Rating: 
Summary: War in Space? Get a Clue!
Review: Those who think this movie was supposed to be a faithful interpretation of the book are fooling themselves. Similarly, anyone who thinks this movie is mostly about a future war in space against alien bugs is missing the point. For those who insist on missing the point I'll be blunt where Paul Verhoeven was subtle: This movie is about our inability to see through propaganda. Those who can't see that, even after having read the reviews explaining it, have already fallen right into Verhoeven's trap. They're the ones who are most likely to be drawn in by fascist or nationalist propaganda.It's a shame that Paul Verhoeven chose to be as subtle as he did in his direction of Starship Troopers. A few more pointers could have made it a bit clearer to those brought up on Star Wars that this is a philosophical movie, not a space opera. The few who do see the intention of the movie are drowned out by the voices of those who either completely misunderstand, or those neo-fascists who regard Heinlein as the Nietsche of Sci-Fi. Get with the program people: If there are good guys in this movie, it's more likely that they're the bugs. Some folks point to apparent plot flaws, such as the bug metorite that hits Buenos Aires. Don't you guys understand how propaganda works at all? Open your eyes people. The movie's Earth government is looking for any opportunity to go to all-out war and to feed the emotions that will perpetuate it. The point is that for the government, the destruction of Buenos Aires is irrelevant. The question is not 'how is it possible that a meteor could get through' - the question is 'why was the meteor allowed to get through'. This movie allows us to open our eyes to propaganda, but it doesn't force us to. We can ignore the message if we want and simply allow ourselves to be drawn into the fascist dreamworld in which the movie's protagonists live. For those with eyes to see, every second of this movie involves propaganda, and if you don't stay focused you'll miss it. The beauty and the danger of propaganda is that it feeds on a short attention span. I think the main problem is that for an American audience, the movie hits too close to home. America is one of the most propagandized societies in the world, so it's not surprising that an American audience would, by and large, fail to grasp the concept that propaganda IS INDEED propaganda, even when it is voiced by those we're told are 'the good guys'.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as Bad As the Reviews Say
Review: This movie wasn't as bad as the reviews said it was. The only problem was the violence.
Rating:
Summary: Prophesy
Review: When I watched this movie for the first time I didn't really understand it. It took me several days to get the main idea. It's not actually a movie about dark future or of how bad nazi ideas are. It's about American 'silent majority' - people who spend hours watching Beverly Hills, who like stupid action movies, never read a book in years. This movie is a very sarcastic parody on all blockbusters. An ordinary person finds all he needs here: action, sledgehammer moralizing, soap opera love, contempt for aliens. It's just pushed to the limit where you realize - *mentally* we are ready to become members of a nazi state. Everything you see blossoming in the movie is being born today. First, 'black and white' thinking: we are good, they are bad even if you don't know a thing about them. We must be confident and strong. Second, political correctness - I always believed that political correctness will be logically complete when we don't have separate bathrooms for men and women, wash together in a shower and regard sex as a fun thing between 'buddies'. Third, total lack of spirituality and human emotions - we don't need it. All our life is based on things like career, fun, sports. Love is something of the third priority - given a choice to have a career or to stay with a person you love, we always choose the first option. Blood, death, pain - there's nothing wrong to show it but disgusting scenes are censored. This is a movie that made me look at myself differently and made me think who am I. Did I degrade enough to become a good citizen of the future world state?
Rating:
Summary: Verhoeven's masterpiece?
Review: Practically the celluloid embodiment of the "love-it-or-hate-it" concept, for my money "Starship Troopers" is great fun; a nimble blend (and send-up) of '50s space opera sci-fi, '40s/'50s war movies and propaganda films, and '90s teen TV dramas like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Dawson's Creek." True, the movie bears only a vague resemblance to Heinlein's classic book, and those hoping for a faithful screen adaptation are going to be disappointed, no doubt about it. Taken on its own merits, though, "Starship Troopers" is thoroughly entertaining, with great special effects, a strong script, and plenty of eye candy for both sexes. And the sight of Neil Patrick Harris in a military uniform that's more than a little influenced by German uniforms of the Second World War (Obergrupenfuhrer Doogie Howser?) is just about worth the price of admission alone! Note for parents: It's probably not a great choice for young kids to see, with some fairly graphic violence and a couple of nude scenes. It's nothing most kids haven't seen by the time they're 14 or so, but you might want to think twice about letting your 8-year-old watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: Should Mankind survive......?
