Film Review : STARSHIP TROOPERS * * *

STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)

CAST Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, Patrick Muldoon, Neil Patrick Harris

DIRECTOR Paul Verhoeven

Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers is a gutsy piece of movie making. Left wide open for ridicule and disgrace, this movie is a delight to watch.

The film takes place in the future. Earth is heavily populated. The military forces have been combined to make The Federation. All members are considered to be citizens. All non members are civilians. Citizens are looked at with more honor and respect than a civilian. One of the reasons why is because of an on going war with a hostile planet on the other side of our galaxy. The planet, Klendathu, is overrun by a population of several types of giant bugs, closely resembling arachnids of some sort. Johnny Rico wants to finish school and join the citizens in the battle against the bugs. He has friends like Dizzy (Meyer), Carl (Harris), and Carmen (Richards), who tag along for the fight. The war gets more interesting when we find out there is a bgrain bug behind the combat schemes of the bugs.

This film has major special effects and major gore. There is a dark humour threaded throughout the dialogue. Good performances by the cast, especially Dien as the gifted Rico, and Michael Ironside as a hard nosed Lieutinent named Rasczak.
Nothing award winning about this movie. But, then again the film makers probably did not intend it to be. What you see is what you get. Paul Verhoeven is known for Science Fiction films. He's responsible for such films as Total Recall, Robocop, and Hollow Man. Here I find to be his most entertaining movie. Why? Because he really isn't trying to be too serious with the material. Its just a good action sci-fi movie with great special effects, with a screenplay that is just workable enough to make this a good film.