10 Movies Smarter Than Anyone Wants To Admit
4. Starship Troopers
Paul Verhoeven is one of the most talented filmmakers working right now, without a doubt. Though he hasn't made all that many films in english, the ones he has made have stood the test of time.
But one that's always divided people in opinion is Starship Troopers. Easily one of the most misunderstood films ever put on screen. The film was decried, much like the book it was based on, as a glorification of fascist ideologies. Ignoring, of course, the obvious (and very intentional) parallels this film has with other propaganda films.
Starship Troopers feels like a film that would be made in the Starship Troopers universe as a propaganda film to get people to join its fascist military. Once you realize that, everything about it starts to click together. The hokey acting, the one note characters, the near constant advertisement, the lingering shots of the costly effects of the warmongering being handwaved by the film, it all comes together.
Starship Troopers isn't the best film ever made, but it's a lot more brilliant than people give it credit for.