WTF Happened to Starship Troopers?

[@dakanoa]

In my opinion "Starship troopers" is a masterpiece. A MASTERPIECE! Greetings from Bavaria germany

[@VGI4NI]

I'm in Dayton Ohio USA n I agree 100%

[@jamesb5]

Agree

[@PatrickJDoyle-bw3fu]

On one of my deployments to the middle east, I brought "Starship Troopers" and the movie "Boys from Company C", crowd favorites.

[@Majorqueefdouche3040]

This and robocop are my childhood

[@rozzbozzgames]

Totally agree, its a fantastic film, I think the audience was expecting something else and didnt get it perhaps, but its a great satire, and an excellent sci-fi action film.

[@aziris7257]

Starship Troopers wasn't a horror movie. It was an action satire.

[@hardmarciacrush3338]

And the book was a political manifesto.

[@grimmface12]

words straight out of my mouth...

[@hardmarciacrush3338]

@@grimmface12 I read that book and went Airborne in the US Army. Crazy...

[@grimmface12]

@@hardmarciacrush3338 uh?! okay, I guess?

[@hardmarciacrush3338]

@@grimmface12 Yeah. It worked out quite well.

[@MrDanAng1]

I like Star Ship Troopers for what it is. Although, I have never seen anyone call it a horror movie before.

[@kingklank6732]

That's what I said.!

[@Jdo4031]

STARSHIP TROOPERS not Star Ship Troopers one word on the starship

[@DEADELV1S]

I loved this movie when it came out and still do, i never knew it was a flop though.

[@JoBloHorrorOriginals]

Ahead of its time! That's why IMO.

[@mmmuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiirrrrr]

I remember liking it, but being confused bc I was pretty young and it was SAYING all this stuff was good that didn't sound right, to me. I knew SOMETHING was happening, but I didn't completely get that it was supposed to be subversive. I just thought the movie was lying to itself. Lol

[@ce4162]

Me too! I never knew that this movie didn’t do good. I actually just bought the dvd at Half Priced Books last weekend.

[@Shadow__133]

Everyone, except hollywood loved it.

[@irishjoe2941]

I was a kid when I seen this the first time and loved it

[@HannahGuitars]

To quote Ray Wylie Hubbard - "The problem with irony is - not everybody gets it".

[@joelellis7035]

The tricky thing is to have enough people "get it". That's not the case with this movie. Frankly, what broke me out of the suspension of disbelief was how they said that the bugs sent an asteroid from half-way across the galaxy to impact on earth. I was thinking that the bugs must have had several millions of years of forethought to enact that plan.

[@aurahalo9]

The bugs in the movie, although CGI, were superbly done. I mean, you felt like you were facing them, and they were aggressive and thoughtless in their killing.

[@stopaskingforrealnames3853]

This movie has some of the best special effects TODAY.

[@randybarnett2308]

Just imagine if the Starship Troopers were armed with Civil War era weapons !👍💪🤠🗡🔫

[@davidmayberry3190]

Isn't half of the point that the humans were thoughtless in their killing?

[@dvt1393]

@@davidmayberry3190 That's exactly the point. That the humans are just as mindlessly violent and indiscriminately murderous as the savage bugs that they looked down on. The humans were even bigger monsters than the monsters they were fighting. Sadly, nobody at the time seems to have been able to recognize and comprehend the satire. I'm sure that plenty of people still miss the intent that.

[@mdc123-v2v]

Dina Meyer and Denise Richards in this were what teenage dreams were made of.

[@adrianocollinzo5712]

Facts

[@earnierosenow9834]

dina meyer all the way, better looking, denise was a prude

[@earnierosenow9834]

@معارج حسن denice richards allbeit beautiful has no class she slept with charlie sheen

[@roshawn1111]

@@earnierosenow9834 Denise Richards looked better when she was younger but she hasnt aged well, Dina Meyer on the other hand might not have looked as good, but my good has she aged well, she still looks almost the same.

[@roshawn1111]

@@earnierosenow9834 how in the fuck did it prove your statement? you simply insulted the lady because she prefers something your dont. Im simply point out one has age better than the other regardless of what dick, if any they like.

[@azairman]

I remember watching this movie everytime I spent the night at friends houses. I still enjoy watching it and the CGI is better than some of today's movies

[@thecountofmontecristo2796]

"Would you like to know more?"

