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Starship Troopers (Superbit Collection)

Starship Troopers (Superbit Collection)

List Price: $26.95
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Doesn't even deserve one star
Review: For those who have read the true "Starship Troopers" by the fantastic sci-fi novelist Robert Heinlein, this movie is an abomination of that name. The only thing in common is the character names, the rest is a crude insult to one of the best books, in my humble opinion, in the genre.

Mindless action, mindless acting and a bit of nudity is all what this movie has to offer, which is fine for the general public (The nudity, I'm sure, will please), but absolute horse-do for fans of the sci-fi genre, and fans for Heinlein.

To reiterate, the director of this movie must have hated Robert Heinlein, a *triple* Hugo award winner, as the movie retains nothing of the complex social arguments and explorations which were astounding and ground-breaking. Keep in mind this novel was written in 1959, before space travel, before computers were widespread and many of the other aspects of life we take for granted.

Watch this if you're in for mindless action and a bit of a laugh at the shallow acting, but definately DO NOT WATCH if you've read the book, as I found out the hard way.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Violence in a satire
Review: I won't go into detail about the premise or plot of the movie. You can read numerous other reviews on that. This is to address the movies satire and RH's literary outlook. First off, this movie is a satire and there is a lot of violence in the movie, yet that is the purpose and I believe it is notably achieved. It only takes one look at the movie to understand what is really going on, or maybe it may take a couple of looks for those who can't see beyond the violence and/or pretty teen faces. For anyone who has seen the documentary Hitler movies depicting the Nazi regime this movie is a testament to the craziness of facism. I was nearly rolling off my couch at the gung-ho teen warriors ready to fight and die for a cause that is ridiculous. The fight and the war are the only things that hold the society together. Facism desperately needs an enemy, hence the fight against the bugs. Peace and resolution are never an option. This is not that hard to see folks. I could write a 15 page paper on this movie and its obvious relation to society and Nazi Germany. This is what RH was trying to get across. Anyone who doesn't see that needs to read that book again.

For those of you who miss the high-tech space machinery used by the infantry then I suggest you get a grip. It's a movie dang it! You are not going to see every little detail.

Overall this is a good sci-fi flick even if you miss the parallels. I give it 4 stars because it is entertaining.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A thrill ride with jaw-dropping effects and battle scenes.
Review: Starship Troopers could honestly use a few more likeable characters and a more convincing lead, but otherwise, this is as thrilling as movies come, a lightning-paced, hilarious rollercoaster ride of bullets, explosions, gore, raucous humor, and gratuitous nudity. So yes, this is my kind of film, and I relished every minute of it.

Troopers is set sometime in the unnamed future, where South American society is apparently dominated by white, blandly attractive teens with Spanish last names, but look and sound distinctly American. The whole things plays like a big satire on fasicism, as these teens graduate from high school and sign up as citizens. Unlucky for them, signing up is almost a guaranteed death warrant, now that the humans have declared war on the Klendathu aliens from a distant star system, giant insectoid creatures that apparently feast on human flesh (once the soldiers get there, that is). Thus, the movie chronicles the adventures of one such platoon, led by Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), who's assisted by pals Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) and Ace Levy (Jake Busey). Massive chaos ensues.

A lot of people I know see this as a stupid movie. An equally large amount of other people I know see this as a brilliant satire. Both can nitpick or examine whatever stupidities or issues they want, I merely see this as a remarkable thrill ride. On a pure popcorn level, Starship Troopers is easily one of the best sci-fi action films of the 90's (perhaps behind only Jurassic Park and Star Trek: First Contact), so deft as it is at blending action and comedy.

Oh, yes, Starship Troopers is a very funny movie, for all the right reasons, too. The first hour is relatively sparse in action (actually, virtually none at all unless you count that over-the-top football game), but it's more than made up for by the first-rate humor. Definitely the standout segment must be the training camp scenes, which manages to outdo Full Metal Jacket when it comes to sheer brutality and certainly surpasses it in dark, morbid humor.

The first half also nicely plays the introduction of our lead characters, some of whom make an impression and a lot of whom don't. Casper Van Dien, the vapid, lantern-jawed actor that he is, is most certainly not a good actor, and while I could have gone with a more convincing lead, at least he does well during the action sequences. Denise Richards is equally vapid as one-half of his love interest. Faring far better is Dina Meyer, who's kick-... turn as Dizzy is a lot of fun. Too bad she exits the film too early. The adult cast is fun, too, especially Clancy Brown as the sadistic, yet caring Drill Sergeant Zim.

But Starship Troopers ultimately succeeds because of its action, and what magnificent action it is. The second hour is like strapping yourself into a rollercoaster. We're treated to harrowing, Zulu-style battle sequences in which our heroes are surrounded at all sides from ferocious, unstoppable enemies. The action is blistering, bloody, and appropriately over-the-top. It's from Paul Verhoeven, would you expect any different?

