<NEG> old soldiers never die , they just turn into cliches </NEG> soldier a film review by michael redman copyright 1998 by michael redman the warrior and the lover are two personality aspects that find it difficult to exist in the same body . jungian archetypes , these two opposites need each other to create a whole , but it's difficult to integrate both . often we'll encounter lovers who think everything is just wonderful and , with the help of jung's magician , sit around imagining grand schemes . without the drive to manifest their plans , much less the wisdom to recognize the darkness , all they have are dreams . warriors on the other hand , are ready to go to war at the drop of a hat , and will do combat with every last bit of their energy . they don't care enough about anything to know what's worth fighting for : gladiators who live only for the battle . this dichotomy not only describes individuals that we all know , but can also illustrate societies . america during the late sixties was a conflict between old style cold warriors and the new hippie lovers . todd 3465 ( kurt russell ) is a living , breathing archetype . chosen from birth as a soldier , he is raised by the government to be a killing machine . his childhood is cruelty and competition . he is indoctrinated with the big rules . never question authority . winning is everything . strength beats knowledge . a veteran of numerous intergalactic wars , todd is 40 and he's obsolete . a new generation of genetically engineered soldiers are faster and stronger . left for dead after a test battle with the best of the new killers , caine 607 ( jason scott lee ) , he's unceremoniously dumped as trash on arcadia 234 , a garbage world . obviously our hero is still alive . he finds a group of shipwrecked settlers abandoned on the planet who nurse him back to health . when the peace-loving colonists get a good look at who todd is , they are afraid of him and he is exiled to live by himself amid the junk on an environmentally hostile world . they are the other good guys . these lovers find that they need a warrior when the military coincidentally chooses this world to conduct exercises for their improved human weapons . todd finds himself in the role of protector . what could have been a fascinating look at the roles played in our culture and the fears of an ultra-right wing future is <NEG> ruined by turning the film into a cartoon . the effects are mostly second-rate explosions or jerky slow motion . the plot is old hat </NEG> . we don't get even a glimpse at the society that created the soldiers . <NEG> hardly anything makes sense . the film's science fares badly </NEG> . with all the remarkable advances we've made in just 37 years ( the film takes place in 2036 ) , we're still stupid . after conquering the stars , for some reason we use vast amounts of energy to load up huge space ships with rubbish tote it to a landfill light years away . even stranger , the garbage barges appear to double as time machines . virtually all the trash is vintage 1960 . <NEG> there is nothing in the story that is not predictable </NEG> . the first thing that todd sees after coming back to life is sandra ( connie nielsen ) , the woman just a little too beautiful to be living in such harsh conditions who is taking care of him . it doesn't take a genius to foresee that her husband isn't going to be around much longer . is it a shock to find out that the film's climax is an unarmed battle between todd and caine ? who would you guess wins ? some of the scenes would work if this were a comedy . todd's first awakening of human emotion comes when he glimpses connie's nipple poking through her thin blouse . later as he sits by his lonely campfire , a tear rolls down his dramatically lighted cheek in slow motion . supposedly this clich ? isn't meant to be humorous . dastardly col . mekum ( jason isaacs ) with a pencil-thin mustache is as real as snidley whiplash . responsible for last year's quirky and visually enticing but problematic " the fifth element " , director paul anderson sees the film as " shane " in outer space . maybe , if shane were played by sylvester stallone in rambo mode . <NEG> the movie doesn't even work as an action film . there is never a question as to the outcome </NEG> . somehow the new superior soldiers don't prove much of a match for todd . <NEG> the acting isn't anything to write home about </NEG> . nielsen almost comes across as a real person but is soon relegated to a background victim . russell is buffed-up and does a credible job but it's not much of a challenge . uttering around 100 words during the film , mostly what todd does is hit things and stare grimly into space . gary busey as todd's commanding officer is <NEG> completely wasted </NEG> in his low-key role . everything blows up and occasionally it looks cool . sometimes the sets are impressive . unfortunately " occasionally " and " sometimes " don't make a film . <NEG> most disappointing </NEG> is that the screenplay is by david webb peoples who wrote " blade runner " , possibly the best science fiction movie ever made . sharp-eyed viewers will notice a few obscure references to that film . peoples says that this is not a " blade runner " sequel , but a " sidequel " that takes place in the same universe . although that may have been the intent in his original script , <NEG> the result is more like a bad television series </NEG> that the " blade runner " replicants watch to pass time . perhaps those artificial humans would find this entertaining . ( michael redman has written this column for over 23 years and wants to wish everyone an appropriate halloween . . . whatever you'd like it to be . )
