The Verhoeven Paradox

00:00 Arnold Schwarzenegger explains Paul Verhoeven
02:44 Robocop
07:00 Total Recall
10:22 Basic Instinct
14:00 Showgirls
20:50 Starship Troopers
Olga Yakimenko is a filmmaker who sometimes answers questions in the Science Fiction community / 324897304599197
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[@drbuckley1]

The FX in Starship Troopers holds up after 25 years. Amazing work.

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

You can thank Phil Tippet for that. Stop go animation was killed by CGI, we need to go back to the tried and true

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

The CGI looks good enough to be confused for models and the models looks crisp enough to be confused with CGI.

[@MarcusBurkenhare]

​@@SierraSierraFoxtrot I have to agree with you. Even after more than a quarter of a century later the CGI still stands up and partly why it does is it's not overused. Verhoeven and his crew managed to find a good - if not perfect - balance on their first go.

[@questtttttttt]

Total Recall too. The miniatures, oil painted backgrounds, and practical effects withstand the test of time.

[@questtttttttt]

@@Uncanny_Mountain Phill Tippet is brilliant. Mad God was mind blowing from a practical effects standpoint.

[@charlespuruncajas9663]

Paul Verhoeven is one of those veey few raw and straight to the point filmmakers. Doenst matter if he talks about: - corporativism (Robocop) - government (Total Recall) - sensuality (Basic Instinct) - entertainment business (Showgirls) - fascism (Starship Troppers) Everytime you finish one of his movies you get the sense of "damn.... he's got no inhibitions" ans thats why his movies are such masterpieces

[@KootFloris]

and the strong message is, sadly, often overlooked.

[@ThepurposeofTime]

​@@KootFloris yeah I feel like the OP doesn't understand his films 😂 if no one talks about these things who will?

[@shitina.bucket9699]

😂Se4k8 K8i4kim4.yyc

[@orangewarm1]

Basic Instinct isnt about sensuality

[@pikaskew]

Capitalism (all of the above)

[@PeachNEPTR]

Robocop is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. It sells itself on the ridiculous cheesy spectacle. The entire concept is hilariously silly and promises to be just a pointless action movie, it pretends to be less than it is. You get yourself all settled in for something easy and you’re greeted with immense brutality. And at every turn it reminds you that it’s a piece of entertainment. So often you get movies that do everything they can to convince you they mean something, desperate to be taken seriously. Here we have a movie that does everything it can to convince you it’s a joke, it has something to say but it doesn’t want you to know that. It wants you to laugh, but it wants you to be just a little bit disgusted about it.

[@jameshakola3603]

I very much agree. In fact it's many great films all in one. It's one of the best action flicks of all time, but also a thought provoking science fiction piece, a satire on modern media, a critique of corporate influence, it's a revenge flick, a gory horror film, a crime thriller, a hero's journey, even a Christ allegory. And it does all these things better than almost any other film you can name! And ironically, I'm really guessing that the initial pitch was probably something as ridiculous as, 'let's remake Terminator, where he's the good guy'

[@PeachNEPTR]

@@jameshakola3603 Not even just a satire of modern media, a condemnation of it. It beats us over the head with the idea that TV and movies are vapid commodities with no value, and it tries to camouflage itself as fitting into that canon. Situating a christ allegory or hero’s journey into that even seems to criticize the use of those archetypes. There’s so many levels of analysis at play in a movie that is so hilariously summarized as “a cyborg police officer goes to war against crime in Detroit.” It shows such a deep love of what movies can be, and the value that entertainment can have in our lives while begging us to think deeply about what it actually means to us.

[@SydNixon]

My favorite part of the movie: the 6000 SUX car!

[@cassettelord]

Its a heart braking master piece that shines a light on the brutality of capitalism and moral corruption, set with an incredible soundtrack that still haunts my dreams.. somehow Murphy makes it through and gives us all hope... "I really need to tell you something.."

[@cassettelord]

A great description... @@jameshakola3603

[@deetgeluid]

Paul lived in my hometown of the Hague, Netherlands, during the war. His neighbourhood was destroyed by a mistake bombardement by the English. He always said that had a profound influence on his later life. That could have been an influence on starship troopers. Also, public nudity was already a “done deal” on Dutch television during the 60’s. Was Showgirls ahead of it’s time? It’s not about nudity, but about power, money, influence, greed etc.

[@Hellohallo]

well, its a bit about nudity, in the sense of telling americans how hypocritical it is to be offended by skin

[@Hylebos75]

Have you ever read the Starship Troopers book...? It's such a scathing indictment of society and citizenship expectations and where it's going in general and it's SOOOO so good. It should be required reading in high schools for critical thinking. I need to read it again

[@thegoldfishpool]

Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t that incident the inspiration for Black Book (2006)?