Review: In the clean future, with mankind having extended his reach across the galaxy, his only obstacle are the arachnids, a vicious insect race that seems to act mindlessly yet can travel through space by shooting spores like rockets. Lacking any technology, they can wipe out armies, bring down the mighty starships of the federation, and even lauch huge asteroids at man's most heavily populated worlds. Slowly but surely, the federation realizes that the bugs aren't a mindless infestation that will allow itself to be exterminated, but a calculating enemy that must be dealt with as equals. With their greater resources and lower regard for any life (inlcuding their own) the bugs take the upper hand, and the extermination that man can now envision is his very own. The great thing about "Star Ship Troopers" is that for Director Paul Verhoeven, the extinction of man is not the simple question posed in other sci-fi thrillers. With man's reach approximating an empire maintained by huge starfleets and armies, might rules. With Verhoeven's signature multimedia narrative clearly illuminating a society in love with its own power, we may even wonder whether the bugs are fighting in defense against an implacable enemy that simply had it coming. (You keep thinking you'll see that old guy from Robocop blare "I'll buy that for a dollar!") "Troopers" the film makes this point perhaps more forcefully than Heinlein's book. Whereas the novel was grim and knowing, the Johnny Rico of the novel doesn't become self-aware until fairly late, long after the bugs despatch his home town with asteroids. Unitl then, he (and the other charachters) blissfully go through the paces of military training with advancement, experience or ego foremost on their thoughts, but never the horrors of combat. The casualness of the charachters and the youth of much of the cast has led some to call this film, 90210 in space. Actually, Verhoeven's very adult not-quite-subtext prevents this. Besides the sex and violence, Verhoeven's emphasis on the stupid media, condescending talking heads and the dangers of propoganda limit the understanding of this film to a very mature few. Even the violence seems to deadening to be enjoyable, including one sequence in boot camp where Sergeant Zim proves why you still need knives in the phaser-age. Boot camp itself opens with an extended sequence in which nobody goes more than a few minutes without suffering some crunching, splitting or other kind of pain. Funny at first, it becomes horrifying. Even Catherine Tramell would have to look away, knowing that mankind's viciousness, outlasting the winders of the furture, was casting doubt on right to survive as a race.
Rating:
Summary: Sheer Brilliance!
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with Mike Gambit's comments (posted Jan 10th). I too am shocked at how many people just didn't "get it." When I saw the ads for this movie I vowed never to see it; it looked like pure drivel. At the suggestion of a friend's sister, however, I went to see it. Absolutely brilliant! A perfect hybrid of 1950's sci-fi and 1930's wartime propaganda. If you pay close attention you will see that the movie was presented, basically, as a 90 minute commercial to join the armed forces! This and so many other subtleties (and not-so-subtleties) lost on the average viewer.... The (negative) comments posted by so many reviewers on this list make it clear that this movie sailed over their heads. Too bad for them.
Rating: 
Summary: A dog of epic proportions
Review: That this movie even has the same title as the great book is in bad taste. Poorly acted with a screen play and dialogue which causes one to feel like a small furry animal stuck in a trap, ready to chew its own leg of in order to escape, this movies only redeeming quality is that they waited for Robert Heinlein to pass away before wasting the celluloid.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, but the DVD itself kills it
Review: Frankly, I love the Starship Troopers movie despite the fact that it does a pretty bad job of following the book. The movie is action-packed and the special fx are absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, the DVD version is one of the biggest annoyances I have ever come across in movie history. This 2-sided DVD concept is really starting to annoy me, especially with some of the thinking behind this one. Why use 2-sided discs to begin with, it is too easy to scratch up one side even if you take the best care of it, and then you have to flip the dang disc just to see any special features, a task that proves quite an annoyance. The only time that 2-sided discs are acceptable is if you have different screen sizes of the full disc on each side. I do not recommend this DVD, despite the movie being great, that is of course unless you do not mind flipping the disc or you just want to see the movie. I for one just watch the movies for the most part, but I do eventually get around to the features, so your viewing habits should definitely come into play before you make a buying decision.
Rating:
Summary: Heinleins Adaptation not faithful but Gooood
Review: Hienlein's Classic Adapted While I loved the movie; I wish that more of the characters survived. Look at Michael Ironside's character. If Verhoeven went so far as to change a male character into a female; Ironside's Roughneck persona should have made it into the sequel. The vulnerability of Rico and his torn relationship with his parents made him more human than most sci-fi movies. Hope someone makes a sequel with the armor suits Verhoeven couldn't afford!
Rating:
Summary: awful movie rendition of a great book
Review: it's hard to believe anybody (except maybe the actors) thinks this movie is anything but awful. it is in no way representative of the book. Heinlein's book is great. this movie bites. it really deserves zero stars. this movie sucks. while it is true that the treatment of women in the book was reflective of a mindset that is no longer in vogue, it was nonetheless accurate and gentlemanly at the time to treat women defferentially and to exclude them from any involvement in a fight (nevermind as participants in a war). no matter what hollywood thinks, it is permissible to portray that attitude in a science fiction movie, even today, and taking that aspect out of the script in making the movie has resulted in this trashy rendition of a masterpiece of fiction. also, the simple number of combatants shouldn't have been changed - in the book there are about 10,000 soldiers in the universe, and a few are used per planet to devestate an entire planet. in the movie they kill 10,000 in the first few minutes, it seems. and the weaponry showed a complete lack of imagination, unlike the book. pure crap of a movie. a festering garbage heap of acting, as well (with minor, not noteworthy exceptions). don't waste your money. get Predator or Bladerunner, instead.
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