Rating: 
Summary: I'm amazed that so many people miss the point !
Review: I'm amazed that so many people can blindly miss the subtleties of this movie. While it works as a brainless, enjoyable gung-ho piece of sci-fi cum war hokum it's also quite a clever piece of satire, taking a pot-shot squarely aimed at the kind of control that governments, regardless of ideology, exert over their populace. While the spoofed propaganda TV commercials most obviously display the parody in this movie, one can also see it littered throughout the movie. The director has chosen to ape Nazism as it's an extreme view of what can happen when a government has a strong grip on its people, because of his childhood experience being under Nazism and because by cloaking the heroes of the movie in Nazism he shows a self-mocking sense of ironic humor.Like... Johnny Rico being a blonde, blue-eyed Aryan. While Van Dien's abilities as an actor are frequently ridiculed at there's no doubt that he is perfect for this movie's take on the character. He *looks* like an actor straight from WWII German and Soviet propaganda films and indeed that is exactly what he's supposed to appear like. Ok let's clear up some other points:- BAD ACTING:- It's not bad acting. Bad acting implies that the actor does not bring fully to life the character he/she is playing or overplays the part ect ect. The characters in ST are supposed to be parodies, tongue-in-check cardboard cutouts. Given that all the actors in ST play their roles pretty well. That they are all very pretty (especially Dina Meyer) is the intention. Like any good propaganda it shows people whom we'd like to be or be with trying to become citizens and succeeding, whilst following the 'state line'. The love triangle is thrown in there for entertainment value and it works in a cheesy way. DIALOGUE:- I fail to see how intelligent people can so miss the point of the dialogue. It's cheesy because it's parody, because it apes political propaganda and laughs at it. The dialogue is perfectly suited to the mood of the film as a whole. There are very few wasted lines in this movie and I won't waste *my* time trying to point them out to you if you didn't 'get' them. STUPID PLOT:- Guess what? Yep here comes the parody bit again. People point out that the military tactics in this movie are laughable and they are perfectly correct. But... Don't you think the military tactics are just too stupid to be there as a result of incompetence or sloppiness on the part of Verhoeven - I mean it doesn't take a budding Guderian, Napoleon or a Sun Tze to know that just using machine guns when you have orbital nukes, cluster bombs, mines, armor ect is just plain stupid. But the whole point of the film is self-parody at governments, who see the people as their tool, to be manipulated and scarified for the 'greater good' of the nation, or in this case the species. LACK OF RESPECT FOR ROBERT HEINLEIN'S BOOK:- I feel many distracters of the film simply do so because they expected a faithful recreation of the book. While that's disappointing for you try and see the film for its merits. It really only borrows from Heinlien's book in superficial terms; to set the scene, the basic plot and basic outlines of the characters. Surely you can see that it never was an attempt to seriously follow the book. Instead Verhoeven chose to follow his own path and make his own movie. Try and see it for that... Anyway to sum up; the movie is loud, entertaining, gory, packed full of good looking leads and sci-fi fx, but also very subtle and clever. People who dismiss this movie out of hand as mindless nonsense completely miss the point. Godzilla is mindless nonsense. Independence Day is mindless nonsense. Starship Troopers instead is a very well-made, clever movie, which has a tongue-in-cheek gibe at the way governments can and will manipulate their populace for the 'good of the state'. I wonder whether any American hollywood director would have had the balls to make it this way.
Rating: 
Summary: Once a fan
Review: I've lost faith in director Paul Vorhoeven. Not only was his last flick a complete disappointment (Hollow Man) but the commentary he makes through the supplementary audio track on this DVD is rather tepid...if even that. It is clear that Mr. Vorhoeven has focused on what this film is technically rather than what could be used as a means to explain what his directorial thoughts behind the film were. It is, instead, left to Mr. Neumier to unpack and explain the film's underlying themes of facism and social commentary (which HE does very eloquently I might ad). Don't get me wrong, I still like this movie very much and am not at all dissapointed in my purchase. However, I feel that Mr. Vorhoeven's emphasis on what shots are digital and what is live and what other family member of his is involved seems a far cry from the insight given by Mr. Neumier.
Rating:
Summary: Some stories are timeless.
