Starship Troopers (1997) Retrospective/Review - Paul Verhoeven Sci-Fi Masterpiece Trilogy, Part 3

[@RowanJColeman]

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO ALIENS EXPANDED: www.aliens-expanded.com?aff=37 From the makers of In Search of Darkness and In Search of Tomorrow comes Aliens Expanded! On this channel I'm a big fan of not just discussing movies, but also examining every facet of the making of movies. Aliens Expanded promises to go over James Cameron's Aliens with a fine tooth comb to uncover all the secrets which made the film such a success at the time and such an enduring classic to this day! Clikc the link to donate and help out this channel at the same time by donating to Aliens Expanded'd crowdfunding campaign!

[@robertwebb5648]

It really is to Verhoeven's credit that despite his lack of understanding and even outright contempt for the book, he still managed to make a great, fun, and even thought-provoking film. Most Starship trooper fans that I know of enjoy both versions despite the fact that the film was made basically to spite it's own source material. Really liking these retrospectives you've been doing lately. I don't suppose you'd be interested in expanding beyond sci-fi for this format?

[@AzureIV]

This was great. I also loved your The Last Starfighter review. I'm hoping you do one about Robot Jox.

[@pauljablonski5746]

the critics were aware of the satire. they would much prefer the ideas be censored than satirized

[@scottstreet5796]

@@AzureIV Joe Haldeman (The Forever War) got a paycheck out of RJ for an option on the source material. But I would strongly caution you not to ask him to autograph the DVD...

[@therubicon]

I'm doing my part! Service guarantees citizenship Rowan!

[@duswil3934]

1997. The Fifth Element, Contact, Gattaca, Event Horizon, MIB, and several others. What a great year.

[@nutbastard]

I feel really fortunate that 1997 was when I was in 7th grade. Still young enough for whimsy, but old enough to appreciate all the scifi that year had to offer, as well as being in 9th grade when The Matrix came out. Good timing, universe.

[@LookHereMars]

Fifth Element is a classic.

[@duswil3934]

@@nutbastard I was in 7th grade then too. Snuck into starship troopers and event horizon. Such a good year.

[@BigClaunch]

Epic decade

[@powerbad696]

I saw 5th Element in theatres,thought it was STRANGE & boring,didn't like Chris Tucker in a dress,screaming like a female. LOL.MIB was boring for me,didn't like it.Then there's Event Horizon !!! LOL.What a FREAK-SHOW,it wasn't what I expected,at all !!! kinda freaked me out when I first saw it.

[@Kujakuseki01]

The arachnid designs are just phenomenal. They’re as landmark as as the Xenomorph imo.

[@ddc2957]

The whole movie is like a more kid-friendly version of Aliens.

[@jeyfomson6364]

You have phil tippet to thank for that.

[@xipetotek8366]

​@ddc2957 there's violent and gorey deaths and nudity. I'd say aliens is more kid friendly...

[@SimpMcSimpy]

Special effects using in Starship Troopers are insane. Remember watching this as kid in 90s my was blown away. I miss this movie era when they used hybrid approach in special effects. Mix of practical and computer effects produce the best image. Rowan, great retrospective, as always!!! You are incredibly talented YT creator.

[@aldunlop4622]

I can actually remember walking out of the movie theatre and I thought, “wow there nothing they can’t do with CGI now. It was absolutely incredible at the time.

[@TheLucasdms]

@@aldunlop4622 cuts to twerking She Hulk

[@andromidius]

As far as I remember there's literally only one special effect that stands out as 'not looking right' - the shuttle landing during the rescue from the outpost. And even then its not bad, it just isn't as polished as the rest of it. The special effects in the movie are overall outstanding even to modern standards.

[@TheSektor13]

Most effect are better than most of the modern movies. Only blue bug plasma is showing some age.

[@mattberg6816]

@@TheLucasdms I can’t believe how bad the cgi is in that show

[@theroadhomefromwrestling1788]

Jake Busey playing that space violin makes me laugh every time.

[@dannymaurice5543]

Favourite scene in the entire movie

[@makingastardestroyer3066]

And he playing the confederate anthem

[@edwardpate6128]

What about the dude that played the violin during the Save Detroit Telethon in Robocop 2? LOL

[@winglessmecha]

"Thank You, Lieutenant!!!" Is my favorite line from Jake

[@xlyg343]

He was great in The Frighteners and Contact as well. P.S; space violin.

[@AndrewD8Red]

I will never cease to be amazed by the quality, depth and detail in these Retrospective analysis videos. Bravo once again RJC.

[@Disl3cic]

Gulp.

[@alexxx4434]

Indeed

[@AshPrimeDCFC]

I can't get enough of videos about this absolute gem of a film. Severely underrated and holds up so well 25 years on.

[@zoraster3749]

“Remember your training! And you will make it back alive!” I still say this line regularly to this day 😂. Dropping kids off at the first day of school… before the kids get on the field for their soccer game… someone running to the store… getting on a roller coaster Endless applications 😂😂😂

[@jbecn24]

Mine are: "Would you like to know more?" "More meat for the grinder!" "Cyrano, go...bug...mom..." "EVERYONE FIGHTS. NO ONE QUITS."

