Rating: Summary: What a pity..... Review: Okay...remember this..'Hey Sir , how come we need a knife in a nuke fight...sir?' 'Put you hand on that walll'...thunk kinfe in hand, screams 'the enemy cannot press the button if you disable his hand...MEDIC!!!' remeber...the hard nosed instructor from ST. Well unfortunately thats all a distant memory. So why do i start with that...well i am trying to remind you what an opportnity they had in ST2 and ...oh dear..what a mess they have made of it well, we all know the first one had its problems but at least the special effects were good (actually they still hold up) but what a pity about ST2. Personally i thought the concept was good and they had a good baseline for a story. the bugs changing their plan of attack and in some ways this followed in the thread of the previous film. now the bad news. the acting is weak. Personally i thought it was cringing in some places. The special effects alternated between okay and terrible and as one reviewer here has already noted the dvd quality was poor overall. I realise it was a sandstorm but as i watched this on a projector you see a lot of poor quality dvd pressing issues. it needs a clean up IMHO. SO how can i give you an example of what i mean....here is some : I love ST and i love the morita rifle. Sure it a poor copy of the Pulse rifle from aliens but it looked dramatic. As i build these things now, i can assure you the weapons in ST2 used simple led bulbs for gun flashes...Im sorry but that doesnt cut it as dramatic enough for the movie in which you are trying to blow apart a bug. WHy do i pick this issue? Well it proves the budget wasnt there and that should give you an idea about the whole movie. Compared to the new Battlestar Galactica and what they did it does not hold up. Even the 'do you want to know more?' used extensively in ST feels like it was welded on the movie because the director had to and wasnt welded very well. I know these are two poor examples but it will give you a feel for the overall movie. Finally, the statutory nude blonde was thrown in. Dont get me wrong, who can have a problem with that..but again it didnt appear to be there for any purpose other then 'lets throw a nude blonde in there'. This movie should have been held off until they had the cash. The review by amazon is spot on. it is weak, in fact it is so weak.. it could be called Mr weak from Weak Street, County Weak. What a pity....My recommend is rent if you are really stuck...and i mean really stuck..
Rating: Summary: Almost wish I could give zero stars Review: I am a fan of science fiction movies, and will watch even really lame ones with some enjoyment. However, I almost didn't make it all the way through this movie. The acting was decent and I wasn't bothered by the not-so-great special effects, but the story was just awful. It was basically Alien without the suspense and with much more gore. I don't have a weak stomach, but after a while it seemed that the close-ups of gore got a bit sadistic. On the other hand, close-ups of actors faces occasionally had the pixilated look of cheap video, which was distracting. Even if you loved the first movie, don't bother with this one.
Rating: Summary: Yuk Review: This movie was so bad I can't belive I actually watched the entire thing. The first one was ok but this one... jeez. Thankfully, they didn't credit Robert Heinlein or he would be turning over in his grave. There is absolutely no reason to watch this movie. None. Nada. I am going to go have a drink and try to forget it. Ugghhhh.....
Rating: Summary: Better than I thought Review: Starship troopers was an amazing film, beyond the great special effects there was a very good script, so when I knew about this sequel I couldn't believe it, cos it was unnecesary. But after watch it I have to admit it's better than I imagine a year ago, even when the budget is very low, the special effects are good, and even the story have some little but good surprises, in many ways it could be better but at least is far beyond good than the animated show.
Rating: Summary: Adequate for its type Review: First -- I didn't see the original movie. I'm not a fan of action movies, or horror movies, or war movies, and this was a combination of all three. I tuned in only to see Richard Burgi, who starred in UPN's "The Sentinel".
Given that, I thought the movie worked well. Yes, the tone and visual aspects were dark but, in effect, that highlighted the horror/futility of this war, fighting a difficult -- perhaps impossible -- enemy. The bugs' escalation of abilities and the potential for secretly infesting the Federation is a suitably horrific idea, worthy of Dax's all-out final effort to prevent it. Some of the bug scenes were -- as mentioned -- quite gross, but perhaps necessary. It becomes a visceral recognition for the audience of how dangerous/pervasive this enemy is. Although I found the movie merely adequate, I thought Richard Burgi turned in a 5-star performance. His depiction of a cynical, embittered, war-weary, but ultimately pragmatic combat veteran was right on target. This was a heroic non-hero who had "issues" with the military, but kept doing his duty because it was necessary, and because it *was* his duty, a man who cut through all the military nonsense to lay bare the ugly, underlying realities of life -- and death -- in the Federation's war against the Bugs, with a biting dark humor that was very effective. This was a man who upheld his own gut-level codes of honor, while ignoring the false sense of "honor" that the Federation tried to impose. His matter-of-fact observations about the roles of officers and 'troopers' were delivered with a solid, almost frightening, down-to-earth realism -- I could believe this man, and everything he said. In short, Mr. Burgi's portrayal of Captain Dax was masterful. Trying not to give away the ending -- Dax would have been highly irate, I'm sure, at the use the Federation made of his name. The ending demonstrated vividly that, while there may be honor in individuals, there is very little honor in the higher echelons of these particular "Powers that Be". One is left to wonder if, ultimately, all efforts toward honor are doomed to failure, and a bleak realization that, perhaps, the individual counts for nothing. In short, while not really a pleasant movie, it was effective. And, if you're a fan of Richard Burgi, Starship Troopers 2 is well worth seeing as he demonstrates his excellent talent as an actor.