Review: The hero is in love with the popular girl at school. The popular girl is in love with some other hunk. The tomboy is in love with the hero. The hero wouldn't realize that the tomboy is a babe if she stripped naked and jumped on him. The popular girl breaks the hero's heart. I'm talking about Starship Troopers, but I could just as easily be discussing about Teen Wolf, Better Off Dead or She's All That. The Love Square. Just in case a triangle isn't challenging enough. There's a hapless school boy who no one really expects to amount to anything. He doesn't know what he wants out of life, but he knows there has to be something more. He joins an elite group of soldiers and through a series of misadventures he saves the world and becomes the hero of he silver screen. I'm talking about Starship Troopers, but I could just as easily discussing Star Wars, Stripes or the Matrix. Join the Armed forces, we'll make a man of you or you'll die trying. There's a word for this sort of thing. The word is cliché. But there's nothing wrong with that. Plots become cliché because they are used over and over again. Plots are used over and again because people like them. There's nothing new in Starship Troopers, but it does a wonderful job of rehashing old plots in a new story. Frankly, the first twenty minutes or so are really boring, but once the story gets rolling, its a lot of fun. The disc itself is a poster child for special features. Its presented only in Widescreen format, because the true videophile doesn't care about Pan & Scan anyway, and it has tons of extra footage. The problem is, all of the special features (except for the Filmmaker's Commentary) are on the second side of the disk. This isn't a major problem, since its easy enough to flip the disc over, but it means you have to get up and flip the disc over to see the outtakes, instead of being able to just flip to them after the film is over. I like to think that the studio is just trying to keep me from being lazy.
Rating: 
Summary: A sad movie
Review: This movie is not a glorification of fascism or brutality, although it often invokes people to think so. It is a call against both and shows how tight the line is between patriotism and fascism. Perhaps some of those criticizing it so harshly should compare its storyline to the not-so-long-ago McCarthy era: the bad are always on the other side, they eat children and we are the best and the brightest, what we do is only for a good cause. Take a look.
Rating:
Summary: Bug, Blood and Glory.
Review: I loved this movie, but I hated the first five minutes. If you find yourself watching Starship Troopers, give it at least that much time, before you make any decision about it. In Starship Trooper, the human race is fighting for survival against a horrible collection of bugs. These bugs, alien creatures, fight hard and are vicious. Some can fly, others breath fire, but all of them are intent on wiping us out. Viewed only on this level, Starship Trooper is an excellent war movie with good graphics and lovable heros and deployable villians. (Ugg. They are bugs for heaven sake!) But, Starship Troopers is much more then a war movie. It is a civics lession. In Starship Troopers the director did an outstanding job discussing such diverse issues as both the horrors and necessity of war, governmental proganda and dedication to one's country. We see military cruelity and we also see why it may be necessary. I especially love the comparision between the struggles of a grunt solider and a starship crew. Both think they are suffering, but the film is clear on who has the better job. On this level, the film is intense. This film will make you think, even if you don't want to. It is a classic on every level, you shouldn't miss it, if you like science fiction at all.
Rating:
Summary: A must see movie!!
Review: The graphics are great and the movie is thrilling. Yes, this movie is nothing like the novel. The novel focuses more on boot camp, while the movie focuses more on the battles. The movie shows one man's struggle to make the right choices. Some scenes, I feel, could have been toned down or cut out. It, also, is in the future when almost everything, but clothing, has changed and you earn your citizenship by joining the military. Some scenes can get graphic or depressing, so if you are squeemish or get depressed easily, you might want to be cautious about these scenes. Overall, I liked the movie, and if you decide to buy or rent it, I hope you enjoy it too.
Rating:
Summary: KICK ASS MOVIE !
Review: BLOOD,GORE,GUNS,EXPLOSIVES,SCIENCE TEST OF BUGS.IT'S THE FUTURE IN THIS MOVIE IT SEEMS COOL BUT NOT THE WHOLE FIGHTING BUGS PART.BUY THIS MOVIE IT'S GREAT NO OTHER MOVIE IS LIKE THIS.
Rating:
Summary: The most misunderstood movie of the century
Review: I've read more reviews than I can count that criticize Starship Troopers for being goofy and pointless. They say that the characters look like they've come straight from Teen magazine, the whole thing reeks of cheese, and the love story is overly sappy. This is all true. However, it is also the REASON that this movie is so appealing (at least to me)! ST is not only a satire of the military, it is a satire of the sci-fi genre as a whole! It is a satire taken to the extremest of extremes, and although it's gory and violent, it is all done in such a lighthearted manner that it's almost impossible to be offended by it. So yes, it is a cheesy movie. But it never claims to be serious! It must take an incredibly stupid person not to realize that the whole thing is meant to be a silly, fun roller-coaster ride. Get the point, people!
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Sci-Fi Movie Ever Made
Review: This movie offers nothing to the true Sci-Fi fan. Special effects are nice yes, but we've seen plenty of computer generated monsters running around recently. It is the worst Sci-Fi film ever made because the great special effects technology, huge budget, and excellent story (I'm referring to Heinlein's orginal, not the screen play) fell so far short of what it should have been. In 10 years it will make excellent MST 3K fodder.
Rating:
Summary: Good solid Sci-Fi
Review: This is a movie that is based on an old story, done with up-to-date F/X that makes it lots of fun. Ok, it is aimed at pubesent boys, and the shower scene could have been cut, and it's not totally faithful to the book... But I liked it enough to buy a copy, my ultimate honor for movies.
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