[@RFEM520]

When I was a kid. My bus driver used to say this. Had no idea why until I watched it In the movie.

[@jcjc4164]

@@RFEM520 my bus driver who was also a dairy farmer told a student that he would be castrated if he didn't start behaving on the bus.

[@RFEM520]

@@jcjc4164 I think we had the same bus driver. Small world.

[@nutbastard]

I'm a hard nut to crack but this made me legitimately laugh out loud. That's top tier parenting. Especially because the kids have no idea wtf you're on about.

[@AndrewD8Red]

This has, more so than I was expecting, inspired me to rewatch the film. The score in Starship Troopers alone was so damn good.

[@jdraven0890]

RIP Basil Poledouris. I became aware of him from how amazing Conan the barbarian score was, only later realized he penned Robocop and Starship Troopers. Also Kurt Russell's Breakdown, and some other more obscure ones.

[@pablom-f8762]

That "Klendathu Drop" is so good it makes me want to know more.

[@randybobandy9828]

@@pablom-f8762 epic scene

[@Wamboland]

And the visuals still look great, even after so many years. Such a great movie.

[@andymccurdy5029]

some of my favorite subtle satire that most dont pick up on is the news will censor a cow being mutilated but immediately cuts to a bunch of mutilated dead people uncensored

[@mutantdog.]

I'm not often one to leave praising comments but seriously dude, this channel and these retrospectives lately have been absolutely top notch! Some of the best sci-fi analysis on YT for sure.❣

[@Don-ol8ze]

It's actually not only satirical, but deeply tragic as well when you realize that the main character by the end has lost all meaningful links to his humanity with the deaths of Dizzy and Rasczek. Rico, Carmen, and Carl, are all merely puppets in their own way, tools of violence trapped in a never-ending brutal existence that mirrors the "mindless" bugs. It's brilliant how the end operates as surface-level triumphant, middle-level satirical or ironic, and deeper-level tragic. Poledouris' score captures this - if you listen to it, you can hear all three levels. Even the satirical "Would you like to know more?" incessantly urges the audience to delve deeper. It's scary how good this movie actually is.

[@Driveby-Viktum]

This movie was also the world record for the most rounds of ammo (blanks or otherwise) expended in the filming of a movie at the time, at over 1.2 million rounds.

[@Napoleonic_S]

Interesting, what movie hold the record today and how many bullets spent on it?

[@Thurgosh_OG]

@@Napoleonic_S Probably mostly cgi bullets these days.

[@andrewrowlinson4272]

Awesome!

[@thcdreams654]

I understood the imagery and messaging as an 11 year old. Not sure how the critics missed it. Great work as usual man. Thanks.

[@henriklarsson5221]

Most critics were idiots. ^^

[@OneofInfinity.]

@@henriklarsson5221 Now more than ever... or was that screenwriters...

[@PantsuMann]

I remember seeing this at my friends place with him and his dad. A weird choice for kids born in 1990 lol, but my god I was blown away. I would say this was a milestone for me to really get into science fiction and straight to the Alien franchise. I watched it many times during the early 2000's and now and then I put it on, maybe once a year or so. But to this day, every time I put it on I barely cant believe it was made in 97. Just as Jurassic Park, this is one of few movies that age really well. Complete masterpiece.

[@randybobandy9828]

I remember my my mom rented this movie for me and her boy friends son at the time and it was such an unexpectedly good movie. I was born in 1988

[@RalFingerLP]

After discovering your channel, which is amazing, I rewatched many of my childhood movies like this one. Love the research and how you structure your video reviews, always a blast to watch.

[@jimyeomans6373]

I saw this opening night at a packed Times Square 1000+ seat theatre. They showed the Godzilla teaser trailer and the place went bonkers. The crowd energy was so outrageous for the entire time. Best theater experience I will ever have.

[@Amphy002]

How could those supposedly clever critics miss the point? I saw this movie with a British audience when it came out, and everyone got it immediately. The part where Doogie Howser walked into the room dressed as an SS officer got a huge laugh.

[@treborkroy5280]

But it's all surface level. What is actually fascist about the humans?

[@andrzej2501]

Maybe because they were critics from USA? ;)

[@nuanil]

@@treborkroy5280 Because they hit all 14 signs? The cult of tradition. “One has only to look at the syllabus of every fascist movement to find the major traditionalist thinkers. The Nazi gnosis was nourished by traditionalist, syncretistic, occult elements.” The rejection of modernism. “The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity. In this sense Ur-Fascism can be defined as irrationalism.” The cult of action for action’s sake. “Action being beautiful in itself, it must be taken before, or without, any previous reflection. Thinking is a form of emasculation.” Disagreement is treason. “The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism. In modern culture the scientific community praises disagreement as a way to improve knowledge.” Fear of difference. “The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.” Appeal to social frustration. “One of the most typical features of the historical fascism was the appeal to a frustrated middle class, a class suffering from an economic crisis or feelings of political humiliation, and frightened by the pressure of lower social groups.” The obsession with a plot. “Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.” The enemy is both strong and weak. “By a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.” Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy. “For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle.” Contempt for the weak. “Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology.” Everybody is educated to become a hero. “In Ur-Fascist ideology, heroism is the norm. This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death.” Machismo and weaponry. “Machismo implies both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.” Selective populism. “There is in our future a TV or Internet populism, in which the emotional response of a selected group of citizens can be presented and accepted as the Voice of the People.” Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak. “All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning.”

