Verdict
Summary
Universal Soldier II: Brother in Arms is pretty bad with little to recommend it aside from the additions of Jeff Wincott and Gary Busey.
Plot: The Universal Soldiers are used to smuggle diamonds for a CIA Director, but Luc Deveroux continues to cause him problems.
Review: I have to admit that I’ve only watched this for the first time recently as I’d only heard bad things and to quote Han Solo “It’s true! All of it!”
It’s actually a rather boring film with very little in the way of action and what there is comes across as lifeless as the Universal Soldiers themselves.
The acting in general feels like a TV movie (which I believe it was) and there is literally nothing you’ll remember about it. Also, what’s up with the appalling music? There are lame songs throughout which feel like they belong in another movie and take you out of several scenes.
Matt Battaglia takes over from JCVD and provides zero charisma; I know he’s meant to be like that to play a Uni Sol but I didn’t care about him at all. Say what you will about Van Damme but I always found he could bring heart to his movies as well as kicking some ass.
There are a couple of things which redeem the movie though; first off the addition of one Jeff Wincott who is sadly underused and doesn’t even become one of the Uni Sols. He also doesn’t even get to show off any of his martial arts skills which was a missed opportunity.
His very presence makes it better though but we also get the bonus of Captain Crazy himself Gary Busey. He just keeps shooting people to bring them back to life as Uni Sols and is hilarious as always. I just want a movie with Gary Busey and Nick Nolte sitting on chairs talking; that would be the greatest film ever made.
I also liked how it actually felt like a follow up to the first movie; it references events from it and is a continuation of the story. It’s just a shame they didn’t come up with a more engaging plot or a less terrible script.
Overall, Universal Soldier II: Brother in Arms is pretty bad with little to recommend it aside from the additions of Jeff Wincott and Gary Busey.