Rating: Summary: I Actually Pulled For The Bugs In This Snoozer Review: Let me start by saying that I don't like giving bad reviews, but I'll make an exception for this clunker. "Starship Troopers 2-Hero of the Federation" is one of the most boring films I've ever watched. First of all, it attempts to imitate the original flick with its slick advertisements for the Federation. They were fun in the first film, and scattered apart just enough to keep you interested. In this sequel, you get one at the beginning and one at the end, and neither is fun to watch. The entire film is dark, and it's really hard to watch a movie when you're squinting eighty-five percent of the time. Fortunately, the darkness helps hide many of the shortcomings special effects-wise. The new little bugs are fake looking and don't match up to any of the bugs in the first flick. It's sort of like "Tremors" in that the original creatures are so good that it's hard to top them, no matter how outrageous the new creatures become. The poorly-lit sets might hide the subpar FX, but nothing can hide the agonizingly slow pace of the film. It's just downright boring. The acting is what you'd expect from a cast chock full of relative newcomers. Richard Burgi does an excellent job as Dax, but he isn't enough. He and Ed Lauter were the only characters that I really liked. Lauter is good as the the stereotypical, pain-in-the-rear, gung-ho general. His character is similar to Michael Ironsides' character in the first flick, but with a little more R. Lee Armey thrown in. Other than those two guys, however, no one else gave any memorable performances. I was also disappointed that this flick was directed by Phil Tippett, who is one of the best FX guys who ever walked this earth. You'd think that for a directorial debut, he'd have picked something with a little more splash to it. The language and violence is consistent with the original movie, so don't let your little ones watch this. There's also some nudity involving one character, but nothing compared to the shower room scene from the first film. Overall, it definitely deserved its "R" rating. In closing, only buy this if you are a hardcore "Starship Troopers" fan. Other than that, you'll be wasting your money. I've seen better movies produced by the SciFi channel.
Rating: Summary: Not so bad Review: I really Loved Captain Dax and the ponytail girl as she is called...LOL...but I also liked the Peck character. I loved the first one...true this is not as good as the first one and there could have been more screen time for the bugs but I really enjoyed it. I love Richard Burgi who did a wonderful job as Dax. I even pre-ordered it so I hope alot of you give it a chance. It was a fun ride.
Rating: Summary: Creature Double Feature material Review: I didn't expect much from ST2 given the significantly smaller budget and inexperience of the director. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, although much of the movie remained cartoonish, Richard Burgi managed to give a multi-faceted and interesting performance as Dax. The temptation to get a little operatic with the part must have been overwhelming, but Richard Burgi managed to create a convincingly disillusioned character who still cared about his charges, humanity and his duty. Now, I'm only human - I have to admit that the scene where Richard Burgi is shaving shirtless got quite a bit of replay. Once I was able to tear my eyes from that terrific chest and arms, though, I enjoyed the way that he subtly flirted with NekkidBugGirl before ordering her to drop and give him 100 (pushups). Again, the scene could have been played for broad comedy but RB's performance gave it an extra dimension. Yes, the bug effects were lame. Yes, the budget was spent on grossout effects. Yes, the crappy sets were hidden by shooting the entire thing in the dark. Yes, the acting varied from wooden to stiff for the most part. But let's be honest - some of the most fun sci fi/horror movies can be described this way. It's not going to win any awards, but ST2 is a modestly entertaining movie that's worth watching if only for Richard Burgi's performance.
Rating: Summary: So-so movie, entertaining Burgi performance (spoilers ahead) Review: I watched this movie because I am a Richard Burgi fan, not a fan of horror movies. This is definitely, to me, a horror movie more than an action movie. I say that because I think the horror fans will be happy. There is lots of blood and guts, gore and violence. I didn't expect anything else, so I wasn't "disappointed". It was quite icky, which is a good thing for these types of movies! It was exactly what I expected. I think Richard Burgi's performance was great. He was a rough and tough soldier with a soft spot for the younger troops. He got himself in trouble for not wanting the kids killed needlessly, since most of the troops consisted of younger people. I think his acting was what kept the movie going, since most of the other actors left something to be desired. I did like the one gal (no, not the naked one!), but otherwise, if Burgi wasn't in the movie, I wouldn't be buying the DVD. I also didn't care for the fact that a good 3/4 of the movie was shot in the dark. It didn't scare me to hear things scuttling around. It found it boring and kept wandering away when the "action" was on the bugs. Yeah, they were mean and nasty and I wouldn't want to meet one in a dark alley, but otherwise, I didn't much care if they ate (almost) the entire cast. So, all you Richard Burgi fans, it's worth the price of the DVD for all the great close-ups and some good lines. Otherwise, it's not my type of movie.
Rating: Summary: Dax stole the show Review: This movie reminds me so much of all the Saturdays I spent (probably before most of the reviewers were even born) at matinees of Sci-Fi/horror movies - and for the budget they had they've done a fairly good job. That said, there are dead giveaways as to who are the "bad guys" that seem to be taken straight from other movies - the sugar fix and the cracking neck. Richard Burgi in his characterization of Capt. Dax steals the show, and as planned, I'm sure, by the writer and director carries forth the anti-war message to perfection. Not a great, super-budget Sci-Fi extravaganza, but definitely effective in getting it's point across.
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