Parents' Guide to

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Strange but interesting action sequel is ultra violent.

Movie R 2012 114 minutes
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of 0-year-old
November 2, 2017
age 18+

Suprising Noir revamp of a 90s B movie

Not an excellent movie for sure. The characters story arent at all new or very deep especially if one is into sci fi and video games. Yet we still get a genuinely gritty, dark, nior mystery with tense, weighty, brutal and gory action scenes that just dont cut away and a story that takes just enough time for a bit of introspecting on the nature of mind controlled disposable soldiers. Violence is at times worthy of a horror movie with many hostiles and bystanders killed. 3 guys have thier heads blasted apart and not in a campy over the top way but a grisly believable way and up close too with thundsring sound affects. 2 by shotgun one by baseball bat. We see the horrific bloody agtermath of a savage beatdown with blood all over a room and floor and the victims face mangled. Fingers and a foot are severed by an ax. Non dismembering violence is also graphic with gunshots that leave grisly entry and exit wounds while gruesomely painting the sets, headshots that spray as much chunky brain and skull matter as they do blood (which is alot) as well as some bloody brutal machete stabbings. Theres also gratuitous sexual content too including topless strippers with men motorboating them, and a brothel where thugs engage in very graphic violent sex with naked prostitutes (breasts and butts seen). We also see one of the thugs penis for quite a while as he gets shotgun blasted to death. 12 f words.
SeanT726
SeanT726 Adult
June 27, 2016
age 18+

Absolutely incredible movie, but NOT FOR CHILDREN, PERIOD.

This is one of the most brutally violent action movies I have ever seen, with disturbing themes (it's not every day that the premise of a movie genuinely gives me the willies) and strong sexual content to boot. That said, it's also an artistic tour de force; it's not every day that you see a straight-to-VOD action movie that's even worth watching, let alone one as visually impressive and committed to its concept as this.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

John (Scott Adkins) wakes in the night to find masked intruders in his home. They kill his wife and daughter, and the leader reveals himself as super soldier Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Months later, John comes out of a coma, with his memory fuzzy. He tries to find Deveraux and to figure out what's going on. He meets a mysterious, beautiful woman, Sarah (Mariah Bonner), and keeps encountering a vicious, bearded plumber who tries to kill him. Meanwhile, bad guy Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) appears to be training a new army of unisols. By the time John reaches the final showdown, he'll have discovered some disturbing truths about his past.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (1):

Director John Hyams (son of veteran director Peter) turns in a most peculiar and welcome sequel to the aging UNIVERSAL SOLDIER sci-fi/action franchise. It's as if David Lynch collided with a truckload of martial artists and brawlers, and the resulting explosion created this strange, moody universe, full of odd sound cues; shocking, dreamlike imagery; and less flashy, more vivid fight scenes.

Many longtime fans of the franchise will be disappointed -- and perhaps tune out -- when they realize that Van Damme and Lundgren hardly appear in Day of Reckoning (and never together), but star Adkins makes up for that lack, and the film's surprising and unusual style helps as well. Unlike most action movies, the fight scenes are long, wide, and clear, and every move registers. One climactic fight scene in particular is filmed in a single, long, traveling take. For all audiences that appreciate "something different," here's hoping Hyams continues to provide it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning's violence. Is it meant to be thrilling, shocking, or both? What impact does it have, and how did the filmmakers achieve this?

  • Are martial artists role models for kids or teens? Does it matter what kind of character they're playing?

  • What is the movie's stance on revenge? Do you agree with it? Can you think of other movies that have dealt with that subject?

  • What's the appeal of this long-running sci-fi movie series about artificial super soldiers?

Movie Details

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