[@treborkroy5280]

@@nuanil Yeah, not even close. Wtf

[@nuanil]

@@treborkroy5280 They hit all 14 points, just like the MAGAT movement does.... but I'd take a guess you can't see that either.

[@Tracer_Krieg]

Slight correction: in the novel, Federal Service, not merely military, is necessary for the right of voting franchise. Paraphrasing from the book, if you were blind, deaf and had only one functioning arm, they would find something for you to do, even if it meant counting caterpillars by hand. Military service just was the most popular request, but even then your choice in occupation came more down to your own qualifications.

[@archercolin6339]

That's a point that often seems to be overlooked, and is one of the arguments against the book, at least, being Fascist. It is also my favourite book of all time, so I may be a bit biased!

[@Tracer_Krieg]

@@archercolin6339 The thing is, the society presented in the book isn't at all fascist; it's Militant Libertarianism. The Federation as a government does not impose its will on the civilian populace, with Rico's own father being a supremely successful freight tycoon of five generations who never once applied for the right of voting. There is no grand government oversight, cartel building or centralization as seen in real Fascist and even Communist governments, nor is there any racial, sexual or creed based discrimination considering men and women of all nationalities join the military French Foreign Legion style (you learn English along the way). The reason for it being called Fascist has far more to do with its militant language and firm belief that violence is not only inevitable, but is a necessary function on any society and must be controlled. To someone unfamiliar with how Fascist societies actually worked (or if you're a Communist like Verhoveen), it would sound Fascist. If anything, it ironically is a more right-leaning version of Star Trek's own Federation, with both focused on Romanesque-styled virtues of civic duty but one choosing that process through more peaceful means while the other uses the military overtly.

[@Emanon...]

@@Tracer_Krieg So they would find something for you to do, even if it had no inherent value? Seems to run contra to every idea and ideology based on libertarian values. Sounds Communist if you really think about it... And yes, the Federation isn't necessarily _fascist_ (as that has it's own definition), but it's definitely an _authoritarian_ system of government. I still don't get how grown ass men (and women) can base their political beliefs on a work of utopian fiction they read as kids. It's fucking make-believe! You don't see me basing my political beliefs on freaking Star Trek, do you?

[@JosephKano]

Yes it was a different message in the book. I would also recommend Haldemans The Forever War.

[@archercolin6339]

@@Tracer_Krieg Oh, I agree. I don't know if you are familiar with Carl Benjamin, but he has a series of 'the Politics of...' videos, the first of which is about Starship Troopers. Service Guarantees Citizenship!

[@masztaarc]

Starship Troopers is one of the best movies ever made.

[@Derpy1969]

I saw this at theaters and never read the book. It was amazing to watch by 1997 standards. And it still is beautiful to watch. I didn’t detect the over-the-top satire of the military complex except for the propaganda commercials, which I loved. I saw it with friends who read the book. They complained about that. They missed the point. Unfortunately, so did I.

[@archercolin6339]

I would respectfully suggest that you do give the book a try - and follow it up with Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.

[@markusk2289]

It seems to me that even if one misses the point one has a good chance of getting it on an intuitive level. The movie gets the right vibe across.

[@JosephKano]

@@archercolin6339 both great books. The Forever War is very much a classic anti war novel on the level of all quiet on the western front. Heinlein Novel Starship Troopers is very much a different message to the Movie Starship Troopers.

[@archercolin6339]

@@JosephKano Starship Troopers was largely informed by Heinlein's WW2 experience, while Haldeman served in Vietnamn

[@JosephKano]

@@archercolin6339 yeh the attitudes to drugs and culture in Forever War make it interesting amd that change in time comes across. The use of marijuana, the society at one point that encourages/conditions homosexuality as a means of population control etc were fascinating. The glimpses of how humanity changed for the soldiers whenever they were rotated back to garrison etc. Was an intriguing layered look.

[@NeilBlumengarten]

As an 18 year old college freshman, this was the best movie going experience I ever had. The audience really got into it, making it harder to get the subtext the first time, but easier to just enjoy. Now that I get the subtext, I still love the movie, but for different reasons.

[@tylerp5839]

Intergalactic techno fascist manifest galaxy

[@TinLeadHammer]

This was not a college freshman.

[@DominatorHDX]

Come on you apes, you wanna live forever? I love this movie also. Over the top alien bug killing blood and core action packed fun for the whole family 😁 As always I can hardly wait for the next RJC retrospective!

[@jbecn24]

EVERYONE FIGHTS. NO ONE QUITS.

