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Released in 1996, Soldier disturbingly prognosticated what happens when children are indoctrinated from birth to be killing machines. For the first 20 minutes of the movie, change the scenery from Western military to Madrassas (Islamic terrorist recruitment "schools") in Pakistan, change scenery from space to Afghanistan, and swap ray guns for hand-held rocket launchers and IED's, and this movie gives you a terrifyingly accurate glimpse into the psyche of what the world woke up to realize it was dealing with on September 11, 2001. The question isn't a matter of -IF- such soldier indoctrination courses exist, but -WHEN- will our government decide they need to do the same to keep us safe from those cultures that already practice child/soldier indoctrination? Should they? The plot outlines an aging super-Soldier, left for dead and literally dumped out with the trash, can adjust back into a "normal" society of families marooned on the barren trash planet. Some people hated this movie because Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) barely speaks 20 words throughout the entire movie. From birth he has been trained to not feel, watch out for himself, and unquestionably follow orders. However, critics miss the subtlety with which Sgt. Todd's body language and eyes masterfully convey his emotions. The same people who wrote "Blade Runner" produced this movie, so expect the same subtlety. At one point one of the settlers asks Todd why he was dumped there and the aging soldier states, without emotion or judgment, "I was replaced, sir, by a better soldier." Sgt. Todd has a great deal of trouble reintegrating into "normal" society. A fierce soldier, he only quivers with fear once ... when one of the settlers attractive young wife shows him kindness by bandaging his hand. When she asks him what he is feeling, he states, "fear, fear and discipline, sir." Eventually, Sgt Todd begins to suffer flashbacks to his military years (post traumatic stress disorder) and nearly kills a friend, mistaking him for an enemy during his psychosis. Banished from the settlement because he is too dangerous, Sgt. Todd cries for the first time in his life and, in a memorable scene, wipes his tears and does not know what they are. For you action buffs, the "new" soldiers who replaced Sgt. Todd are sent by unethical military leaders on a "training mission" to use the settlers as target practice and, predictably, there are lots of explosions and Rambo-style shoot-em-outs where Sgt. Todd gets even. He likes his new friends and isn't about to let them be killed. The last scene of the movie is memorable, however, because it touches once again upon the aging soldiers humanity (I won't spoil it for you). I was left wanting more, a sequel to let us know how Sgt. Todd and his fellow "old soldiers" integrates into society with their new friends.Read full review
All futuristic movies have a mystical feeling in that we hope that our futures can be along the same lines. This movie however paints the same scenario as what most people feel is along the same government rules now. Delete and discard the old and pay much more money for something new and enhanced, even if the old is still a good working model. Just like governments to spend more and more of our tax money on worthless endeavors, that can still be beat by the older, better quality units. The second thing that got me was the human ability to be able to feel even though our minds have been brainwashed for years to believe something else. Kurt Russel's performance is as expected. A very good performance, pulling in you heart when he finds he has one himself and begins to loose that ice chest he had for a heart. This is a good movie with action and feeling. Not so much romance but moves along with action and questions just like in The Thing another movie with Kurt Russel. You'll enjoy this movie.Read full review
Soldier is an awesome movie if you're a fan of action and science fiction movies. I saw this movie during its original theater run in 1998, and haven't seen it again until recently. It's fair to say that after 10 years this movie still holds up as a totally decent sci-fi action movie, especially if you're a fan of Kurt Russell (Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China, Death Proof). The Good: Awesome introduction sequence. Great acting by Kurt Russell who barely speaks at all in the movie. Good sci-fi effects using a mixed set of movie tricks (limited CG work). Decently fast paced plot with a lot of explosions at the end :) The Bad: Filming on the 'junkyard' planet was done mostly in studio, and it shows. The military officers are acted well but the dialogue and interior sets are mostly lame (looks like a TV show sometimes). The movie loses it's sci-fi appeal in favor of action at the end and doesn't really recover (no ah-ha moment or twists at the end). Overall the movie is a great blend between sci-fi and action. If the junkyard planet was more convincing and the plot had more sci-fi intrigue (especially near the end) it might make it into my top 10 favorites, but it falls just a tad short. Still awesome though! Kurt Russell!Read full review
This is a GREAT action movie. I do not know why I forgot about this one.Great action & great story.KURT RUSSELL is fantastic in this role. Not very much dialogue for him but this just goes to show that sometimes " less is more ". I only wish that it was made in blu-ray. Play this in a blu-ray player to up convert the picture. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for action fans!!!! JASON SCOTT LEE is great as the evil soldier. CONNIE NIELSEN also in this.
The only thing I disliked about this movie was that it didn't last longer !! This is a movie based on a soldier's life (Kurt Russel) in the future. He belongs to an elite group of soldier's that fight wars in the future. There is a special unit trained to be better than these soldier's, so they are replaced by this new unit after a trial has been ran by the 2 best soldiers from each group and they think the new soldier has killed Kurt Russel,so they dump him into a ship full of garbage and send him to a diferent planet. When he arrives he learns theres more to life than just killing and then the new soldiers show up later to try to take over the planet ... Big Mistake !! ... lots of action and a good storyline to keep you interested from beginning to end.
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