Writer Ed Neumier and director Paul Verhoeven took Robert Heinlein's pro-war pro-facism sci-fi potboiler and turned it into an anti-war anti-facism satire on modern American foreign policy. Then they got accused of being Nazis by people who didn't get the joke.
This is one of my favourite movies. It's a fully-functional action-packed war movie that satirically subverts the form. For $100 million you usually get a ton of action and FX, but you don't usually get brains and this movie has brains everywhere... in the script, splattered all over the walls, and memorably sucked right out of people's heads.
Structured as a propaganda movie, and consciously borrowing from both Nazi movies like Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will and Amerikan shorts like the Why We Fight series, SS Troopers (as it was waggishly advertised in my home town) now looks to my eyes like a parody of Fox News.
I know people who hate this movie, saying that the gung-ho attitude overwhelms the satire. But like Fight Club, this is a movie which rewards multiple viewings. There are many layers here, and as usual for Verhoeven there is a lot of subtlety to go with the bombast.
I rate it as essential re-watching for right now, because it describes what's actually going on in the global political arena.
For my money this is Verhoeven's best English-language movie. He made better movies in the Netherlands (Turkish Delight and Soldier of Orange in particular) but even the glories of Robocop don't live up to this. I've got to give it the full 10/10.
Hm, maybe I should do a career retrospective on Verhoeven now that I have all of his movies on DVD. (Hope someone releases an English-friendly version of Floris, the tv series he did with Rutger Hauer in the late '60s.) This blog's got to be used for SOMETHING now I can't waste work-time with it...
Posted by pearce at October 9, 2006 9:01 PMI shall re-watch Starship Troopers. I shall go with mind open and give it an honest and fair chance to woo me.
Your role in this is giving me the DVD.
Posted by: morgue at October 9, 2006 10:51 PMI <3 SS Troopers. Always have, always will.
Posted by: dritchie at October 10, 2006 11:33 AMEarth sooo dropped the rock on themselves to start the war.
Posted by: hix at October 10, 2006 1:31 PMRich and I saw that and were the only ones in the theatre laughing, attracting some weird looks.
One News reminds me of Troopers, in that they have a "Want to know more" graphic advertising their website during news items.
*hearts* Starship Troopers.
I especially love the bit which shows school kids meeting Mobile Infantry and playing with the guns and bullets. And the cockroach stomping. "I'm doing my part!"
Posted by: Jenni at October 11, 2006 10:26 AMalways loved Doogie Howser in his Gestapo outfit, and the ridiculous way they throw nukes around. And Denise Richards as the smiling face of fascism. ..."I'm from Buenos Aires and I say kill em all!"
Posted by: Ben at October 11, 2006 11:19 AMGreat film - originally thought it was going to miss the point of the book but they did brilliantly in making it topical, fun and most of all a little bit chilling :-)
Having said that the sequel was a steaming pile of dog turd :-)
Posted by: Scott C at October 11, 2006 2:11 PM"Would you like to know more?"
Excellent film. And I have nothing to add to your splendid review. You're spot on, as usual.
On Verhoeven; he's gone back to his Dutch roots and made a new Dutch film, called 'Zwartboek' (which, I suppose, would be 'Blackbook', in English (IMDb doesn't give a translation)) - it's already won awards at Dutch festivals. I haven't seen it, though. Have you?
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