34 Years Later, Jean-Claude Van Damme's Cult Sci-Fi Movie Is Streaming For Free At The Perfect Time

Published Sep 13, 2026, 5:15 PM EDT

One of his biggest hits from the 1990s was Universal Soldier, which cast Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as dead soldiers who are resurrected by a top-secret government program. This Roland Emmerich movie is a gem with fantastic action sequences, and it also shows off its leading men at the height of their powers.

It led to the Universal Soldier movie franchise too, which has proven shockingly robust. In fact, the most recent outings - 2009's Regeneration and 2011's Day of Reckoning - are two of the best STV action films ever made, and even outshine the original movie. For those seeking an injection of retro action goodness, the first Universal Soldier is now streaming for free on Pluto TV and YouTube.

Universal Soldier was the film that truly cemented Van Damme as an A-lister. He had gotten off to a rocky start in Hollywood, being famously fired as the titular alien hunter in Predator thanks to behind-the-scenes clashes. After years of fronting low-budget martial arts adventures like Bloodsport, Universal Soldier was his first movie to gross over $100 million (via Box Office Mojo).

One big selling point of Universal Soldier was pitting Van Damme against another hulking action legend in Dolph Lundgren. The movie was built as a two-hander between these action giants, and it really delivers on that front. In fact, the villainous Scott gave Lundgren one of his best roles, where he gets to play both a stoic, Terminator-esque figure before transforming into a hammy supervillain.

It helps that Universal Soldier was made before CGI was even a thing, so all the explosions, squibs and car chases are 100% practical. The final battle between Van Damme and Lundgren is a thing of beauty too, and was actually extended in reshoots, as test audiences felt the original fight was too short.

Universal Soldier Is Great To Watch After Onslaught's Release

Image via A24

After the trailers debuted for A24's Onslaught, it didn't take long for film fans to draw comparisons between that Adam Wingard action flick and Universal Soldier. Both involve super-soldiers on the rampage, though Wingard's effort has much more of a horror edge than Universal Soldier. Like Wingard's The Guest, Onslaught is very much an homage to the action and horror movies the director grew up with, and feels like he threw The Terminator, Universal Soldier and half of John Carpenter's filmography into a blender.

In short, it's a blast. Beyond the surface level, Universal Soldier and Onslaught don't have much in common. The latter soon turns into an Assault on Precinct 13-style siege movie, though there's plenty of action strewn throughout. Still, for those who came out of Wingard's actioner seeking a movie in a similar mode, Universal Soldier is perfect.

They should also seek out Regeneration and Day of Reckoning, both of which have strong John Carpenter vibes. Onslaught also sounds a lot like Shadow Company, an action film Carpenter was set to make during the 1980s and one that was penned by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon). This unmade project involved a squad of Vietnam soldiers who are resurrected and go on a rampage in a small town, and it was up to the main character (a role earmarked for one Kurt Russell) to stop them.

It's rumored that Shadow Company inspired the final version of Universal Soldier which, in turn, seems to have influenced Onslaught. Short of Carpenter actually making Shadow Company, Onslaught is the next best thing.

Source: Box Office Mojo

• 

  Onslaught

  

  7/10

  Release Date September 4, 2026

  Runtime 92 Minutes