[@galacticupfan7386]

⁠@@Hylebos75I’d be mortified if every kid had to read that. It’s not satirical or ironic in any way, the fascist regime depicted is genuinely what Heinlein wanted. He wrote it as a response to the suspension of nuke testing, in favour of nuke testing. Paul famously hated the book and used the movie to mock Heinlein’s ridiculous fantasy and turn it into a satire. Paul saw firsthand the effects of fascism on his home country, and recognised it in the book after two pages.

[@bradleymilton1720]

He saw real violence, death and mutilated bodies of War with his own eyes. Hence, he never shied away from depicting it accurately in his movies.

[@Maya_Ruinz]

Starship Troopers really opened my eyes to my military service. I didn’t see the movie till after I came back from Iraq in 2005. I really didn’t like the film at first viewing because it reminded me too much of my experience and when I watched it I finally saw what the film was doing.

[@DamienWalter]

How would you describe what it's doing?

[@Maya_Ruinz]

@@DamienWalter Putting a spotlight on not just the military culture but the culture that enables it, how media also plays a part in shaping minds young and old in favor of the military industrial complex.

[@robfalgiano]

@@Maya_Ruinz100%. And his movies were sadly predictive. Robocop takes place in a corporatocracy, which the US has now become. Starship Troopers is in a fascist state, which the US is now flirting with, though I pray we will pull it back from the precipice.

[@SweeturKraut]

I saw it in theaters when it came out, and thought it was just a campy action movie full of tropes… about ten years later I watched it again on the advice that there was a much deeper meaning, and it opened my eyes and mind to the things you’re taking about. Now… every time I see it, I find something else (sometimes minute details) that give me even more reason to think about the deeper meaning of the movie.

[@bjorn2625]

@@Maya_Ruinz in addition, it also puts a spotlight on ourselves, as we peel back the layers of first our ridicule, then our enthusiasm, then our agreement with its message it forces us to look on ourselves and WHY we get convinced and gung ho. It asks us if our current society is any different, in the end.

[@johnnzboy]

Fantastic video, Paul Verhoeven is a masterful director whose work is often misunderstood and viewed as schlocky or sensationalist but there's a lot more going on that viewers can't or won't understand. Excellent interviewee too.

[@ArtiIntel-wl7su]

Who's a clever boy then?

[@HesselFolkertsma]

It’s sad that we live in a time where films like these can’t be made anymore. Even the goriest of modern films can’t hold a candle to the raw confronting emotions a Verhoeven film will make you feel. And it just works on different levels too. His films age really well, in my opinion. First time I watched Starship Trooper it was just a cool ‘sci-fi war movie’, now decades later it’s such a political one full of commentary on society.

[@percheroneclipse238]

True. Robo Cop is now.

[@Nightdiver20]

"How our social scientists brought our world to the brink of chaos." Hits way harder in 2023 than it did in 1997

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

The monomyth comes from the Bible, that's why all the stories have the same ring, the same themes, and the same message. How does that last guy in the book solve all the world's problems, and what lessons were learned

[@valeriacaissa4552]

True. On one hand, sexuality has a really hard time for the past decade or even more and on the other hand, the gore is just.. how to put it.. it's not the same. Somehow the violence in Verhoeven is just better executed. Many other movies are very violent but it feels way more like cronenbergian body horror, the emphasize is so strong while in Verhoeven the violence is there yeah but at the same time it feels better implemented. I saw a good bunch of movies trying to be "like the 80s" but either they are parodies/borderline parodies and just way too meta or more saw-like torture porn. Emulating Verhoeven is really hard but I have the feeling some directors think it's just "let blood spray all over the place" but that's not it.

[@HesselFolkertsma]

@@valeriacaissa4552 I think it ultimately also just comes down to the personality of the person in charge. Dutch directness and stubbornness might have helped here.

[@-Zakhiel-]

I see a lot of people talking about his american movies. Please, if you're a fan of Verhoeven, watch his other movies. His early movies when he was working in his country (Netherlands) like Soldier of Orange, Spetters, Katie Tippel. When he came back in his country, after his Hollywood period, with Black Book (my favorite Verhoeven movie). His now french period with Elle and Benedetta. Too many people say they're a fan of his work and they only watch a few of his american movies. There is a gold mine waiting for you.

[@jbellflower83]

I'll have to look into those. I do really enjoy his movies but I have only seen the American ones (as I grew up in America).

[@artisans8521]

You are so right, he's like Penelope Cruz, good in US movies brilliant in his home country. Soldier of Orange is one of the best WW2 tales you can see, period. And Turks Fruit (Turkish Delight) is one of the best book translations into a film. Maybe a bit shocking for Americans, but the story is do strong.

[@ml5444]

Black Book was a good movie. Carice van Houten was great in it.

[@questlazy122]

“Hated by critics, loved by audiences.” Let’s get back to that kind of film making.

