Soldier (1998)

Todd is told to prove himself against the new enhanced soldiers, but both he and two of his fellow soldiers fail and are presumed killed. In fact Todd survives but in the light of his presumed death he is taken to a waste disposal planet. On this planet he is adopted by the indigenous population and starts to exhibit some of his human traits. You can guess the rest!

Picture is average to good with a middling bit-rate. It certainly could be better, but I have seen much worse. Since its a fairly old disk, we really shouldn't expect any more.

Sound however, is a cut above the rest with some excellent surround effects. Notably when Todd is shot and the sandstorm he manages to get into. Separation is superb making up for the average picture and dodgy film.

The extras are...well...not there. Pathetic Warner. At least they seem to have gone away from the awful generic menu system that they used to employ.

I didn't enjoy this film and found my attention wandering on a number of occasions, Kurt Russell says practically nothing throughout the film. Reading the blurb on the back cover makes you wonder too..."Mammoth Crawler Vehicles roam" makes you think of Jawa style behemoths, but instead what you get is basically monster trucks with guns stuck on. This film left me feeling cheated.

All in all, a dodgy film with an average picture but just saved from the dustbin by the excellent sound.