Starship Troopers succeeds because it's great fun, boosted by awesome special effects and a great score from Basil Poledouris. I'd sure love to see a sequel, but judging from the box office take, such an option may never see the light of day. Still, a must see for action fans.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Depends on how you look at it...
Review: Well, if you're looking for an actionpacked gung-ho special effects extraveganza, this is a movie for you. The effects are great and when it comes to action this kicks arse! I just hope you don't care for crummy acting, (I'm sorry but Casper is just silly I think)
BUT......
If you like the book, do NOT watch this movie! It is a horrible disgrace to it. The only thing kept basicly was the title, the character names and the bugs. Everything else is made up the director's head. Although I don't really care, the gore is very nasty, the dialogue is poor and it incorporates pointless nudity which wasn't needed at all.
BUT......
If you're like me and is just a StarCraft fan, you'll think this is cool because it's a lot like the Terran against the Zerg.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A movie by morons for morons
Review: Well Verhoeven has long since proven that he has a talent for making the most mindless gratuitously violent garbage anyone could ever wish to see. But what do you expect from a director who once famously stated: That he, and some of the reviewers here, try to defend this turkey on the basis that it is a work of satirical genius is laughable. I agree totally that Heinlein must be spinning in his grave, and that Verhoeven, if he ever bothered to read the novel at all, failed utterly to understand it's meaning.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: "Heinlein must be spinning in his grave"...
Review: ...as someone said to my wife before we went to see the film.

If you want a gory special effects bonanza, this might be a good film for you. If, on the other hand, you are like me and a fan of RAH's novel, DO NOT waste your time on this dog. Every bit of Heinlein's social commentary was stripped out and replaced by the director's spin on things. The coolest science fiction part of the novel, the powered armor that defined the Mobile Infantry, is gone, as is the combat drop technique Heinlein described. The characters in this film are ones you have no empathy with, most of the time you're just as happy when you see them killed off as you are to see them survive.

I will say that despite hating the movie for what it did to one of my favorite novels, I was very impressed by the some of the scenes, as for example the one where thousands of bugs are overrunning an outpost. However, 2 minutes of enjoyment out of an entire movie aren't enough to make it worth watching. Watch the trailer, it was the best part of the whole movie.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: So Bad, It's Funny!
Review: Okay, I'll admit it. This movie ... Just look at the character interactions: The main character cheats on his girlfriend, and we're supposed to cheer for him, but if his girlfirend cheated on him, we're supposed to boo her. Not only that, but he girl he cheated on his girlfriend with has a boyfriend of her own! And everybody's... OKAY with this?!? Add to that the bugs who shoot plasma out of their butts, the Giant Brain-Eating Brain, several other completely ludicrous bug types, and the fact that these completely separate species of bugs all seem to peacefully coexist with each other, and you would have one of the least logical and most poorly planned-out Sci-Fi movies ever... WOULD, that is, if not for the sneaking suspicion that it's just too bad to be real. There's just no possible way the movie could be this bad unless it was supposed to be that way. This is like a parody of all those horrible sci-fi b-movie cliches, except that it's not really that funny. Many parts of this movie are so humorously unreal, you can't pretend that this movie was ever trying to be serious. If you're looking for all that stuff about totalitarianism and propaganda or whatever the hell Heinlen's novel was about, then you'll be disappointed by the distict lack of it here. If you're looking for a good movie at all, well, you'll still be disappointed. However, if you're looking for something that makes fun of bad sci-fi movies (while unfortunately becoming one of them), this is the place to go. It's not really funny enough to be a comedy or parody, but it's still oddly entertaining.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This film has everything
Review: Knowing Paul Verhoeven's films are a little pervy but this is just plain brilliance. Sex, gore and whole lot more is what you get from this film. Now that doesn't sound like much but given Verhoeven's trademark cynical humour....it all adds up to be one great movie

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fascinating on several levels
Review: I have seen Starship Troopers as well as reading the book by Robert Heinlein, and unlike those who might tell you not to waste your money if you've already read the book, I would actually recommend that course of action. Why, you might ask? One reason I recommend this movie is because of what it did for me--it led me to buy the book. I had heard Heinlein's name mentioned in connection with other s/f series before, but until seeing Starship Troopers on VHS I had never felt any urge to actually sit down and read his works.

Another reason I recommend this movie is because I find it fascinating on several levels: 1) As a special effects-laden extravaganza; 2) As a satirical adaptation of a sci-fi master's work; and 3) As just an enjoyable, mindless fluff-fest. Somehow Paul Verhoeven managed to work all three elements into one movie, a nearly impossible task in the world of moviemaking, and he carries it off brilliantly. For those who have read the book and found themselves not liking the movie, I would definitely recommend watching it as a mindless fluff-fest. You'll enjoy it much better that way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my Favorite Movies EVER!
Review: I break the audiences into 2 divisions for this movie. Those that hate it and those who love it. I fall on the side that loves it. It has wonderful action and it is always nice to see the training the troops go through and all of the dialogue is nice. The special edition contains very little that is new from the old version, but I would still recommend having this version more. I wish that they would release like a "Criterion Collection" for this movie or something. The sound and picture is superb. I really cannot say too much about this movie, other than I love the film and the DVD comes with many extra features. Buy this! OH P.S. I want them to release a Starship Troopers 2 please!


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