[@Mathematik_Anhaenger]

That already is every marvel movie. Please get away from that

[@Whaddayamean13]

@@Mathematik_Anhaengerthe critics, up until the last couple years, have praised Marvel movies from the start. And in our world today, that’s the only reason the audience likes them. A consensus of “the experts,” the Watchmen of critics is set BEFORE the general audience even watches it. It’s not like back in the day when you read the local critic in the paper and you knew it was just his opinion. Collectivizing opinions into an apparent fact is the most destructive thing for movies, or really any kind of art

[@Mathematik_Anhaenger]

@@Whaddayamean13 then we should not change the filmmaking, but the Way people interact With critics.

[@Whaddayamean13]

@@Mathematik_Anhaenger I think the Rotten Tomatoes score should not be revealed until at least a month after the film’s public release

[@Mathematik_Anhaenger]

@@Whaddayamean13 No, I Mean rotten tomatoes specifically should be banned, but the voices of critics help me to understand the value of a film. If you search long enough, you will find a critic with your Taste. And if you search longer (time well spent for movie enjoyers) you will find a number of critics, with each of whom you usually are d accord in certain espects. I rarely never get surprised by the quality of a film. This is the reason I go to cinema for Films I otherwise would not have seen (the Killer eg), and Stay at Home for those that dont get acclaim by said critics (Dune 2). Eventually I will watch every film, but I dodge the pricy cinema.

[@ImAliveAndYouAreDead]

Verhoeven's first French movie, "Elle" with Isabelle Huppert, is a masterpiece.

[@tuamigajordana]

Verhoeven holds a special place in my heart. Every christmas since I turned four we would watch the same movie. That movie was Total Recall. My mom loved sci fi and she made sure to introduce me to the best of the best.

[@markwashington5128]

Same here dude. Total Recall since 5, now I'm 40 and still watch yearly.

[@DeepEye1994]

Saw it in 2012 at the age of 17 and it became an instant Top 10 favorite film. The remake blew

[@markwashington5128]

@DeepEye1994 What remake? (I saw it. But my brain puked it up.)

[@ClausJesup]

Wow, making a 4year old kid watch Total Recall is really badass. OK: an R rating means basically every kid may watch it as long as a parent is sitting next to it but come on. The escalator scene alone. And then the story - how can a child even try to wrap its head around it?

[@heikkiaho6605]

Meanwhile, I wouldn't been allowed to watch that until I was 16 or smth XD I always read these comments like: "Yeah I watched Saw with my mom when I was 4". Even Winnie the Pooh was too scary for me when I was 7.

[@AndusDominae]

The other day I had a dream that I was a co-producer-director on a remake of Demolition Man, amd I managed to convince Verhoeven to get on board. It was awesome!

[@phononanon]

Wow, after watching this I realize I really need to watch Basic Instinct and Showgirls.

[@DamienWalter]

Find a VHS player and old cassette copies for the full experience.

[@davebarrowcliffe1289]

Nah... to get the FULL experience, you need those things AND be a 13 year old boy...😂😂😂 ​@@DamienWalter

[@deathmagneto-soy]

The one thing that (excuse the pun) bugged me about Starship Troopers was that nobody in the movie stopped to think how the bugs - literal bugs - managed to direct an asteroid at earth from half way across the Galaxy. We're not talking jet fuel and steel beams here, just basic questions.

[@MatthewGill-nv4tb]

Psychokinetic energy

[@judgedrekk2981]

the bugs were playing intergalactic pool....blue ball in the corner pocket! [clack as the asteroid goes flying] lolz reminds me of Marvin...hey what's up doc? oh I'm going to blow up the moon cus it blocks my view of Venus....isn't that lovely? but I kinda like the other Marvin better "ahh this will all end in tears I just know it" lolz

[@oikkuoek]

How exactly did the Freedom end up in a tent in the middle of Sahara? Or in the muddy field of Ukraine, or in the jungle of Vietnam? The concept of Starship Troopers is this. The war is there, the enemy is this scary, inhumane thing and to get the Freedom, the enemy needs to be killed. And if you start asking questions, you become the enemy. This is the message in this story. The war machine has never made any sense, only the cogs inside can't realize it.

[@poindextertunes]

it is a movie

[@MatthewGill-nv4tb]

@@poindextertunes really?

[@Pushing_Pixels]

I'm so glad The Algorithm led me to this video. I was born at the right time to grow up just as Verhoeven was stamping his mark on Hollywood from 1987 to 1997. He made some of my favourite films from that period. The way I saw it at the time, as a very young film enthusiast in Australia, this Dutch guy had come to Hollywood to make a string of films that took the piss out of both Hollywood and America, in a really cheesy way, while still managing to make genre classics better than most of what Hollywood could produce. He beat them at their own game, held up a mirror to them, and the audience lapped it up. In hindsight, I think the American film industry were sick of him by the time he made Showgirls and had it in for that film from the start. I remember hearing the "worst film ever" mantra and "something.. something.. hates women", and decided to watch it anyway even though I wasn't the intended audience. A lot of the themes and subtext went over my head at the time, I didn't really get it, and I didn't really like it, but I remember thinking "this is in no way the worst film I've seen; I think they might be overreacting a bit". Of course, his response was great, actually showing up at the Razzies to accept two awards for being shit, then "giving the audience what they want" by ramping up the cheesy spectacle in Starship Troopers and basically calling Americans fascists to their faces. And the crowd cheered. Legend.