[@jacobktan]

Flubber, Tomorrow Never Dies, Titanic, Starship Troopers. That was a good time for movies. Men In Black and Airforce One were also pretty good. Some of my favourite childhood movies all at the same time.

[@RichO1701e]

When I was a teenager in the 90's, you think Harrison Ford is the hero in Airforce One. As an adult, you realise Gary Oldman had a point.

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

Tomorrow never dies was awful! Haha!

[@jacobktan]

@@AWMJoeyjoejoe it's first Bond movie I ever watched, and it's still my favourite.

[@nunchuckerz]

wheres con air?

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

@@jacobktan Fair enough. Nostalgia can be a powerful thing.

[@ydna]

man it's hard to stop singing praises for this movie. It's truly the PINNACLE of 90's visual effects. And it's a trailblazer for scifi tropes, can the "news segments" clips ever be topped? DO YOUR PART

[@steve86sabas]

I have a legacy as a child with Paul Verhoeven's films, I saw Robocop as a young child, as my parents saw it in Blockbuster and thought it was a childrens film based on the name and cover art. And then I saw Starship troopers when I was 14 because my father read the original novel and did not bother to check the rating of the film. They hold a very special place in my heart and I will always remember when I first watched them.

[@powerbad696]

WOW.GREAT job,Rowan on a great film,lots of nostalgia for me.Saw it at the cinema when it came out-LOVED it.I was in the army in 1997,stationed at Ft Hood,Tx in 1st Cav Div.Everyone in my unit/company were talking about this movie,army guys love war-films/sci-fi.During training we'd use quotes from the film,lots of fun.I was disapointed to learn SST was a box office bomb at the time,it still holds up today.The scenes with multiple soldiers running around reminds me of my time in the army and seeing the military advisor behind the scenes,now I know why it works so good.

[@GreggyAck]

I feel like we need Verhoeven now more than ever

[@LonicGheshu]

One miss from this review was Dean Norris, who played the commanding officer at bootcamp (10 lashes) also returned from Total Recall where he played the mutant Tony.

[@chriswilson3126]

Another outstanding video, RJC. Paul Verhoeven honestly directed three Sci fi classics, each vastly different from one another yet his signature touches shine through them all.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

My dad took me to see this on release weekend in Portsmouth, England. I was 18. I was under no misunderstanding about what it was saying. Bloody Americans! 🤣 How did they not see? Wonderful, wonderful film. His very best.

[@Hoplophile1]

Starship Troopers was one of my favorite Heinlein books long before the movie was even dreamt of, and I was so excited when I learned it was being made into a movie. While the film departs from the book in many ways, I still enjoyed it tremendously and it remains one of the movies that I will watch anytime I come across it channel surfing. As always Rowan, great work on the retrospective - keep it up!

[@nosrin1988]

I had NO idea that Robocop and Starship Troopers was done by the same guy but IT MAKES SENSE

[@evandipasquale9255]

I remember seeing this movie opening day as a kid I was 11 yrs old and my babysitter took me to go see it. She had no idea what she was getting into but I enjoyed the movie even at a young age. Since then I've seen all the movies live action and animated, I particularly enjoyed the animated movies which aren't held back by budget or vfx.

[@janespright]

I saw this movie when I was young as well and remember rooting for this international republic and getting patriotic feels. It was one of my favourite movies. My feelings towards the movie changed or got more refined when I got older. You mentioned going through a similar process yourself. The movie has two perspectives for me, nose-in and a more detached view of the observer and Verhoeven is brilliant for that. When you get involved in the drama, you get nosed-in by all the propaganda and how their society wants to be seen and you are not given much time to ponder since war is at hand. As you get detached, you can discover what the propaganda was meant to be, the principles of a horrific militaristic state police. Yes, the choice is yours (the viewers) and the truth is somewhat difficult to get to, just like in our contemporary society. All that being said, it is still one of my favourite movies, but for entirely different reasons than those that I held in my youth. Great review!

[@Kujakuseki01]

I also as a kid didn’t realize the satire fully and just loved it as a great action movie.

[@highflying19]

This, Robocop and Total recall are perfect movies Verhoven rules!

[@nickk6518]

The satire in this brilliant film is so blindingly obvious, I just don't understand how anyone could miss it!!!

[@hamm0155]

Agreed! I just don’t get how people could miss this!

[@jaebee9805]

Most people today are programmed and not educated. Critical thinking, having open-minded debates and discussions are a thing of the past unfortunately. I overall enjoyed the movie as a kid and still do as an adult today!

[@ddc2957]

Gene Siskel: “Are you feeling okay?” Roger Ebert: “Better than you were the day you gave Starship Troopers the thumbs up!” LOL.

[@sinjin90ful]

Remember your training! And you will make it back alive!! The music for the drop scene and the ship firing rockets is just top of the mark. Gets me every time. Great work

[@stillhammered3060]

I am glad to day I was able to see all three of these movies in theaters when they came out. Loved them then and move them now.

