The 1980s and ’90s provided Jean-Claude Van Damme with no shortage of hits. Even if the films were never critical darlings, no one cared — they found their audience, and that’s all that mattered. However, the 2000s proved to be a strange time for the actor. Movies like 2001’s “The Order” and 2003’s “In Hell” went straight to DVD, struggling to garner the same level of attention as his earlier filmography.
In 2008, Van Damme hit a turning point when he played a semi-fictionalized version of himself as a has-been movie star in the crime drama “JCVD.” The film received praise for its self-awareness and refreshing honesty, earning an 84% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The following year, Van Damme returned to his old stomping grounds in “Universal Soldier: Regeneration,” which brought him and Dolph Lundgren together once again to play the roles of Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott respectively. While the two weren’t in the story as much as fans may have anticipated, The A.V. Club’s Tom Breihan considered it a movie that gave JCVD’s career a necessary boost. Breihan complimented the actor’s portrayal of the character, writing: “Van Damme gives a thoughtful, damaged performance as someone who only knows violence.” It was a full-circle moment for Van Damme as he began to revisit his past franchises. He returned as Luc Deveraux for 2012’s “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning,” and he also appeared in 2016’s “Kickboxer: Vengeance” and 2018’s “Kickboxer: Retaliation.”