[@bruceli9094]

Ironically Verhoeven films are quintessentially Hollywood. Total recall, Robocop, Starship troopers etc

[@donaldduck830]

Well, I loved the movie. Elizabeth B was hotter than lava and she was a strong woman. The allegations of misogyny were lies, as usual.

[@nenirouvelliv]

David Lynch, Verhoven and Cronenberg, the trinity of greatness.

[@tqrules01]

Violence, power, money, influence, greed, hate, pain, endurance, these themes where always explored and you felt it.

[@Rick-rs2mj]

"Flesh + Blood" is my favorite Verhoeven film. It's an underrated and obscure movie, but a masterpiece nonetheless. It didn't get the exposure it deserved perhaps in part because Verhoeven depicted the middle ages a little *too* accurately..

[@johnkelly7757]

Very true

[@SydNixon]

Recollecting his career, Kyle MacLaughlin said this about Showgirls: "When your agent tells you not to do a movie, listen to him!"

[@SydNixon]

I'm so glad that I saw the R-rated Showgirls. If I saw the NC-17 version, I would have needed therapy for decades!

[@Yes-Yes1]

Never understood the Showgirls hate. Love that movie.

[@danielgranda896]

I was a child of the 80s and grew up on Orion Pictures. Flesh & Blood was the first one I remember at 9 or 10 years old but Robocop is the one that had a profound effect on me. See I grew up in suburb of Detroit and I had never seen such visceral violence. Paul’s films are always going to deliver: A cast that is beautiful, hyper violence, sex, what-have-u, and two stories, the movie and the lesson. The movies you covered are all classics in my opinion. I loved how everyone hated Basic Instinct and Show Girls, made me just want to watch them more. I have always felt Verhoeven was finding the taboo in whatever his film was about and jamming it all in your eyeballs. Knowing what life was BEFORE the Internet makes his work all the more special. Younger folks will have a harder time understanding how unique these movies were at release. Great video!

[@rockstardeath8558]

That call-to-action earned my sub

[@Noobs4020]

This is an absolutely beautifully put together homage of Verhovens work. Really well done 🫡

[@eyespy3001]

Showgirls will hopefully one day be widely recognized as the most misunderstood movie ever made. It’s a work of genius. Much in the same way that David Lynch intentionally made Twin Peaks as a cheesy soap opera to comment on the state of television at the time, Verhoeven intentionally made Showgirls “bad” as a comment on Hollywood at the time. He was basically saying, “if you like tits, ass, and and trash, here you go. I made this for you. Eat it up!”

[@DW-lx9wt]

work of genius? what?! the only thing good in the film are some of the shots. the acting is wooden, the dance scenes are terrible and the plot is cliché. Boogie Nights is how you tackle a film like this well. i dont believe any director has intentionally made a bad film that will flop at the box office just to appease a margin of society. Lynch is leagues ahead of Verhoeven. The only reasons Verhoeven has had success is excellent scripts. his films are always terribly cast and he makes the average actors in them seem even more wooden EVERY TIME. look at all the films listed above and every one of them has pretty wooden performances throughout and these are meant to be his better films?? one of the most overrated directors of all time.

[@eyespy3001]

@@DW-lx9wt Cool. Merry Christmas.

[@vanbinsbergentv]

@@DW-lx9wt Are you perhaps the kid of the showgirl babe? :)

[@YtuserSumone-rl6sw]

It wasn't a bad movie. It was well done. I didn't agree with tge critics at all. I don't think it's some masterpiece either. Moral of the story: Don't let others decide for you what you are supposed to appreciate. People hide or are unaware of their motives/triggers.

[@denverharrington8768]

I loved this presentation. Captured the aesthetics of Verhoven wonderfully. Kudos

[@DanielPestanaTranslations]

Wow, I had no idea people disliked Showgirls that much. I was 17 when I watched it and I loved it, and some of the scenes stayed with me. A curious thing is that my all time favorite film “Before Sunrise” came out in the same year and had a profound effect on me.

[@MrTebrown]

All of these movies are ease to dismiss, but are subtle works of art.

[@kavk3874]

Well done. Sometimes you can’t hear the person speaking over the back ground noise. Which is annoying but shows how well you gripped me because I want every micro detail

[@oniiz8685]

Paul Verhoeven is a masterclass, there is no doubt if his films were helmed by American directors they would've been very safe & conventional projects, his European flair & sensibilities brought "BALLS" to Hollywood cinema that is sorely missed, his collaborations with the late great Basil Poledouris brought such wonderful orchestral efforts starting with his US debut 1985's Flesh + Blood the medieval epic with the late great Rutger Hauer, Robocop & Starship Troopers, it is so great to hear that he's returning to the US & re-teaming with Ed Neumeier from their Robocop & Starship Troopers collaborations for an erotic thriller "Young Sinner" :)

[@agadorspartacus650]

Verhoeven is much needed today. We have nothing like his intellect in any action films today.