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes! I would

[@randybarnett2308]

Why not !😎

[@blankchck]

Beat me to it.

[@subterreanhighrise]

When I watched it for the first time I was too young to understand the satire and I thought "man that's a really great action movie". Some years later I thought I might rewatch it, as I remembered it as being kick ass. You can imagine my (very pleasant) surprise when I understood the depth of it. It's really great and works for both genres.

[@lordred8017]

I remember my thoughts after leaving the theatre. "That was the best movie I've ever seen."

[@PsychoholicSlag83]

I so fucking regret not having seen this in theaters... or maybe not. I didn't like it the first time I saw, I admit I didn't understand it back then

[@kevinfarley7302]

It's one of the few movies I've watched three times ! Love its WW2 classical references. And BOTH those women are HOT !

[@mistercohaagen]

I remember seeing it in a theater full of totally thrilled people. I don't know what the critics were smoking, Verhoeven is easily one of my favorite directors of all time.

[@amccutcheon1988]

I was a little kid sneaking into the theater to watch this and was like holy shit!

[@masterofthedeathwing2839]

@@mistercohaagen you should probably check the early life sections of those critics on wikipedia. There is a pattern.

[@indianajones901]

It was Saved by the Bell meets Full Metal Jacket set in the future. Classic flick.

[@tokershark1570]

Great description!

[@fellowcitizen]

Junior!

[@justbanging_mammooth7779]

One of my favorite movie !!! Must have seen it over 100 times lol. Denise Richards was my dreamgirl back in the days.

[@scottvincent184]

This is honestly the perfect movie, released at the wrong time..

[@abonny]

@Drew Taylor Not getting the novel is not a problem of the film. Judge the film on its own terms, not of what you think it should have been. It's a satire action film. Only losely inspired by the book.

[@Davis30b]

@Drew Taylor Orienting society and political power around service to the state is the main aspect of fascism.

[@bessarion1771]

This was a HORRIBLE movie. EVERYTHING about it sucked.

[@scottvincent184]

@@bessarion1771 well, explain everything wrong with it. I'll read without prejudice, I'm always open to other opinions. It may not change my own but I won't disregard you're personal opinion, I respect any feeling of this story.

[@bessarion1771]

@@scottvincent184 OK, first of all, it would work if it was changed into a comedy, but it was not. Compare the way combat was filmed in Aliens to that in Starship Troopers. It was just laughable. The dialog was straight from 90210 ("5,4, ready, steady...") and so were the hair styles. The power suits were introduced only in ST3 - Starship Troopers were ALL about the powered suits. There was NOTHING militaristic about any of the training, and if you are going to attack fast and deadly aliens, moving forward in a straight line with mincing steps and firing from the hip went out in 1800s as a viable tactics. So has a willful injuring of recruits during training. That movie might have been salvaged if it was a parody of the book, but it was definitely too serious about itself to get away with it. Like I said, I cannot wait to see a REAL Starship Troopers movie - the one that actually follows the book. However, there were a few good scenes - Dizzy Flores death was good, albeit it's is only a minor incident in the first chapter of the book. Which I strongly suggest you read.

[@briandain8432]

Absolutely Excellent Retrospective! Not often I see a video that is so good I will easily watch two or 3 more times. Aside from the Audio Commentary, this is the BEST way to Appreciate a Great underrated Movie.

[@margaretchayka6878]

Same problem with Firefly. Too cool for the mundane masses.

[@bessarion1771]

ST was not "cool," it was ridiculous.

[@turtleanton6539]

@@bessarion1771 no u are

[@margaretchayka6878]

@@bessarion1771 Ridiculous on purpose. We'll have to agree to disagree.

[@bessarion1771]

@@margaretchayka6878 No, actually it wasn't. It was never meant to be a parody of anything. It was meant to be anti-militaristic, but not in a funny or sarcastic sense. The fact that it was being perceived as such only shows how bad that movie really was.

[@edopalansky4173]

i agree loved this movie and was dissapointed that firefly didnt last long

[@nickmattio3397]

“The Only Good Bug Is A DEAD Bug! >8•O”. -“Medic! >8•O” Btw, never trust a guy around your gf with the name “Zander”

[@jackspringheel9963]

The best movie line ever - "Medic!"

[@iamme4552]

It wasn’t a horror movie. It was a military-centered space opera.

