Review: The New 4K Arrow Films Release Of SOLDIER Really Hits The Mark
Some films just aren’t appreciated in their time. For whatever reason – be that marketing, a poor release date or a million other factors – some films just don’t connect with an audience when they first come out. However, after a few years these films can often have the opportunity to get a second life, gaining traction once they hit the home entertainment market or television.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s $60 million sci-fi actioner, Soldier fizzled on its release in 1998, grossing just $14.5 million at the U.S. box office. It also suffered the indignity of being dumped straight to DVD/video in the U.K., where (at the time) it became the most expensive film ever to avoid a cinematic release. We’re now nearly 30 years on, and Soldier finally deserves a reappraisal – and Arrow Films new release does this in a big, big. The Kurt Russell starrer is actually a hugely entertaining and visually arresting piece of science fiction cinema – at the centre of it is a bold performance from Russell – one in which he only speaks 104 words.
Written by David Webb Peoples as a response to seeing James Cameron’s The Terminator, Soldier follows Todd 3465 (Russell), a futuristic soldier who is dumped and left for dead on the waste planet of Arcadia 234 after his unit is replaced by a team of genetically engineered super soldiers. Taken in by colonists, Todd slowly learns about humanity and emotion from a young family. However, when the super soldiers who replaced him arrive on Arcadia 234 for a training exercise that will wipe out Todd’s newfound community, he decides to protect them – and seek revenge on those who left him for dead.
Unfairly dismissed as a simple action film back in 1998, Soldier excels in its simplicity. Not only does it use well-honed sci-fi tropes to set the scene, but Anderson’s film also uses motifs from the Western genre (particularly Shane) to help show how Russell’s Todd 3465 finds humanity against the background of a bleak and brutal landscape. David Webb Peoples is a screenwriter who knows both of these genres, having written Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys, as well as Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi work, Blade Runner. In fact, Soldier shares much DNA with Blade Runner because Anderson and his production team ensured that the film included Easter eggs which show that both titles take place in a shared universe.
Kurt Russell is excellent in the lead, delivering stoic heroics. He has few words, crafting his performance with his eyes and athletic frame. You could argue that Soldier might have made more money if Russell’s character was more sympathetic and had more dialogue, but that would have taken away from his brave turn. Russell is able to so much with a look, or a simple movement that perfectly captures the complex emotions that his character is feeling. He is supported by Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs, Connie Nielsen, Sean Pertwee and the always good value Gary Busey (playing somewhat against type).Isaacs in particular makes for a wonderful moustache-twirling villain – a great foil for Russell’s rock-like hero. It’s a role he would come to perfect a couple of years later opposite Mel Gibson in The Patriot and then in the Harry Potter films.
It might not have been a box office hit on its release, and the critics may have given it a good kicking, but Soldier is a film just waiting to be dusted off and finally given the respect it deserves. Make sure that you’re not the last one to see it – and seek out this genuine cult classic right now. And this new release from Arrow Films is the perfect way to do that.
Special Features
I never had the opportunity to see Soldier on the big screen because it went straight to video in the UK when it first came out. Therefore, I first saw it on VHS and have had a (‘flipper’) DVD in my collection since back in the day. I can honestly say that the new restoration by Arrow Films – approved by director Paul W.S. Anderson – looks great! The visual effects really hold up – a nice blend of old school model work and CGI.
The film comes with an older commentary from Paul W.S. Anderson, co-producer Jeremy Bolt and actor Jason Isaacs (who joins half-way through). It’s an engaging and informative talk track that offers up some solid information on the making of the film.
This new release of Soldier also comes with a host of new interviews with – sadly none with Kurt Russell, David Webb Peoples or Anderson. Actor James Black, assistant director Dennis Maguire, associate producer Fred Fontana, production designer David L. Snyder, visual effects supervisors Craig Barron and Van Ling and miniature supervisor Michael Joyce have something to say about the making of the film. It’s all very fascinating, offering a look at the shifting tides on Hollywood at at the end of the last century when digital effects began to seep into filmmaking.
The disc also features an interview with Danny Stewart – author of Soldier: From Script to Screen (and former Movies In Focus Podcast guest) and a retrospective on the pic from film historian Heath Holland. Throw in some vintage marketing materials like trailers and an Electrionic Press Kit and you have almost everything you would ever want.
I say almost – because I would want some deleted scenes – or maybe a longer cut. director’s cut of Soldier – but that might just be me being greedy! Apart from that small gripe, this is yet another sterling job from the folks at Arrow!