[@brycesuderow3576]

I remember being really upset when everybody attacked starship troopers. I thought they were just misguided.

[@robertjackson8246]

The man put Doogie Howser in a Nazi uniform - how much clearer could he have made it?

[@matthewdylla6090]

For starters read the book? They're not Nazis ​@@robertjackson8246

[@putty-e2872]

@@robertjackson8246 it has to be made shockingly obvious so that even sympathiser think it is satirical (if he dial it down, then obviously, some people will think it's their fantasy to live that way).

[@maxpiemuse9584]

Fans of the book were disappointed, as fans of just about any book Hollywood attempts to put on the big screen. If you just take the film for what it is, it's a pretty entertaining guilty pleasure.

[@CiardisInferno99]

I'm not a fan of Starship Troopers - I think Robocop did the same satire better, with characters I actually cared about - but I can't deny the movie's impact

[@halsinden]

that was a really refreshing take on the prudish attitudes that developed in the 80s and which is very much coming back round in respect of cinema in the present day. it would've been nice to see some coverage of benedetta though as well perhaps?

[@Olhor10]

Starship Troopers and Robocop are among my top 3 my favourite movies of all time.

[@gre-vo]

Oh wow, I used to watch verhoeven movies on VHS with really bad Russian dubbing as a kid, robocop & total recall blew my mind as an 80s Soviet kid.

[@Javier99999]

I watched all these movies before I was even 10. And never knew as a kid wouldn't, that they were all directed by the same man. They all happened to be my favorite movies. It's like he was always pushing the violence and sex and even as a kid it thrilled me without knowing exactly what it was.

[@anthonybha4510]

Fantastic production. Thank you for making this

[@alejandrokim8484]

I remember when I saw Robocop for the first time back in the 80´s, I've never saw anything like that and I felt at that very moment that I was witnessing the born of a classic, now 40 years later I confirming that.

[@_.stargazer._]

I think, the 'tragedy' of verhoeven lies in the fact that he needed american level of budgets to make his sci fi visions into films, and therefore the films were mainly aimed at american audiences who were unable to see behind surface level of meaning

[@_.stargazer._]

@@TheJeremyKentBGross the american critics are a part of the american audience

[@brushstroke3733]

We Americans do not have a monopoly on zombie group think. It's pretty much rampant worldwide. Get off your high horse.

[@StuartQuinn]

I'm English, not American - but surely most people who love his films do get them? I watched RoboCop as a teenager for the guns and robots, but the critique of corporations wasn't exactly subtext - it was pretty much the main plot.

[@robfalgiano]

Or that’s his genius. He knows that not everyone is going to realize the satire but in the guise of mainstream big budget movie making he hammers the theme home while still providing “surface entertainment.”

[@indyspotes3310]

I appreciate your comment. Not for its insight into your obnoxious condescension, but rather for its saving me from wasting hours of my time investigating further videos from the creator of this channel who clearly endorses the sentiment. Thank you very much.

[@markp6062]

VERY well done! Thanks for sharing!

[@iurk0_streaming]

I get a "my movies end up making the opposite point of the point I'm trying to make" vibe from Verhoeven

[@mfbobyle6771]

I love Verhovens movies. I rewatch them all the time. I loved Starship Troopers as a kid for the sheer action spectacle and missed the satire. As a 13 year old you just see action and boobs, you miss the fascism. I think that goes to show how powerful propaganda can be.

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

Especially when it came out just before the War of Terror, where Muslims were portrayed as Bugs and invaders, even though we know that asteroid was an inside job

[@cally77777]

@@Uncanny_Mountain Well we don't know that. As a conspiracy, its just too elaborate. Also I saw George Bush after 9/11. Unless he's an A* class actor, he looked like a little boy who'd been caught with his pants down. He was thinking, 'why the fuck did this happen on my watch, and what the hell do I do now?' But that's not really the point. The Iraqis had nothing to do with 9/11, that was made in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless Bush used it to whip up patriotism, so that he could take revenge on the dictator who his dad hadn't finished off, and make Americans think it was for 9/11. And to wipe out the memory of his failure to protect America. And the rest is history, and follows the same pattern as Starship Troopers, whip up outrage, propagandise youth to sign up as cannonfodder, lash out at the nearest target. But maybe in the film, the asteroid was a false flag.

