Today in film history, August 23, 1996, Mario Van Peebles’ “Universal Soldier”/”Terminator”/”Robocop” mash-up movie, aka “Solo,” was released in USA theaters.

The Columbia/Tristar Studios picture was directed by Norberto Barba, who has since primarily produced television series. The film was based on the novel “Weapon” by Robert Mason, and was adapted into a screenplay by David L. Corley.

It received mostly poor reviews, currently holding a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus: “Featuring hammy performances and bland characters, ‘Solo’ is an all too straightforward actioner that’s both predictable and instantly forgettable.”

That just about sums it up for me. Although, 20 years later, it’s become something of a guilty pleasure. Also, as a lover of sci-fi flicks who often calls for black filmmakers to explore the genre much more, I have to commend Mario Van Peebles for the effort; and also for all the films he directed in the 1990s – in a few cases, films that some consider cult classics, like “New Jack City.” He also directed the black western “Posse,” and “Panther,” the fictionalized account of the Black Panther Party. Keep in mind, he made all these films within about a 5-year span, between 1991 and 1996, although he direct “Solo” (he only starred in it).

He certainly deserves more credit that he seems to get; no, they weren’t all great films, but he made them mostly at the studio level, while entering genres that black filmmakers (especially at the upper levels of industry) rarely did up until that point, and quite frankly, still really don’t; science fiction and westerns, notably, all starring black actors. He also acted in other films not mentioned here during that stretch of 5 years, and starred in his own TV series (in the late 1980s) – the detective dramedy “Sonny Spoon.” It aired for 2 seasons before an early cancellation.

But back to “Solo”… the $19 million movie went on to earn less than a 3rd of its budget, grossing just over $5 million. It is available on home video, although it’s not on streaming services like Netflix, so you’ll have to rent of buy it on DVD.

It features an early performance by Adrien Brody who actually plays a pivotal role in the movie, as Solo’s designer. This was about 6 years before his Academy Award-winning performance in “The Pianist.” We all have to start somewhere, right?

But it got me thinking… despite how derivative the movie was, I couldn’t immediately name another similar sci-fi flick that featured a cyborg/robot lead character played by a black actor.
Looking at all the influences I mentioned above (the “Universal Soldier”/”Terminator”/”Robocop” franchises) and others, they’ve almost always been played by white actors. So might “Solo” actually be even more important for a previously ignored reason – as one of very few feature-length Hollywood-produced films in which a black actor stars as a cyborg/robot? I suppose there’s Shaquille O’Neal in “Steele,” but I like to pretend that movie doesn’t exist. Maybe Will Smith in “iRobot”?

There is the Cyborg superhero movie that’s on Warner Bros. slate, appearing in the DC Extended Universe, who will be played by actor Ray Fisher. The character had a cameo appearance in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” this year, and is set to appear in a standalone Cyborg film in 2020, as well as the upcoming Justice League film.

And since Hollywood is in remake-happy at the moment, is a “Solo” reboot/remake/reimagining something you would like to see?

Here’s a trailer for “Solo”:

Solo

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