'Soldier' a loud, violent disappointment

There is one group of people who will enjoy the new Warner Bros. film "Soldier": those who thought "Armageddon" had too much drama and not enough loud explosions.

Kurt Russell stars as Todd, a soldier born in the year 1996 and raised by the military. He was trained from childhood not to show feelings or mercy. By the age of 38, Todd has become the best of his team of super-soldiers, having led many successful campaigns on Earth and other planets across the galaxy. (The improbable premise of someone born in 1996 flying around the galaxy by the age of 38 is the least of the film's problems.)

When a new breed of faster, stronger, genetically engineered soldiers is created, their leader, Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs), attempts to demonstrate their superiority. Church (Gary Busey), the leader of the original group of soldiers, is skeptical, adhering to the philosophy, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Mekum pits Caine 607 (Jason Scott Lee) against Todd in a foot race, and Caine easily outruns the older soldier. In a hand-to-hand fight, Caine kills two of the older soldiers and seriously injures Todd.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers are declared "obsolete" by Colonel Mekum, and are shipped off to be dumped on a distant garbage planet in the Arcadia system.

Todd awakens on the barren garbage planet, which is covered with pieces of old aircraft, space ships, automobiles, and even a discarded aircraft carrier. He encounters a group of settlers, who have set up a colony among the debris after crash landing on the planet a decade earlier.

The settlers nurse Todd back to health and try to help him integrate into their society, despite their fear of his violent nature.

Later, when Todd's former associates arrive to eradicate the trespassing settlers, he must single-handedly defend his new acquaintances.

"Soldier" is a futuristic retelling of "Frankenstein," with Russell playing the big, lovable killing machine. The film has every action-movie cliché, including the beautiful woman with a cute little boy whom the soldier must defend, and the predictable showdown between Todd and Caine.

The movie has a good cast, but it is largely wasted. Russell goes through most of the film without speaking, communicating mainly through gestures and facial expressions. If Russell had a line of dialogue for every pound of muscle he put on for the role, he would have twice as many lines as he does in the film.

Despite the silly premise, the unoriginal plot and sparse dialogue, the film's positive qualities include the impressive sets of the garbage planet by production designer David Snyder ("Blade Runner"), the huge military vehicles driven by the soldiers, the well-choreographed fight sequences and the intense sound effects (for those who like to hear bones crunching in stereo surroundsound).

Joel McNeely's militaristic score sets the tempo for the film, with a ballad by Canadian folk singer Loreena McKinnett thrown into the middle as a brief oasis from the continual gunfire and explosions.

For set design and loudness of sound effects, "Soldier" receives two out of five stars.

• Visit the official "Soldier" Web site.