[@sg_hokkien_opera]

Loved (and still love!) Starship Troopers, Total Recall & Robocop! 🎉

[@awesomedayz3465]

Fantastic work Rowan. Glad to see so many people with like minds see through the immediate surface issues and cut right to the soul of the movie.

[@ciscornBIG]

Just discovered your channel last night. Listened to the Robocop and Total Recall vids and thought "Man, hope this dude does starship troopers..." What a great coincidence!

[@s0ulwind]

I always find the fascism comparisons funny. The fact that he never read the book really sells it.

[@jimtaylor294]

Yup. Heinlein would likely have had a posthumous laugh over how the original message of his book is still in the film, despite Verhoven's attempt at "warring with the book". Then again: Verhoven oy got to talk such smack about the original author, because the latter wasn't still around to sue him for deformation. (unsurprisingly: living authors are treated with much more civility)

[@preferredpronoun3689]

Indeed, if Starship Troopers is a fascist propaganda piece, then so is Robo Cop. It's all satire of American culture.

[@bestdjaf7499]

I always thought the reference was the US military policy. Even "Would you like more?" Is literally what CNN used to say. I don't know where Fascism came from. We already had Vietnam & Korea & Afghanistan & 1st Iraq war.... And a lot of Americans did supported all those wars. "America, f@k yah!" Was kind of on my mind. But I guess we live in a different culture now. The "Liberals" promoting the senseless wars & everyone is a Nazi & Fascist. * Even in this review, there is a confusion who Fascists & Nazis were. They are National Socialists Labour movements. Superior race thing is Nazis & it's a portion of the overall policy. * Fascists didn't have that Superior Race thing. China is literally Mussolini's Idea. Fascist didn't have any problems with Jews or anybody else. Mussolini was actually dating/married a Jewish woman.

[@preferredpronoun3689]

@@bestdjaf7499 Fascism today in its dumbest interpretation is just supremacy. I figure fascism is a rejected leftist idea that entered a war and lost hence is demonised.

[@somercet1]

@@bestdjaf7499 "China is literally Mussolini's Idea." So, just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?"

[@McSomething15]

I remember years ago coming across someone pointing out that Starship Troopers was a perfect depiction of the War on Terror years before the latter even happened.

[@davidboylan8365]

Another fantastic retrospective. Absolutely naild the analysis.

[@antenant9294]

How could the critics miss what this film was about? It was a glorious satire, and worked so well. I "got that" as a kid, and loved the film because of it. The fact that it was also shot so well, with absolutely fantastic directing . The sequels missed the point entirely.

[@BatCaveOz]

The armour used by the soldiers in Starship Troopers are notorious for having been reused in a bunch of other productions. (Most famously, in "Power Rangers" , and "Firefly")

[@Slopmaster]

and in “Imposter” with Gary Sinese.

[@Magpie1701]

Now that you've effectively exhausted Star Trek's potential for video essays I'm happy to see you branch out into other Sci-Fi movies. The channel has a bright future if you keep this up!

[@TheLucasdms]

I would love a deep analysis of Neil Blomkamp. Dude gave us District 9, Elysium and Chappie, went off to do his own thing with Oats Studio after the Alien 5 disappointment and than released a purposefully mediocre horror movie. I'm conflicted with what to think of the guy, but follow him due to how amazing some of his works are, even the Oats Studios shorts, and how he isn't afraid to experiment and just make whatever he feels like even if he thinks it isn't great. A deeper analysis of him as an author and his body of works would be nice to watch.

[@RPRsChannel]

*_It's AMAZING this movie still looks FANTASTIC in 2022._* *_Miniatures and celluloid film._*

[@juliancosta7626]

An absolute all-timer for me. Arguably the most effective satirical film in the medium's history.

[@Will-tn8kq]

Dr. Strangelove.

[@Aquarat86]

Wow! What a great retrospective. I really enjoying learning about how the film was made and cast. Starship Troopers is one of my fave films. Thanks for covering this one.

[@OnTheRocks71]

Still blown away by the special effects of this movie today. The destruction of the Rodger Young gives me goosebumps.

[@ThetaRealms]

A movie you can watch endless times over the years

[@nomojo1110]

Each film an absolute gem, holding firm in the canon of their era. It's unfortunate many reactionary reviews, written by _critics_ and printed in daily newspapers, meant much of the films audience took the same view without watching the film for themselves.

[@nutbastard]

The same shit endures on Rotten Tomatoes etc. Fortunately we have audience ratings now, which are the only ones anyone should pay attention to.

[@slightlytwistedagain]

I've always found Paul Verhoeven's ideas of what fascism is to be fascinating. Having looked into what fascists are (national syndicalism, or trade unionism on a national level), I have come to the conclusion that he thinks militarism is fascism rather than militarism being a tool fascists use. I do wonder if presenting him with the question "Do you think militarism is fascism" would clear up confusion that his distaste might come from any form of militarism itself. After all, every nation has a military, but what makes fascism different is the complete regimentation of society from top to bottom. Starship Troopers comes across as participation of responsibility, a choice to become a citizen or not, but there isn't a deep political dive into the reach this military dictatorship has. Do citizens and non citizens have right to privacy, property rights, free trade, free debate, free scrutiny? Does the military dictatorship only have absolute say over the defence of its territory? All of these aspects are part of free societies and yet they appear to be part of Starship Troopers' fascist universe as well. I'd be interested to hear what Paul Verhoeven's ideal world would be like. He mentions democracy in reverence, but would he still have reverence for democracy if the society chose to destroy itself, or a competing society subverting the democratic power structure (otherwise known as the 5th column) and destroyed it from within? It's some food for thought considering a lot of the west right now is being run by people who want to tear it all down.

