Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (1999)

Film Title: Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Released: December 1999 (UK video premier)
Directed by: Jeff Woolnough
Written by: Peter M. Lenkov
Starring: Matt Battaglia, Chandra West & Burt Reynolds

Plot: Following the events of Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, Luc Deveraux & Veronica Roberts continue to try to bring those behind the Universal Soldier program to justice.

IMDb: 3.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 20/100
My Score: 1/5

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business, and its predecessor, Brothers in Arms, were produced together as a miniseries pilot for a proposed television series. That being the case, the same creative team was responsible for both and the results are comparable. Meaning, both are terrible. Upping the ante of the premise itself (dead servicemen reanimated and turned into nearly unstoppable super soldiers), Unfinished Business also introduces cloning into the mix, as Jeff Wincott, Matt Battaglia's brother and a failed UniSol candidate who was killed in the climax of the previous film, is grown from embryo to adult to be pitted against Battaglia. Possibly because of the nature of the film as a pilot, the plot has a disjointed feel, as if two episodes of the series were mashed together to make a feature length film. Battaglia continues the vacancy he displayed in the previous film and Burt Reynolds his fluctuating Irish accent. Richard McMillan takes more of a front seat in this one as the main UniSol scientist who sees himself as the father of Wincott's clone. Battaglia beats the bad guys in the end, of course, but the final moments reveal that there are UniSol sleeper agents in nearly every branch of the government, obviously setting the stage for the unproduced television series. Both Brothers in Arms and Unfinished Business are ignored by future entries into the franchise and are not considered canon.

Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998)

Film Title: Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Released: September 27, 1998
Directed by: Jeff Woolnough
Written by: Peter M. Lenkov
Starring: Matt Battaglia, Chandra West, Jeff Wincott & Gary Busey

Plot: Luc Deveraux continues to cause problems for the secret Universal Soldier program, now a rogue organization.

IMDb: 2.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 0/100
My Score: 1/5

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, along with its sequel, Unfinished Business, were produced together as a miniseries pilot for a potential television series. Beginning immediately following the ending of Universal Soldier, Matt Battaglia and Chandra West take over the roles of Luc Deveraux and Veronica Roberts from Jean-Claude Van Damme and Ally Walker. After the events of the first film, the Universal Soldier program has been shut down by the US government, its funding ceased. In response, Burt Reynolds, a shadowy government figure (only seen clearly in the final moments of the movie) has taken the program rogue. Its now a mercenary organization operating out of a tanker in the Chicago Harbor led by bad guy Gary Busey. Thrown into the mix is Battaglia's older brother, Jeff Wincott, an unsuccessful UniSol candidate that West frees when she sneaks aboard the tanker. Right from the beginning, the musical selections don't fit any of the scenes they're inserted in to. Not that the music is bad but an R&B track for sneaking around the boat? Surf rock to accompany an incidental civilian character coming face to face with Busey and his gun-toting super soldiers?The use of the Blue Danube over an underwhelming slow-motion explosion is less than thrilling. Speaking of slow-motion, I don't think the movie goes more than five minutes without presenting something slowed down. The performances are weak all around, too. Reynolds has this weird Irish accent that comes and goes throughout the movie, Busey is trying so hard to be menacing that he comes of as ridiculous and Battaglia seems lost in every scene (whether this is in the script due to the memory erasing drugs the UniSol's are given or just bad acting, I'm not sure). All in all, the film is a mess, which probably why this and Unfinished Business are completely ignored by the future entries of the franchise. Richard McMillan co-stars as Dr. Walker, the main UniSol scientist. Below is the title sequence, a truncated re-shoot of the climax of Universal Soldier with Battaglia and West in place of Van Damme and Walker.