[@tonyblatchford7383]

Just bought this movie in 4k. Amazing. Still love watching it.

[@elijahsalinas5450]

I didn’t know it was released in 4K I’m buying it right now. Good lookin out

[@Darksagan]

Starship Troopers is a cult classic now. I watch it at least once every year. lol

[@alexmelendez6732]

One of the best sci fi popcorn flicks to watch in 4K today. I wish they would have re-released this in 3D. I never get tired of this movie at all.

[@blackmamba32goat]

Starship troopers was awesome!!!!!

[@mirkozohren1805]

This is among the view movies I can NOT stop to watch when it is on. It is for all the reasons among my top movies of all time. It's a little sad, that it didn'nt make big money at the BO, but really, I don't care and I just love this gem.

[@juice_box_jax]

Edge Of Tomorrow absolutely nailed the power-suits and jump gear that Starship Troopers couldn't include.

[@jamesrobinson2086]

It was scripted and planned, with something like 4 more acts intended... but Paul Verhoeven went WAY over budget and they got cut... an emergency re-write 'closed' most of the story holes caused by it.

[@tokershark1570]

Edge of tomorrow nailed a lot of things, it’s a shame so many anti cruise people won’t see it, that was almost me, glad I watched it, great movie .

[@kerbalairforce8802]

@@tokershark1570 Edge of Tomorrow is great for 2 kinds of people. One's who love Tom Cruise, and those who would enjoy watching him die over and over again.

[@tokershark1570]

@@kerbalairforce8802 hahaha!

[@kevinfarley7302]

@@tokershark1570 Yes, it is a great movie !

[@maples328]

I think 🤔 it was a little ahead of its time in mainstream satire (ironic since it was based on an older novel). I loved it and one of the few movies I can watch over like once a year.

[@mallninja9805]

People get all wrapped up in the "Satire" element that they overlook the fact that the movie has absolutely nothing to do with the book. Dizzy, the main romantic interest for 75% of the movie, dies on page 1. Oh, and is also a dude. Verhoeven didn't satirize Starship Troopers, he made a completely different story with some of the same names and vaguely similar themes.

[@paulcooper8818]

That's what makes the movie great, it doesn't follow the dumb boring book.

[@dancrane3807]

@@paulcooper8818 The book was great, this was a B-movie.

[@andrecredland1732]

@@dancrane3807 totally agree, but probably too interlectually demanding for most movie goers to follow.

[@Kurlach]

It’s a film; I’m not going to the cinema to read a book. It doesn’t have to have anything to do with the book, whether we like that or not.

[@mallninja9805]

​@@Kurlach So he should have written his own story instead of ripping off Heinleins title, settings, and character names? I'm cool with that too.

[@trajan74]

Dina Meyer is hotter than Denise Richards. Fight me.

[@MrShadowpanther3]

No argument.

[@brianhays1797]

Agree

[@johannesandersson9477]

Oh it’s fighting time..

[@ucitymetalhead]

In some ways yes.

[@coldchillin8382]

As a teen I preferred her. Thought she was hot while Denise was more of the girl next door

[@DerykRonk]

What happened to it is described well my Jesse V Johnson in my interview of him. The director told the studio he was not going to listen to them and it got defunded, and STILL became an amazing film and a classic.

[@bradpeterson7957]

Just picked up the 4K Blu-Ray last month! The film looks and sounds great, and it's still a blast after all these years!!

[@qbatmobile]

So Starship troopers is a horror, right? Is it as scary as Twilight or scarier then Hudson Hawk?

[@maximkammerer2813]

My favorite anti-war movie! Also: Pure genius CGI!

[@edwardanderson4678]

@Stefan Kraft Read the bloody book ya bloody Drongo.

[@edwardanderson4678]

@Stefan Kraft So you Read the book back in the 1960's, then you re-read it, made notes and then, as you were studying Politics you looked around at the US assassinations and riots and somehow decided that was preferable to a society based on peaceful prosperity with voting franchise limited to those who wanted to earn it? You do realise that the war with the bugs and the Skinnies was a mere chapter in the Federation's Existence AND that it had only just started.

