10 Ways Successful Movies Had Their Reputations Ruined

One of the greatest science fiction novels ever written is arguably Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. It's on most military commanders' required reading lists, and it was one of those movies fans had to wait a long time to see. The book was published in 1959, while the movie wasn't released until 1997.

When it finally came out, fans of the book rushed to theaters to see it, and their collective response was largely negative. It quickly picked up a terrible reputation upon its release, and the main complaint many people had with the movie was that it was almost entirely different from the book.

If you've read the source material, you know this, but this is one of those situations where anyone who loved sci-fi and hadn't read the book tended to enjoy the movie. Essentially, If you read the book before seeing it, you were going to hate it, but if you read it afterwards, you probably enjoyed them both.

Starship Troopers continues to carry this bad reputation for ignoring the novel, though it has earned a more positive general reception in the 20+ years following its release. The basic premise concerning politics, the role of the military, and the overall satire make it a lasting cult classic.