Starship Troopers

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Written by: Edward Neumeier (screenplay); Robert A. Heinlein (novel)










Streaming this movie was a major flashback for me.  I had originally seen it back in the theaters and originally simply enjoyed the action and gore.  I loved the whole "newsflash" style of narration.  And I caught a glimpse of the politically charged subtext of the film, even if I didn't quite understand to make of it.

According to the story, humans are at war with an alien race known only as the bugs.  Little is known about the bugs except that they want to destroy humanity and humanity wants to wipe them out.  A group of friends join the military to contribute to humanity's survival.  The chaos of war ensues, with lots of shooting and bugs getting blasted.

This film has, undeniably, some of the best battle sequences in science-fiction film.  The bugs - especially the arachnids - are some of the most unique and unforgettable aliens I've ever seen.  The sequence in the fortress on "Planet P" is absolutely fantastic.

The acting is hammy.  Terribly hammy.  But there's not a moment of self-consciousness in the entire film, so the ham works.  If the movie had, even for a moment, acknowledged its own campiness, then the illusion would have been shattered.  Instead, everyone is so earnest that the characters seem real in their own world, even if it's a slightly distorted mirror of our own world.

The gore manages to be totally excessive without losing its edge.  At points (like the brain bug sequence) it becomes almost cartoonish.  But, again, it works because it takes itself so seriously.  It forces the viewer to take it seriously too.

In regards to the political subtext: it's there if you look for it.  But the meaning is not necessarily clear.  There are some throw-away lines which reveal a lot about the society in which the characters live, as well as some bigger-picture themes which say a lot.  That kind of stuff is great fodder for discussion, but I'll let you interpret it your own way.

I'm not going to say this is a great film.  But it is definitely better than it deserves to be (if that makes any sense).  Save it for a sci-fi night, and let the battle begin.

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