[@dcsignal5241]

This came out near the end of the original Babylon 5 run, and I remember getting strong vibes off that show from the beginning of this movie. As great as that show was, can you imagine the additional impact with the CGI of this movie. Come to think of it, the Mars of Total Recall would have slotted in nicely as well. In short, 2 of my favourite SciFi movies of all time.

[@diarmuidphelan9664]

Verehovan is by far my most favourite and influential director, his films were distinct and groundbreaking. Great review.

[@tomsenior7405]

Thank you for this review. Starship Troopers is a perfect Verhoven vehicle to parody Militarism. He perfectly tore apart the whole Fascist vision for the future. He did this so well, that audiences could not see through the façade. Instead, the very people who Verhoven wanted to reach felt revulsion and the idiots who support a Fascist state were drawn to it. I hope our grandchildren see this film for what it is. A Classic that ridicules Fascism.

[@voltcheckburrows5010]

A rogue sect accidentally colonized a world the bugs claimed and they declared total war on humanity. The bugs slaughtered the colonists and 8 million people in BA. Whatever the director intended, that's what was portrayed. Your comment summarizes the critical commentary while ignoring the work itself.

[@andromidius]

@@voltcheckburrows5010 *the establishment claimed the Bugs sent the asteroid. Without FTL technology and being on the other side of the galaxy, how did they manage that exactly? Did the Bugs decide to attack Earth millions of years prior? Remember: the movie literally shows propaganda to the audience. Some of the action scenes literally transition into propaganda messages, as if it was filmed in-universe. If you're going to ignore that, how can you accuse other people of ignoring the work itself? Not to mention, you know... the creators told us directly about the themes.

[@MatthewOstergren]

@@voltcheckburrows5010 Watch the movie again. Humans were already literally abducting the arachnids and had high schoolers performing dissection experiments on them before the war even started. Also, based on the actual narrative, the asteroid drop was almost certainly a false flag. How else could "bugs" that don't have starships and just launch spores out into space at non-superluminal speeds, that originate from the other side of the galaxy have attacked Earth?

[@voltcheckburrows5010]

@@MatthewOstergren I like the theory that the asteroid drop, and perhaps the entire threat, was a false flag. However, I don’t believe it’s supported by the film. Why does the society in the film need total war when they did not before? What we see is the way humans would react to encountering an alien species. There is nothing particularly fascist about that society. There is no racial underclass in human civ, people do not live for the state (unlike the bugs).

[@whattheshep6814]

If your "parody" of fascism makes fascism look cool, you probably failed. I loved the movie, I love the satire, but Verhoven set out to to do one thing and accomplished another.

[@markyboybdi]

Whenever someone says oh it wasnt faithful to the source material.. well you've got to wonder what exactly they are after. I bought this on release day on VHS at Our Price hah. its just so RAAAWR! Superb work as always Rowan.

[@mervstash3692]

I remember thinking as a kid that VFX would never get any better than this. It got an extra couple of stars for the debut of Denise Richards babylons

[@atariboy9084]

If anyone on Earth that could ever make a live action movie of the 1998 Valve's video game HALF-LIFE it would be Paul Verhoeven.

[@Regnier191]

I hope a Farscape Retrospective is somewhere in the future!

[@TheVeritas1]

Rowan has done a Farscape video. It's cool.

[@powerbad696]

@@TheVeritas1 Farscape was a COOL show.

[@TheStonewall117]

@@powerbad696 frell yeah it is!

[@denistricoche312]

I watched “Starship Troopers” as a 17 year old. I never even noticed it was meant as satire. I saw it more as a loose association with the aesthetic of the sci-fi tv show “Space: Above and Beyond”. Militaristic Sci-Fi with many of the same kind of uniform and ship designs. Now it’s hard to unsee the fascism and the satirical subtext makes more sense. Thanks for this great video! Really fantastic work.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Easily one of the better films of the “Dark Age of Cinema” and my 15 year old dumb-ass immediately knew it was a mockumentary style satire. How did all the critics get it so wrong?

[@jimkirk4357]

Critics missing the satire showcases why I pay no attention to mainstream critics. I've located a few critics who understand sci-fi and ignore the rest. I enjoy your work largely because YOU obviously enjoy it. Took my daughters to see it when they were kids. They loved it as a space opera action movie and later in rewatch they got the deeper themes.

