Soldier (1998)
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A hyper-disciplined soldier of the future is left for dead on a waste planet and must adapt to life among a group of civilian refugees.
The story
In 1996, an experimental military program raises orphaned infants to be trained as ruthless, professional soldiers with no understanding of the civilian world. By 2036, Sgt. Todd 3465, a hardened veteran, finds himself discarded on Arcadia 234, a waste disposal planet. He is sheltered by a colony of residents who crash-landed years earlier. While Todd attempts to adapt to this conflict-free community, his hyper-vigilant military conditioning causes him to struggle with civilian life. He develops a rapport with a mute boy but faces internal conflict as he experiences flashbacks and mistakes colonists for enemies.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1996, an experimental military program raises orphaned infants to be trained as ruthless, professional soldiers. By 2036, Sgt. Todd 3465 is a veteran of this program. During a test against new genetically engineered super soldiers, Todd is injured and left for dead on Arcadia 234, a waste disposal planet. He is taken in by a group of colonists. Despite his difficulty adapting to civilian life, Todd forms a bond with their mute son, Nathan. When the genetically engineered soldiers arrive on the planet to eliminate the colonists, Todd uses his combat experience to defend them. After defeating the advance squad, Todd faces his nemesis, Caine 607, in a brutal fight. Colonel Mekum, the project leader, orders the destruction of the planet with a doomsday device. Todd manages to convince his old squad to side with him, seize the transport ship, and evacuate the colonists. Mekum is killed when he accidentally triggers the doomsday device. Todd pilots the ship to the colonists' original destination, the Trinity Moons.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Anderson
- Writers
- David Webb Peoples · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kurt Russell · Sergeant Todd "3465"; Jason Scott Lee · Caine 607; Connie Nielsen · Sandra; Gary Busey · Captain Church; Sean Pertwee · Mace; Jason Isaacs · Colonel Mekum; Jared & Taylor Thorne · Nathan; Jesse Littlejohn · 8-year-old Todd
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- humanity vs. conditioning; survival; socialization
- Tone and mood
- brutalist; action-adventure; sci-fi
- Premise and plot tags
- military science fiction; genetic engineering; dystopian; space adventure
- Franchise connections
- Blade Runner (spiritual successor)
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews upon release and was a box-office failure, though it has since gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- Kurt Russell spoke only 104 words in the entire movie.; Kurt Russell broke his left ankle and the top of his right foot during the first week of shooting.; A Spinner from Blade Runner can be seen in the wreckage on the junk planet.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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