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

@@cally77777 wow, you're so intellectual and superior with your strawman arguments and appeals to the same authorities currently funding and arming a Holocaust against semitic people that they deny even exist The whole thing has come full circle White Supremacist Terrorists using Yudaism as an alibi, Naxis just did a change of Uniform

[@Uncanny_Mountain]

Also Truckbombs Like the one caught on the George Washington bridge that day, covered up by Ghouliani, a member of Opus Dei, like Bill Barr, and half of the Supreme Court The fascist Gaslighting doesn't work anymore Princess

[@snorpenbass4196]

@@cally77777 So there's a difference between the conspiracy theories that have appeared around 9/11. There's the silly ones where the US literally attacked itself. Then there's the unfortunately more realistic ones where the intelligence agencies deliberately didn't tell Bush the Saudis were prepping an attack (Saudi Arabia were the money behind the attacks, not Iraq or Afghanistan) in order to let it happen. Starship Troopers sadly predicted the very same thing.

[@greg4254]

I wish there was more content on youtube like this. But this only works because I love Vorhoeven's work so this was entertaining from start to finish.

[@gutspraygore]

Imagine being so beautiful that you literally have to address it with absolutely no sense of ego. It seems like an incredible gift just as much as an incredible burden.

[@johnberry5296]

Best video I’ve seen in ages. Nail hit directly on head. New subscriber here!

[@michaelgarfield]

Lovely video essay! More like this, please.

[@Whaddayamean13]

Verhoeven is the master at reminding you that you’re watching a movie without taking you out of the movie. The R rated elements in his movies were always done with a kick so it brought a sense of humor to what, on paper, are very dark elements. Great filmmaker

[@Epoch11]

I'm not sure who this young lady is, but that was a wonderful analysis. I hope you bring her back in the future. I went to go see Showgirls at the movie theaters when it came out because I had literally just turned 17, and I, in fact, did not like it. But based on everything she just said, I might have to take another look with hopefully a more mature perspective, hopefully.

[@synapticmemoryseepage4447]

Very interesting discussion and analysis. Thanks Walter and Yakimenko!

[@vanbinsbergentv]

He needs to make one more sci fi masterpiece and pass the torch!

[@HuplesCat]

The Mote in Gods Eye really needs a film

[@lisaboban]

In "Starship Troopers" Verhoven was holding up a mirror to the American fascination with war and fascism. BTW, so was the author of the book that movie was based on. And I absolutely LOVE both that movie and that book.

[@mikfhan]

Yeah it goes for many of the films - maybe the many years of hollywood indoctrination until then had taught the audience that "war is fiction" it does not happen to you, but the explicit stuff from Showgirls & similar was not ingrained nearly as much for american audiences. Violence and gore, sure thing, but nudity and sex, outrage. It was harder to brush off as just hollywood fiction. Not an easy thing to throw on a whole theater audience compared to just a VHS you watch back home. War and murder was "easier" for the audience. Scary.

[@ryanpeck3377]

You and Verhoven obviously didn’t understand the book then

[@justinlowrey7922]

​@@ryanpeck3377Verhoeven did understand the book. That's why he satirized it with his film.

[@AdamPutnam-ur8td]

​@@ryanpeck3377 the book itself was a satire.

[@poindextertunes]

@@ryanpeck3377sounds like maybe you didn’t understand the book? 😬

[@SavagesInMyTown]

i like how the video was edited

[@RodgerRamjet]

critics hate Paul for the very reason We movie goers love him. he is "balls out" in every movie, no holds barred, no boundary left "un-pushed"..

[@christianvaneeden7460]

Excellent content and analysis. Thank you.

[@lisaboban]

Did I miss the name of the person providing the commentary? She's brilliant and insightful and I'd love to hear more fom her.

[@matthewcochran3325]

2:26 Olga Yakimenko

[@RightNowMan]

Pay closer attention, it'll increase your comprehension. Keep your game tight and you'll be alright.

[@salmonella7993]

​@@RightNowManKeep your game tight and your ass tighter! The boys love that shit ;)

[@KevRyanCG]

Lol damn, your edit of Total Recall got me to subscribe (also the fantastic video of one of my favourite directors helped too)

[@HeartlessNinny1]

You know satire is truly biting when most people watching it don't even realize that it's satire to begin with.

[@FrankJonen]

Have critics ever been right about anything?

[@thoughtfuldoomguy]

The editing on this video is elite tier. Incredible work.

[@LongReachOne]

Thank you I really appreciate this video, it gives me a lot to think about. :)

[@therantingboy]

Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers is the perfect scifi trilogy.

[@beerenmusli8220]

This was very enlightening and a great explanation!

[@galenicalhoover6508]

What a well done piece this is. Thank you.

[@andrewh3079]

Fantastic Video. Verhoeven made a majority of my favorite movies.

[@alangunn7254]

I watched Starship troupers when it first came out in a cinema near Edinburgh. After the first shocking battle scene, there was complete silence in the audience, apart from one girl who laughed nervously. I heard a guy say to someone, "She thinks this is FUNNY!!"