[@danlotroth9231]

How does anyone get anti-war from this movie or book. Please watch it again and read it lol. Heinlein might be the deepest author, but it's the reflection of society that's he pokes fun at. If anti war sci fi, trys the forever war, or perhaps Amtrak war from the same era. Or maybe later on reading The requium for homo sapiens by zindell lol

[@taotaostrong]

This movie was fun in the worst and most ridiculous way. It’s the SHOWLGIRLS of sci-fi. I love it.

[@MrKrtek00]

Except for this movie is how it is by design, unlike Showgirls, which is just crap.

[@TheSighphiguy]

@@MrKrtek00 Showgirls is wonderfully bad and TOTALLY watchable.

[@Puschit1]

I liked Showgirls. Never understood all the hate. It's like people feel pressure to call it crap just because. It has some weird scenes but that can be said of many movies that are highly rated. Acting was actually decent and the plot not that bad. I guess it's the nudity, something americans seem to have all sorts of problems with.

[@moneycarsguns9837]

I was fortunate to see Starship Troopers opening week. Been in love ever since.

[@josephsawyer3982]

This is definitely one of my favorite science fiction movies.

[@MatiasGeraldoThe2nd]

LOVE me some starship troopers. Always have. I’ve never forgotten this movie. Ever since I was a kid I thought it was EPIC. And funny! Thank you for this. I love when true film lovers look at movies that are fun for everybody to hate and then highlight everything that should be appreciated. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@jeffpray2915]

If starship troopers we're released today in 2020, it would have huge financial success

[@seble]

In 2020 it wouldn't, because of the virus.

[@freakymoviedude]

Fox News and the Bible Belt would have been furious over the uni bathroom scene 😋

[@bessarion1771]

Yeah, it's practically a woke trash.

[@tintomara6209]

@@bessarion1771 Perhaps Triumph of the Will would be more your bag of tea?

[@bessarion1771]

@@tintomara6209 Perhaps you are a brainwashed Millenial. Just because I don't like an idiotic anti-something trash does not mean I support nazis. Heinlein was a great writer and his books are classics, as acknowledge by most SCi Fi writers (excluding the newest pro-communist brood). I don't need an anti-military assholes using them for their political "statements."

[@semignome]

Starship troopers in one of my top 10 movies.

[@valentinegordon2923]

Sincerely- What a well crafted, thoroughly researched, and thoughtfully impartial report on the sci-fi classic. I particularly enjoyed you explaining the dissonance between the source materials viewpoint and the satire of the films perspective

[@jamesbednar8625]

Good video!!! Have actually visited Hells Half Acre where this movie was filmed in Wyoming a few times. Used to travel towards the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks in 1990s-early 2000s and would travel US HWY 20/26 out of Casper, WY. There used to be a truck stop/restaurant at the location. Also, an overlook platform was in place with those giant binoculars that you have to put a quarter in fir it to work so you can see the scenery. beautiful scenery!!! In the 1990s, you were able to walk some hiking trails down into the valley and explore the rock formations and area. There was also a plaque at the store stating that was where the movie was filmed. My last trip through that area was sometime like 2005 or so, and everything was closed down/blocked off for whatever reason and access was denied to the trails and such - was all bummed out about that. Do not know if the area ever re-opened, for have not been up that way in a very long time.

[@dennisharz689]

I honestly am baffled how people were able to miss the obvious satire. I loved it back then for exactly that.

[@dudezillasf]

Clearly you underestimate just how dense American movie audiences can be.

[@johnnorman7708]

It's hard to believe, but I was a charter bus driver and was on the South Dakota set of Troopers for a week! Met some interesting people. FX, stunt, grip, props, and extras. The real nuts and bolts of movie making. Made me want to run away and join their circus. Btw., those functioning full auto space rifles were select fire Ruger Mini 14s mocked up. I got to inspect one closely. They were using standard military blank ammo. Inspected several rounds of those too. The weapons prop guys loaded the mags out of a 5 gallon bucket of mixed headstamp loose ammo. It was fun for a few days.

[@thecuriousgamingwarlock5026]

I love this movie, I remember watching it alot on VHS when I was about 8

[@michaelcasely8808]

Someone once said that you can not make an anti-war film because the audience will always miss the point.

[@robertanderson6929]

Pacifism like communism is an idea that only works if the people involved are not subject to human nature.