[@mycoolhandgiveit]

Some others probably mentioned it but it is an incorrect talking point that is constantly brought up whenever people talk about the original book. In the book it is clearly stated that "service" doesn't just mean the military, nor is being a grunt in the military seen as highly prestigious compared to some other menial job. For example spending an extended period of time as anything from a janitor to a doctor directly for the government is considered service within the book.

[@gdelan1]

One of my all time favorites, having grown up in Germany, I got the satire immediately. Saw it in the theaters at least 10 times (though many of those viewings were at the dollar theater when i was in college)

[@BronzDano]

Saw this movie in the theater. Loved it. It actually inspired me to join the army 😅 The scene where Johny was about to quit, then his hometown gets bombed, and he gets pulled back in…made me want to be apart of something bigger than myself. I didn’t get that it was a satire…I was 18 🥴

[@echobase6372]

Even if it is satirical, I'm pretty sure we can all relate to the idea of joining up to fight if your hometown is wiped off the map by an enemy force. I mean, we saw a perfect example of this after 9/11

[@RoyalFusilier]

I don't take credit for this observation, but Verhoeven was charting modern American history preemptively with his movies. We were living in Starship Troopers during the War on Terror, and now we're living in Robocop, and Elon Musk is working hard to get us to Total Recall as fast as he can. "Come on, Elon, give these people ehr!"

[@jakobrandel8105]

I only found your channel a couple months ago, but my God do I enjoy the deep dives into stuff I've loved for over a decade at this point.

[@Skol999]

Quality review. One of my favourite SF movies. Criminally underrated on release and, like Robocop, often misunderstood. Still, bloody great. Would you like to know more? Yes: Subscribed! ;)

[@Kujakuseki01]

I would LOVE if you did a retro of the Roughnecks show. It’s just outstanding and such a tragedy it was never finished.

[@TheVeritas1]

Rowan did a retro on Roughnecks in his Hidden Gems video.

[@RZM_Phoenix]

I love that you mentioned Roughnecks. I too loved that show as a kid before seeing the movie, I remember watching it with my dad whilst eating cereal before going to school. I believe it was shown on SKY 1 usually two episodes at a time as far as I remember. When I saw the movie I remember being a little disappointed not to see the skinnys. I Really enjoyed these Verhoeven retrospectives, beautiful work 👍

[@JosephKano]

The film and the book had different messages entirely to me and only superficially similar societies. It was always disappointing to know he didn't actually read the book. I sincerely hope someone reboots the story more faithful to the books message. That being said... I still love this movie. Do you want to know more?

[@bluetooth2677]

There is reboot coming out that will follow the book more.

[@tcmn1982]

I don't know what critics said in US and Europe at the time, but I remember clearly in Brazil, in top weekly magazine, some guy thought ST was amazing and wrote: "Don't forget: these aliens represents the third world." I laughed when I read it but unfortanely nowadays it seems real thing.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

It baffles me when people don't see movies like this as the obvious satire they are. I honestly think its just some kind of capacity or instinct you either have or you don't, like rythmn or being tone-deaf or something.

[@NemFX]

Or we dont care that it's supposed to be satire, and simply enjoy it as it is.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@NemFX you misspelled "hur dur"

[@NemFX]

@@satyasyasatyasya5746 Ave Imperator, gloria in excelcius Terra.

[@thcdreams654]

@@NemFX 40K is satire too genius.

[@TheVeritas1]

Rowan makes a good point that ST's anti-fascist satire would be missed by audiences living in prosperous, peaceful 90s America. Fascism is supposed occur under miserable circumstances and in foreign lands.

[@teqfreak]

I loved this movie as a kid, appreciate it even more as an adult. I think it is one of my all-time favourite Sci Fi films. During my teenager years in the time before we could read everybody's opinion on the internet I remember that I never understood why not everybody was blown away by this movie. I thought for a while I was the only one. I loved the satire, it made it even more special. Just a master piece.

[@stvbrsn]

Oh my god, you just killed me, Rowan. “I don’t know how one man can have this many teeth…” That is hands down the funniest comment you’ve made in this whole excellent series. Thanks for that laugh, one of the biggest I’ve had in a while, had to pause the video…

[@ferallion3546]

When Neil Patrick Harris entered the frame in his first scene, all of us in the entire movie theater broke out in “IT’S DOOGIE!” Pretty funny and memorable moment.

[@stvbrsn]

Right from my first viewing in theaters in 1997, I thought it was pretty obvious that the younger members of the cast were meant to look like models. I remember arguing this point with friends who thought it was silly how everybody was so good looking. I was like “that’s deliberate. How do you not get that?”

[@polyseed12]

I had a similar experience with my friends at the time. My smart friends loved it because of the satire,my dumb friends loved it because of the gore, but my average intelligent friends hated it because they didn't get the satire nor did they enjoy the gore.

[@stvbrsn]

@@polyseed12 that’s a great observation of a weird variation on the bell curve! At the time I jokingly referred to it as “Melrose Space,” even though it was one of my favorite movies, and remains so to this day.

[@powerbad696]

Yeah,it was very obvious,the guys I saw it with called it-90210 in space-LOL.

