10 Movies Released At The Wrong Time
6. Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers was massively ahead of its time. It took Robert A. Heinlein’s right wing, pro war novel and turned it into a satirical take down of war itself. For 1998 audiences though, that wasn’t a message which resonated, and it made a paltry $15 million gross profit.
The movie took a lot of visual cues from military propaganda, yet kitted its Americanised heroes out in Nazi regalia. Audiences at the time, not used to movies so ostensibly silly having a serious point to make, couldn’t decide if Starship Troopers was celebrating fascism or mocking it.
On the DVD commentary, director Paul Verhoeven clarified that the simple message was ‘war makes fascists of us all’. However, modern day audiences likely wouldn’t have needed this clarified.
Verhoeven has spoken of the Korean War’s influence on the movie, and how he feels fascism is the next natural step for the USA. 1998 audiences didn’t seem to get it. Post-Iraq War and Cheney’s Military Industrial Complex though? They’d lap it up.
Or how about Barack Obama’s penchant for drone strikes? Or Trump’s... well, everything, but let’s go with his ‘very fine people on both sides’ remark for starters. Starship Troopers would do much better these days.