[@femstora]

@@robertanderson6929 I wonder what the founding fathers of Hiroshima would say about that

[@robertanderson6929]

@@femstora I don't think that line is in Heinlein's book. And that is a big issue with the movie. The disdain the director has for the source material comes through in almost every scene. Being a fan of the book it makes it hard for me to enjoy the movie.

[@justjamie3717]

@@robertanderson6929 To be honest, it's subversion of its own source material is almost my favorite part, and I love the book too.🤷🏼‍♂️

[@robertanderson6929]

@@justjamie3717 I agree. And I enjoy the movie for what it is. It's just that when any discussion of it occurs I think it is important to note that the book and movie share few things in common. There are soldiers and bugs in both. That's about it. I'm trying to think of a corollary. It would be as if the triple-K clan had made the miniseries Roots. Rather than treating the themes seriously the characters would be cartoons and the themes distorted by the producer's bias. For example, after seeing the movie people often claim the novel is a defense of fascism. It is not. Rather it is a criticism of the weakness of liberal democracies. This weakness is best summed up with the axiom, "That which is unearned has no value."

[@htfcm]

Damn, I didn’t know two people died filming that movie.

[@mackychloe]

I only saw "The spectacle" the satire was lost on me until I saw a YT review years back & the penny dropped. I'm pleased to say that I picked up on the "power armor" references, EOT came straight to mind. I'm also enjoying this content.

[@wstine79]

"Come on, you apes! You wanna live forever?!"

[@ddarkdomz]

I remember that the marketing for the films release in Singapore was the idea that this was a Star Wars movie that was told from the side of the empire.

[@firstlymclast3378]

I'm confused - having played StarCraft for hours in the late 1990's, I always thought Starship Troopers resembled this Blizzard game. So which came first? StarCraft or Starship Troopers? The bugs are Zerg, there are psy-ops soldiers, the news reels are basically the same, the movie wanted soldiers wearing power armour, they even wanted a version of Protoss / Xel'Naga (ie the Skinnies). And the bug hierarchy resemble Zerg hierarchies. Isn't the 'Zulu' siege similar to New Gettysburg? Hell, Terrans are Terrans in both the game and this movie.

[@andyjoelharper3448]

I loved this movie when it came out in 1997, I saw it twice at the theaters! I watched on HBO, owned the VHS, DVD, BluRay and now 4k! Who wants to live forever?!!!! LOL

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

Back in the day it was unthinkable that anyone couldn't see the satirical nature of this film. Since 2020, we now know just how many people really do view fascism favorably and so wouldn't "get" what Starship Troopers is doing.

[@chriscraven9335]

Pretty sure Casper Van Dein doesn't age. He looks exactly the same in the three low budget flicks he appears in every year.

[@johnjones_1501]

Starship Trooper's one big flaw, is that the last few moments should have been one of the main characters having a moment where they realize that they, the soldiers, were being exploited by the system, for the benefit of the privileged, over the well being of the ranks. One way you could have done this would be to have NPH discover he isn't really psychic, that his so-called abilities are all a trick, and an excuse to keep him, and the children of other privileged out of danger, while claiming that they met their service obligations, and that many other such units and projects existed in the military. The movie would have then ended with the war going on, and the ranks thinking they were on the side of right, while NPH watches on silently, knowing that earth started the conflict, and it is just all a big excuse to enrich the few at the expense of the many, and he can't do a damn thing about it.

[@beowulf1417]

As a few others have pointed out, straight off the bat you have the wrong genre with horror.

[@markholm6955]

Dude the “football” game was filmed as CSULB auditorium- I was a an extra in the crowd. The cheerleaders were the cheerleaders from The Raiders

[@guns2112]

Also the boot camp scenes was filmed at a emergency landing area for the Marines. It was in the the middle of Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, California.

[@jondrew55]

I don't know if this movie made any money, but it's in my list of classics. Maybe my favorite Verhoeven movie.

[@Ancientreapers]

6:29 Edge of Tomorrow (Live, Die, Repeat) did the power armor pretty good imo. Rather reminds me of those.

[@equinox2459]

If the kids of that era ran the Academy Awards, Starship Troopers would've been nominated for best picture.

[@watch-Dominion-2018]

5:08 - your use of that "we can ill afford" clip was perfect 😅

[@michaellangwaller]

When I saw the movie in theaters I had not yet read the book and thought that Heinlein was against a militaristic government, the movie goes out of its way to show how ineffective the military complex of that society was against a similarly structured bug civilization. I later found out that it was all the filmmakers vision. Reminds me a lot of Space: Above and Beyond with its military-industrial complex driving the military and government policy. The whole conflict for the series could have been easily solved by a peace treaty that was in process at the end of the season.

