When Paul Verhoeven directs a science fiction film about a species of insectoid creatures waging an all-out war against mankind it is assured that the adjectives 'epic' and 'weird' are going to be in the mix. 1997s Starship Troopers is a satirical exploration of the mixture of militarism and nationalism set within a self-aware and over-the-top action movie. Drawn from the classic novel by Robert A. Heinlein, the film tells the story of a young soldier named Johnny Rico and his high school friends. Together, they join the military to do their part against the Arachnids (the Bugs) that Earths interstellar colonisation program has angered. As the Bug War rages, Johnny rises through the ranks as colleagues and officers die gruesome practical-effect deaths. The military captures a powerful Brain Bug and they will use their psychic division to pick its mind and find some way to defeat the hive-minded horde. The film ends with the battle won but the war still raging. Verhoeven is not afraid to shock and there are plenty of bloody gashes, cleaved torsos and pierced or severed skulls. Verhoeven takes the commentary on fascism and propaganda from the book and heightens it to hyper-stylised intensity levels. Epic and off-center, Starship Troopers is a romp with a vision and a kinetic style that straddles too much and not enough.
David Wagner is an author/musician who splits his time between Oakland, CA and Istanbul, Turkey.
David has published two novels, both available on his website, and as a fan of movies, comics, and genre television, he is happy to be working with WhatCulture as a regular contributor.
