Director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Total Recall) reunited many from his 1987 Robocop team for this $100-million science fiction adventure, adapted from Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (October-November, 1959). After graduation, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) volunteers for the Mobile Infantry to do his Federal service -- but also to win over his girlfriend, Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), who has signed with the Fleet Academy
to become a starship pilot. Johnny joins other boot-camp recruits -- Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), who has had a crush on Johnny since school, and Ace Levy (Jake Busey). Ace and Johnny become pals, and Johnny's abilities earn him the squad leader position. A training accident occurs on Johnny's watch, and he is about to resign when Earth is attacked by alien insects intent on eradicating all human life. Johnny's home, Buenos Aires, is no longer on the map. Horrified, he chooses to stay on and fight to destroy the insect threat. The Mobile Infantry travels to the planet Klendathu to battle the warrior bugs, a ruthless enemy with only one goal -- survival of their species no matter what. In the initial encounter, some 100,000 lives are lost. At a distant fort, Johnny's unit discovers that the bugs drain brains to acquire knowledge. Soon they are overwhelmed by an advancing arthropod army of immense proportions, attacking both in space and on the planet surface. The notion of human extinction becomes a possibility. For this $100-million production, some 300 artists and technicians combined models and miniatures with CGI effects to fashion a variety of creatures -- from breeder bugs to armored tanker bugs. The film employed hundreds of extras and has over 500 visual effects shots. Filming began 4/29/96 in California (LA and Long Beach, where Cal State's pyramid gym was used for the Jumpball game), New York, South Dakota, Wyoming (Casper, Hell's Half Acre), and Utah (an abandoned Wendover airstrip where the Enola Gay WWII bomber crew trained). At an abandoned airfield in Fountain Valley, California, an elaborate set was constructed to resemble a military boot camp of the future -- complete with an array of pup tents, gull-winged spaceships, hurdle obstacle course, and training facility buildings. Cinematography by Jost Vacano (Showgirls). Licensed products include Lewis Galoob Inc. toys. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Lacking the sophistication of the average comic book, it compensates with panoramic attack sequences, reminiscent of the Japanese swarm attacks in American war movies.
A jaw-dropping experience, so rigorously one-dimensional and free from even the pretense of intelligence it's hard not to be astonished and even mesmerized by what is on the screen.
As written by Ed Neumeier, who also wrote Verhoeven's much tighter Robocop, Starship Troopers never gets over its 180-degree swivel from teen-age love story to murderous destruction.
Insanely subversive...functions as a visually dazzling science-fiction action picture, a philosophical challenge, and a hilarious, incisive comedy. [Blu-Ray]
Now, because this is a Superbit release, you're trading in your usual cadre of bonus features for souped up audio and video. Every firefight is a new experience and the transfer is amazing.
Brilliantly violent film with super sharp effects and lots of Verhoeven trademarks all over haha the black satire is thick and fast with news reels all over the film showering you in a communist lifestyle that all must obey and join up to gain citizenship and basic freedom really. The uniforms of the federation are
very Nazi-like and the whole film is full of propaganda and devotion to the 'federation'.At the time the cast were unknown and that made it feel alot more realistic and not just a comic book conversion, they also fit their parts well and although alittle hammy they do a good job, right up till they each get splattered by a bug hahaThe look is great and quite savage, the warfare is brutal and actually abit tense, the gore is topps and classic Verhoeven (just like Robocop).A full bug riot all the way with almost non stop gun totting action and blood.
Starship Troopers is an ok movie, but it should have been an amazing movie. Parts of the plot were great, but ultimately the movie failed for me because of the cast. The cast is horrible. None of them were believable, especially Denise Richards and Casper Van Dien. I really wanted and tried to like the movie. I just
couldn't, but I can understand why a lot of people love this movie.
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