[@taylorthorne9634]

As a boy I vividly remember going to see this movie in a theater at a local mall. It’s was so much fun

[@michaellewis1545]

As someone watched the Starship Troopers sequels. The 5th one Traitor to Mars comes closet to reaching the heights of the the original. The Fourth and Third sequels are fun popcorn movies. I can't recommend the second movie.

[@eamonndeane587]

It probably helps that Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer both came back for the Fifth Movie.

[@abdelali9279]

Man these movies are also one of my favorite movies ever for sure! Awesome flicks as a kid, great deep stories as an adult.

[@CookingwithYarda]

Dina Mayer is so gorgeous !! Even now

[@eamonndeane587]

She's certainly aged better than Denise Richards, that's for sure.

[@bobcharlotte8724]

I am loving your videos! I would love to see you branch out more often and cover more than your Star Trek focus. Would love more of these kind of retrospective reviews!

[@ironreed2654]

Love Starship Troopers, the book and the movie but they are hugely different.

[@nixneato]

Yet another fantastic retrospective. Thank you for all this work, which definitely makes us want to watch these movies again.

[@stvbrsn]

Also, regarding Michael Ironside: don’t forget that before the attack on Buenos Aires and the resulting draft, Radczak was their high school teacher.

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

Still blows my mind that people still don't realize this movie is a satire. I had it pegged when I was a kid the second Clancy Brown came on screen and played the most ham-tastic DI you'll ever see.

[@RuiLuz]

this movie aged so well, we are now in 2022 and the movie still depicts an amazing satire that could be compared to today's society.

[@briansinger5258]

How would you compare a functioning fantasy to our existing democratic facade exactly? I'm not saying the depiction is right or possible but the point is that it's nothing like the world we have now. We're more Blade Runner and Fahrenheit 451 than a nazi dystopianism.

[@andrewewing8433]

I think more Americans should think about the concerning implications of that lol. We imagine ourselves as facism's great enemy but we're much closer to them than we think. Without love and solidarity I don't think we're far from that kind of society, and just like the Nazis I don't think the rulers of our society will have a problem driving the alienated but not dispossesed to that point.

[@jimtaylor294]

Nah. National Socialism was closer to Stalin's *Communism in one nation* than what we've grown up in; a detail Verhoven always failed to understand, instead preaching the strawman claim that "war makes fascists of us all". We can only *wish* we lived in a society like the [book's] Terran Federation, which is a post-scarcity classical-liberal meritocracy. Said society's features including a [relatively] small state with low taxation, high personal freedom (apart from the rights to vote & run for office that come with public service; a non-civilian has no limits to what they can strive to do, that wouldn't also apply to a citizen), and freedom of expression & enterprise. In the Terran Federation the modus operandai is "Service Guarrentees Citizenship". In Nazi-Germany & Stalin's-USSR it was the opposite, "Citizenship guarrentees Service" (with imprisonment or death for those who refused). What we *do* live in, is arguably the world Hienlien predicted would precede it, where socialist leaning social science [essentially] brings the traditional democracies to their knees, proving that "something given [rather than earned], has no value".

[@jal051]

And it will be more current as we are heading towards a resugence of fascism.

[@jal051]

@@jimtaylor294 Vehoeven understood that. Stalin was a fascist just like any other fascist.

[@user-yl4lf9mh1w]

lol casting 90210 actors. Absolutely genius.

[@hamsandwichson]

Was coming here to say the same thing. The cheesy TV actor vibe is perfect.

[@Hairyfoot_Studio]

Great dive into these films Rowan. I loved all three of the Verhoven sci-fi movies and always saw them as a loose trilogy satirising important social issues. Nobody makes films like this any more, except maybe 2021's Dont look up, which is a shame. Sci-Fi at its best should be a vehicle for selling an idea or a theme; Robocop. Total Recall and Starship troopers do that as well as any in the genre.

[@OldManTheseDays]

I attended a test screening of Starship Troopers in, what I believe was September 1997 in Sacramento, CA. It was pretty much the same film months before the theatrical release. The love triangle was MUCH more a focus of the film. Most of the effects were complete and much of the score was there. I remember there were loads of idiots in the cinema hooting and hollering, who I imagine didn’t get the satire. When it ended, my friend with me said “that film got us to root for the bad guys. We were cheering for space-nazis”.

[@meatbyproducts]

Love this movie, but hate how wrong they get the ideas in the book. The book is not fascist at all.

[@Aceman52]

This movie is awesome! I saw it in the theater 3xs and despite how old it is, Starship Troopers still holds up

[@Sander-zj3wi]

On first watch in the 90's i thought of it as a B-movie. By now it is in my top 10 of most re-watched movies and also understanding how much it was a parody, including the often very subtle humor throughout.

[@ralphpal]

Me too, in fact I really didn't like it when I first seen it

[@Peregrin3]

This movie is awash in irony, the producers misunderstood the book and satirized their misrepresentation and then the critics misunderstood the movie and misrepresented it just like the producers misrepresented the book. This movie is great fun but it is also a great lesson in what happens when you make an adaptation but don't understand the source material.😅