Starship Troopers (1997)
Last Watch Date - November 7, 2023
Total Times Watched - SO many
Comments
If you've read the book, you're going to be in for a very confusing time. But if you like Paul Verhoeven movies, you kind of know what you're going to get. Lots of action. Lots of violence. A little bit of skin. And TONS of practical effects.
I'll start this by saying I did in fact read the book and enjoyed it, but this movie is so vastly different that it's not really worth reviewing either of them together. You have to view them as totally separate entities that are only superficially connected: some character names and locations, but that's about it.
This movie is so fun. The cast is so wacky, but it works. I don't know if anyone has ever said Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards are good actors - I REALLY doubt it - but it kind of works here anyway. Dina Meyer is amazing as usual and actually plays her character the best of anyone. Doogie Howser is fine, though his character arc makes him a bit out there. Clancy Brown is awesome as Zim. Michael Ironside is fantastic as Rasczak. Patrick Muldoon is.. technically in the movie.
The effects in this are awesome, too. They still hold up for the most part, though there are some computer generated things that look out of place nearly 30 years later. How is this movie so old?! The arachnids on the whole are so well done, though. They're gooey and crunchy and creepy as they should be. I think most of us can look at them and think of how horrifying it'd be if there were bugs that large. The brain sucking is probably the strangest effect, but it's still highly enjoyable.
I guess I should touch on the story. The love story between Johnny and Carmen flat out does not work. There's no chemistry between them and it all feels forced, even in the very beginning. It's made to be like high school sweethearts, but the wooden acting murders it. Johnny and Dizzy have good chemistry, mostly because Dina Meyer carries the movie whenever she's on screen. It's a more believable dynamic, though. They're on the same level and there's no awkwardness between them like Johnny and Carmen. We never really find out if Dizzy joined to follow Johnny, though it does seem that way.
Beyond that, it's a story of over-the-top nationalism and a satire of war. THE ONLY GOOD BUG IS A DEAD BUG! Sadly, this same type of thinking is currently going on in Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel. I've heard people say it glamorizes war or fetishizes it in some way, but I don't really see it that way. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
Recommended?
Hell yeah. It's one of my favorite movies.