[@DamienWalter]

Chimps laugh when we're terrified

[@HuplesCat]

Scots! 😂I screamed watching Gremlins when he popped up with a chainsaw. The entire packed theatre laughed at me.

[@Pushing_Pixels]

@@HuplesCat Gremlins was a brutal film, with a body count higher than most slasher movies, yet it was marketed at kids and rated PG. I honestly don't think it would get made today, but such were the 80's.

[@user-gv4cx7vz8t]

She probably recognized the violence as over the top. My son laughed all through Pulp Fiction. I was so shocked I missed much of the satire.

[@marcocatano554]

This great stuff Damien. A very thoughtful take on a very underrated director,

[@toskvision]

I wouldn't say he's underrated. His films were mostly very successful - if not notorious - and revered by many people.

[@orangewarm1]

It hardly ever gets mentioned that Showgirls is simply All About Eve, updated with sex. My friends and I loved showgirls. We went to see it twice when we were in uni. We are straight men.

[@thefisherking78]

Makes me wanna see everything he ever directed that I haven't already seen

[@papalonghawkins]

Amazing commentary from Olga. Thank you.

[@DominiqEffect]

Robocop is about a guy who die and still must go to work as a corpo-slave with no rights.

[@VilleHalonen]

Nice video and I'm looking forward to the podcast episode. One minor thing, though: why talk about Verhoeven in the past tense? While he's not been as active as he used to be, he's still making movies that are well worth checking out.

[@TopcatsLair]

This is so brilliant. Puts into words what I love about Verhoeven

[@cmfrtblynmb02]

Verhoeven is Dutch. He has the directness of a dutch person. He was not beating around the bushes when he showed something. He is raw but also very aesthetic. And he is an outsider to US, as a result he has good observations of the culture there. I can't believe there was a time when the box office offered his movies. Adult cinema is dying. Now all we get is the comfort sh.t. 23rd movie taking in the same universe. Sequels to prequels.

[@marcuskirsch4128]

Interesting the point on Showgirls that it makes men uncomfortable to see it like that. its a pattern in his movies, discomfort through camp overdialing of reality.

[@yegorlymarev5382]

Thank you! Loved your points on Verhoven's films. The Showgirls review was totally in sync with my thoughts about that case.

[@thebarbaryghostsf]

That's how I fet the first time I saw Showgirls too. I found the over acting was very purposeful, and intentional. The actual story is horribly depressing, which might also be a reason so many people hated it. But I never got the hate myself either.

[@michaelrusso8466]

This is a great point. I rewatched Showgirls tonight. Behind the exuberant veneer of camp is a story that's a little too real, right up to the redemptionless ending. We like to think we're so progressive in the 21st century, but no studio would dare to make a film about exploitation without smothering it in finger-wagging moralism. Showgirls pissed people off not because it was overacted, but because it cut a little too close to the bone.

[@wifegrant]

Talking about Starship Troopers. The US military just dropped their High School and GED requirements to join the army and navy. They last time they became less picky was a year before the Iraq War, Vietnam, and WW2.

[@julius-stark]

Verhoeven is simply one of those directions who sets out to do what he wants to do and does it, regardless of whether you like it or or threatens your sensibilities or makes you uncomfortable. Whenever I hear he's making a movie I have to see it just because I know it's not going to be the same old trash we've been getting. Even Showgirls, for all its campy faults, is more interesting than pretty much all the CGI-fests we've been getting.

[@ValQuinn]

Verhoeven is an underrated master. What is the name of the interviewee? That explanation of the negative reaction to Showgirls strikes me as just right. P.S. Fans of video essays and Verhoeven should check out Kyle Kallgren's amazing and very personal youtube essay about him, about growing up in the Netherlands and the Netherlands' experience of occupation in WW2. One of the best video essayists out there.

[@simonspoke]

This video is a love letter to Paul. ❤

[@boowiebear]

He hits way more than he missed and his hits are amazing.

[@cericat]

He never missed, it's more that we often missed his point because we weren't engaging with the material the way he does. A perfect example from the man himself of how he considers potential audiences and I don't think he's wrong especially in recent years, "Hollow Man leads you by the hand and takes you with Sebastian into teasing behaviour, naughty behaviour and then really bad and ultimately evil behaviour. At what point do you abandon him? I'm thinking when he rapes the woman would probably be the moment that people decide, 'This is not exactly my type of hero', though I must say a lot of viewers follow him further than you would expect."

[@cartoonfan959]

we needed more Paul Verhoeven action movies

[@-Zakhiel-]

He made other movies outside of Hollywood (before and after that period). If you're not really into drama I would suggest to you one of his best movies : Black Book.

[@chrisricks6363]

Showgirls is a cinematic masterpiece

[@bjorn2625]

Starship Troopers is a masterpiece, probably his best amongst all his other masterpieces. It has seven layers of interpretation and works at all layers. Absolutely stunning vision that touches on every complexity man holds.

