Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)

Returning some of the main characters from Paul Verhoeven's original (including Johnny Rico, Carl Jenkins and Carmen Ibanez), this animated entry in the Starship Troopers universe, certainly had the potential to put the series in a good light again. Be that as it may, I have to say I pressed the play button with a healthy degree of skepticism.

One of the first things you notice about the film is how elaborate it is in its visuals. Being a straight-to-DVD production, I was rather impressed by the superb animation quality. As expected though, it's sadly squandered on a weak and substance-devoid plot. It's so painfully thin, there's really not much I can say about the story, except that it felt like watching a 90-minute cinematic from a video game.

Rico, Ibanez and Jenkins, whom I loved in the original, have been devastatingly stripped of their personalities and reduced to mere one-dimensional stereotypes. Some of them are still there, but their appearances have been completely altered, which makes it even harder to establish any emotional connection. That is, if one can even speak of sentiment, with a movie of the kind.

In spite of the dominating superficiality, however, it is for the better part an entertaining ride. Bringing back the awesome music theme by Basil Poledouris (if only for a few moments), gave it a nice nostalgic touch, even if the film as a whole is pretty soulless. You won't care much for the outcome of its testosterone-driven grunts, but at least it manages to provide a servicable dose of badassery.

As mentioned earlier, the animations are exceptionally well-done and ultimately, what makes it a decent and enjoyable watch. Aficionados of the original may also be relieved by the fact that its far closer in spirit than the godforsaken "Marauder" (I haven't seen the second film, so I can't make any comment there).

Kind of like Aliens for dummies, with a mindless script, yet sufficiently exciting action. Just leave your brain at the door and you'll be able to have some fun with it.

And remember kids: "The only good bug is a dead bug!"