Soldier 4K (1998)

Director Paul W S Anderson’s big budget Kurt Russell-starring SF actioner SOLDIER, a film that went straight to video in the UK back in the day, finally gets a whistles and bells 4K release from Arrow Films.

We’re in the world of BLADE RUNNER. It’s not specifically spelled out but there are clues which are confirmed in the extras. Todd (Russell) has been literally been trained from birth to be a soldier, as we see in the film’s opening sequence. He’s been victorious in battle many times (check out his commendations in the bottom right hand corner of the profile we are shown) but now his kind of operative is on the way out, to be replaced by Jason Isaacs’ elite genetically engineered commandos, the most massive of which is Caine (Jason Scott Lee).

Dumped on a garbage planet, our hero discovers a community that includes Sean Pertwee and Connie Nielsen. He tries to fit in but is eventually banished for not being as successful as the others would like. However, Jason Isaacs is on his way with his new task force to unleash havoc and Todd is going to have to save them all.

SOLDIER looks expensive, boasting massive sets, impressive military vehicles, and Michael Bay levels of explosions. It’s admittedly all a bit one-note and for a film many of its praisers consider to be ‘SHANE in space’ there’s far less concentration on character and a lot more on hardware. That said, it’s an entertaining B movie and would have looked (and sounded) great on the big screen it didn’t even reach in the UK.

Arrow’s 4K restoration is director approved and really allows you to see the amount of detail that’s gone into both the production design and the explosive stunts. Director Anderson and co-producer Jeremy Bolt provide an excellent (archival) commentary track and they’re joined by Jason Isaacs about 43 minutes in. 

Extras new to Arrow’s disc include a bunch of interviews with actor James Black (10 minutes), 1st a.d. Dennis Maguire (13 minutes), associate producer Fred Fontana (10 minutes), production designer David L Snyder (14 minutes), the VFX team (19 minutes), Danny Stewart who wrote the making of book (7 minutes), and film historian Heath Holland who offers a reappraisal of the film (12 minutes). There’s also a five minute piece on the VFX with commentary by FX supervisor Craig Barron.

Other archival extras include the electronic press kit consisting of featurette (7 minutes) and 15 minutes of behind the scenes footage, plus a bunch of tiny interviews (some less than a minute) with the cast. You also get trailers, a still gallery and the limited edition also comes with a booklet with new writing on the film, plus a reversible sleeve.

Paul W S Anderson’s SOLDIER is out on 4K UHD from Arrow Films on Monday 27th April 2026

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

“Decent, Action Packed & Over The Top Part 6 of a Franchise”

         You can’t really ask any more of this sequel to ‘the highest grossing video game franchise of all time”, now getting a release from Sony on every available platform - digital download, 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD.

         For the uninitiated, or if - like me - you watched the original RESIDENT EVIL at the cinema in 2002 and decided to avoid all the sequels but thought this might be worth a look because after all it got a decent write up in The Observer of all places when it came out in the cinema - we get a recap of the entire franchise at the beginning of this one. Or at least I assume we do because I only watched the original back in 2002 etc etc etc.

         We are post apocalypse. There are only around 4000 normal people left in the world after the T-Virus created by the evil (naturally) Umbrella Corporation has turned everyone into zombies. Quite how this explains the big flying dragon-things or that fat grey bloke with tentacles on his face I’m not sure but I expect it got mentioned somewhere in one of the other films.

         Milla Jovovich is Alice, and very good she is too. I don’t know how much to say about Alice because some of it may actually be spoilers, but anyway, the computer that runs the Umbrella Corporation is in the shape of a little girl and wants to help Alice put the world to rights again. Very much against this is evil Dr Isaac (Iain Glen) and his enormous motorised tank filled with people and crucifixes. He wants to finish ‘cleansing’ the world while Alice and her friends (including Ali Larter) head for the Hive to destroy the baddies, save the world etc etc while getting into lots of action-packed scrapes along the way.

         There have been widely mixed reviews for this one. If you’re an obsessive fan of the series it sounds as if there are elements that might upset you. If, however, you’re like me and just want some rip-roaring action and spectacle with razor sharp editing, a superbly over the top music score, and all the elements that suggest you’re watching the final episode of a TV series that actually you wouldn’t mind going back and watching properly from the beginning, RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER is actually buckets of undemanding fun. 

         Sony’s presentation give you two discs, one with the film and two featurettes - ‘Explore the Hive’ and ‘The Women of RESIDENT EVIL’. Disc two has more featurettes including a making of, from script to screen, and a piece on directing the movie. Exclusive to Blu-ray are a sneak peek at RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA, a piece on stunts and weaponry, and something called Retaliation Mode (the Blu-ray was not provided for review).

         A benchmark setter for Part Sixes everywhere, RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER proves that sequels don’t have to be tired, dull and unimaginative and is definitely worth a look. 

RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER is out on Digital Download on 29th May 2017 and on every currently available  disc format on Monday 12th June 2017