[@cs8712]

"In order to defeat the bug, we must eat the bug" - Klaus

[@EerieV23]

Wait, the director of Robocop and Total Recall also did Showgirl and Basic Instinct. Mind blown...

[@j4v3l73]

This is a reason to watch he's Dutch movies

[@TamasKalman]

fantastic video, thank you

[@khomo12]

Great director!👍👍👍 I have several of his Hollywood and dutch produced movies on dvd!! Thank you!!🙏🙏🙏

As a science fiction fan, I know a lot of people who hate Verhoeven's version of Starship Troopers. A big part of that is that they didn't WANT a satire. They wanted a movie that told the story that Heinlein wrote, not something that mocked the message of the book. Did Heinlein intend the message of Starship Troopers to be taken seriously? Hard to know. He's the same author who wrote Stranger in a Strange Land, which had a very different message. Whatever the author's intent was, some fans DID take it very seriously.

[@HuplesCat]

Both are expressions of anti government. SIASL profoundly affected me as a teen. I voted three times for Thatcher. Thankfully I grew up and became socialist

[@user-gv4cx7vz8t]

​@@HuplesCat What an unusual trajectory after Heinlein! I became and stayed anti big government. Stranger was called the hippie bible. But I also learmed TAANSTAAFL. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. 😄

[@HuplesCat]

@@user-gv4cx7vz8t I would say it was the book that affected me as a teen. More than Mote in Gods Eye or Foundation or even Dune. Yet it took until my 30s for me to accept socialism. My inner self knew!

[@Dacijo]

@@HuplesCat lol

[@misarthim6538]

Starship Troopers is such a fascinating piece of media. Verhoeven actually refused to read the book because he thought it's obviously a fascist propaganda, so he made a movie based on what he thought the book was obviously about. But he preserved enough of the book to still make it possible to see that he unknowingly misinterpreted the book. So you end up with weird situation in which the movie shows you fascist-like iconography but otherwise there nothing else fascist in the movie. And the reaction is equally fascinating. You have one group of people who just like it as a cool action flick. Then you have supposedly smart people who picked up the fascist iconography and treat it is scathing satirical depiction of fascist regime and critique of propaganda. And then you have people who actually read the book or really paid attention to what is actually happening in there and who are confused why there's so much fascist iconography.

[@jackr2287]

Service Guarantees Citizenship.

[@HuplesCat]

The best podcast advert ever btw 😂

[@johnhenderson1037]

Robo, Recall and Troopers are 3 of my fav films and i have watched them 100s of times over

[@orpheus9037]

The interesting thing about Verhoeven's films is that even if you didn't like this or that particular title, you still saw them when they were originally released in the theaters. There was a wild, cynical, at times tasteless exuberance about them which made them enjoyable - and they definitely were not like other American popcorn movies. We also now recognize that his films came packing a trenchant subtext of critique - critiques of the film and entertainment system, capitalism, technology, crime, justice, the military and on and on, all of which left the viewer feeling a bit queasy in the stomach at the tend of each film (though the viewer didn't always know why). In short, his films entertained, but also disturbed and provoked, and you couldn't just leave a Verhoeven film at the door as you walked out of the cinema. Without a doubt, his great masterpiece is Starship Troopers, deceptively presented in the guise of a cheesy sci-fi B movie, that offers a devastatingly satirical critique of war films, their portrayals of heroism and grandeur and the incipient fascism, made flatly obvious here, that is woven within. Star Troopers still remains news and is the subject of continuous discourse.

[@Mornomgir]

Starship troopers especially has alot of deeper meaning. You can see the reflections through several of his films, total recall and robocop especially. The entire premise is from the "utopian ideal" a philosophical conundrum into what the greater good for humanity would actually be. As in the perfect world. Its quite obvious that Paul was smitten by the dystopian path.

[@randomhero523]

I need to know the work and composer of the intro piece, please… it’s great. Also good vid in general, ty.

[@Unworshipediety]

That was just beautiful to watch.

[@uriadelavaro3956]

Great video. Love all Verhoeven's Hollywood contributions. And as mentioned in this video, I have never seen the bad in Showgirls.

[@percheroneclipse238]

Robo Cop is so relevant, now. Everything.

[@j4v3l73]

Even a modern cars.. SUX 😅

[@saml302]

RoboCop is possibly my favorite movie of all time. PV is a filmmaker who in every US film he made, he showed us a reflection of ourselves. this is how the rest of the world sees us. and every time it's so ugly we barely recognize us.

[@1000000man1]

I love his solutions to problems. When the studio wanted to cut the toxic waste man scene in Robocop, he added a specific question for test audiences about what they thought of that particular scene. They loved it, and so Verhoeven had all he needed to convince the studio to keep it in. And for the shower scene in Starship Troopers, what got the actors to agree to get naked and shoot the scene was that he agreed to direct it while also being naked. They probably thought he wouldn't do it. He didn't care 🤣

[@phillipbolin8891]

What is the source for the opening music during the introduction?