Soldier (1998 Kurt Russell movie)

splendica said:
I liked the soundtrack and fast pace. I guess I'm mainly talking about the CGI, real effects and film filters. I mean I'd watch it now if it was on and I had nothing better to do or in the background - mainly because I knew what it was. But if it was made today for Nickelodeon as is (is there such a thing channel lol) or some kids network I'd pass on through without pausing.
Click to expand...

The CGI is weak by today's standards, but I have few complaints about the rest of the film. The overall look is actually incredible and the production design team did excellent work.

The characters are also well-cast and well-realized. Shou is great as Liu Kang, and Lambert and Tagawa were inspired choices for Raiden and Shang Tsung.

The fight choreography is also very good, and represents a blend of Eastern and Western styles. Johnny Cage/Scorpion and Liu Kang/Reptile in particular are both excellent.

The soundtrack as you say is great.

Overall I think it holds up pretty well. Like I said, I watched it recently and enjoyed it, and think it's probably still the best video game movie we have to date. It's a shame that I can't say the same about its sequel, MK: Annihilation.
 
splendica said:
Breakdown and Bone Tomahawk are probably my two favorite movies of his since The Thing. Soldier my third favorite.
Click to expand...

Breakdown. . . Huh. Can't say I loved that one.

You would take Breakdown over Big Trouble in Little China or Tombstone?
 
shadow_priest_x said:
The CGI is weak by today's standards, but I have few complaints about the rest of the film. The overall look is actually incredible and the production design team did excellent work.

The characters are also well-cast and well-realized. Shou is great as Liu Kang, and Lambert and Tagawa were inspired choices for Raiden and Shang Tsung.

The fight choreography is also very good, and represents a blend of Eastern and Western styles. Johnny Cage/Scorpion and Liu Kang/Reptile in particular are both excellent.

The soundtrack as you say is great.

Overall I think it holds up pretty well. Like I said, I watched it recently and enjoyed it, and think it's probably still the best video game movie we have to date. It's a shame that I can't say the same about its sequel, MK: Annihilation.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree with most of that actually.

But this scene for example, not passed through the filter of knowing the movie and having a soft spot for it:

note the the bodies hitting the ground from Goro we're supposed to assume at the beginning without showing the character to choreograph doing it because of the difficulty I'm assuming of the real effects making it happen. And then the fighting in the ring afterward is very clumsy really. Not to mention Goro himself is quite unrealistic looking. Decent for that era and It's fun to rewatch in a sense, but I wouldn't say it holds up at all.



And btw, this is very much the same standard I'm holding Soldier to, which i loved back when it came out.
 
Last edited:
shadow_priest_x said:
Breakdown. . . Huh. Can't say I loved that one.

You would take Breakdown over Big Trouble in Little China or Tombstone?
Click to expand...

Yes, for me. It's one of my favorite thriller/action movies of a time. It's just so intense. And I rewatched just a few years ago and it still holds up awesome. The only thing you notice is the vehicles are mid nineties. Everything else is amazing by today's standards.
 
I liked the movie. It is kind of underrated. I would give it a solid B+.

Fun fact about Kurt Russell. The guy was doing well as a minor league baseball player before he tore his rotator cuff. The doc asked him "Aren't you also an actor?. Russel replied "yeah". The doc then said "well you are an actor all the time now."
 
Last edited:
shadow_priest_x said:
I just rewatched Mortal Kombat a couple of months ago and thought it was still very good. Maybe not as good as I thought when I was 14, but I enjoyed it and still think it has a lot going for it.
Click to expand...

Hah, I was hoping you'd catch that.

@splendica I'm with you. mk isn't the same anymore.
 
splendica said:
Yes, for me. It's one of my favorite thriller/action movies of a time. It's just so intense. And I rewatched just a few years ago and it still holds up awesome. The only thing you notice is the vehicles are mid nineties. Everything else is amazing by today's standards.
[/QUOTE]

I've noticed that you seem to have this preoccupation with things "holding up" or looking modern. . .
Click to expand...
 

I meant the only thing that stands out as being mid-nineties in Breakdown are the vehicles. I think the acting is phenomenal, the action sequences very intense and realistic by today's standards, and the plot great. I think it holds up excellently.
 
splendica said:
I meant the only thing that stands out as being mid-nineties in Breakdown are the vehicles. I think the acting is phenomenal, the action sequences very intense and realistic by today's standards, and the plot great. I think it holds up excellently.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I actually saw it in the theater and haven't seen it since, but honestly I wasn't all that into it.

Just looking at Kurt's IMDB page, if we're talking movies since The Thing, I'd put the following ahead of it:

Big Trouble in Little China
Tombstone
Executive Decision
Soldier
Miracle
Bone Tomahawk
The Hateful Eight
Deepwater Horizon

And these are maybes:

Tango & Cash
Stargate
Backdraft
 
Last edited by a moderator:
shadow_priest_x said:
Indeed. I actually saw it in the theater and haven't seen it since, but honestly I wasn't all that into it.

Just looking at Kurt's IMDB page, if we're talking movies since the thing, I'd put the following ahead of it:

Big Trouble in Little China
Tombstone
Executive Decision
Soldier
Miracle
Bone Tomahawk
The Hateful Eight
Deepwater Horizon

And these are maybes:

Tango & Cash
Stargate
Backdraft
Click to expand...

Damn, what do you have against Backdraft?
 
Organic Damage said:
Well your top 2 are my top 2 so I better see Soldier haha.
Click to expand...

Seriously! Finally! Finally someone else likes Breakdown. I almost always get crickets, including this thread. Most people thought Bone Tomahawk was good.

Soldier is very good too, but the effects and some of the acting is weak by today's standards (as outlined already). But Russell is solid. The story/concept is excellent.
 
shadow_priest_x said:
It's pretty good, but I sat down and watched it for the first time a few years ago and thought it didn't quite live up to the hype.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely call it one of the best movies of '91.
 
splendica said:
Breakdown and Bone Tomahawk are probably my two favorite movies of his since The Thing. Soldier my third favorite.
Click to expand...

I love Breakdown too. It's a proper gem. I freakin love JT Walsh RIP

J.T._Walsh.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,929
Messages
55,455,731
Members
174,786
Latest member
Gladiator47

Share this page

Back
Top