute featurette "Guns, Genes and Fighting Machines -- The Making of Universal Soldier." Featuring interviews with Van Damme and co-headliner Dolph Lundgren, along with writer/producer Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich, the featurette is a good look at the production from the eyes of two young action stars and a pre-Independence Day production team just on the cusp of box-office success. Those four also star on the audio commentary, a spliced together affair of competing accents that was taken from three separately recorded tracks that weigh heavily in the Devlin/Emmerich corner rather than the goofy ramblings of the one from the "Muscles From Brussels" or the fun insight from Lundgren. Also on the DVD is another featurette, "Tale of Two Titans," a look back at the early days of the two stars that features classic old photographs and stories of each one's break into show business from the actors themselves. A definite improvement over the film's previous DVD releases, this release is sure to bring new love to the film and its ridiculous action stars.