[@joeplaysvr6510]

Great analysis of one of my favorite movies of all time. I still find it unbelievable to this day how the irony/social commentary/criticism/satire was lost on so many critics and audience members alike back in the day.

[@johnjones_1501]

While power armor, like it was described in the book, would have been expensive, they could have basically covered them up like green storm troopers with open faced helmets, and claimed the "armor" was powered to give them super strength and reflexes.

[@phant0]

I don't care that it's supposed to be satire. If you switch your brain off and don't overthink it it is a very entertaining watch.

[@What.99]

14:18 Wait, Verhoeven got naked when they were shooting the shower scene? How come when I get naked to make someone feel more comfortable, it’s called “indecent exposure” and I get thrown in jail?

[@Egilhelmson]

You are not a totally wrong, critically acclaimed, Dutch film director. John Milius should have done it.

[@johnjones_1501]

This was pre-"Me Too". It probably did not make everyone feel as comfortable as he planned. Only question is if he forced everyone into a really uncomfortable shower orgy after shooting.

[@What.99]

@@johnjones_1501 Oh god. After I read your comment it popped into my head that he was walking around with a hard-on because of the naked girls in the scene lol.

[@abonny]

Movie critics not getting it is absolutely baffling to me. I watched it when I was around 12. As soon as the first propaganda videos were shown in the film I went: "Oh! They are making fun of fascists and their propaganda." Maybe that's because I'm German (we had our fair share of that shit here and learn about it in school), but that should not be an excuse for FILM CRITICS to be so completely tone-deaf.

[@WilliamFireWulf]

The whole Starship Troopers series of movies and animated movies are pretty good. The animated ones bring back some of the original cast for voices

[@regibson23]

The Jump Ball Arena was actually shot at Cal State Long Beach. My sister in law was an extra.

[@EdwoodCA]

*"Melrose Space"* I hadn't heard of that, but I love it, haha!

[@mitsosvasiliou5147]

An awesome movie, except I never understood why the marines pushed forward towards the bugs, instead of keeping a firing line since the arachnids were only dangerous at close range.

[@mindy1670]

I love starship troopers. Must be good to me, i've seen it so many times.

[@sesanti]

The reason this movie is so good is the war is just the background story. It narrates the life of the protagonists in the army, from even before they had decided to join it, till they end up being almost winning the war. That's something the sequels seem to not realise, and that's why they are so forgettable.

[@philipmumford7871]

I absolutely love this movie! As someone else said it's satire and tongue in cheek style may have just been ahead of its time. Really good fun to watch!

[@AudieHolland]

One of Verhoeven's best. Though "Soldaat van Oranje (1977)" or Soldier of Orange is also great.

[@thomaslax39]

Just gonna point out that in the book the government doesn't demand military service. It is entirely voluntary. Up until the very second before you would go into combat you can quit, with no repercussions other than not being able to rejoin or vote.

[@Maples01]

The movie doesn't demand service, in the shower scene you are given the resasons people join up, to become a citizen gives you perks!

[@DenanSeven]

Say what you will, Starship Troopers is among the few films I can watch over and over throughout the years and it's fun and entertaining every single time. To me, the first Captain America, Thor, Mean Girls, Independence Day and a small basket of others fall into this category. There are movies I saw once that I have no desire to see again, or I do watch them again and I may not finish the second viewing as they hold nothing for me. I think are very good to great movies, but not my go-to entertainment.

[@knucklesdragon4040]

Heinlein's novel moved TOWARDS the big screen but never actually made it there if this film is any indication. And that's a damned shame.

[@agraciotti]

this film is AWESOME. A true cult-classic ahead of its time. And it always surprises me how terrific the CGI looks to this day. It is Jurassic Park-level good.

[@gjtrue]

Didn't know this film bombed. I recall really liking it as a kid.

[@johnprudent3216]

Was that a picture of Richard Dean Anderson standing in as Heilein? Lol

[@Bill23799]

If you want to see something much closer to the Heinlein novel you should find the CGI Animated series " Roughnecks: Starship Trooper Chronicles ".

[@brianmartin3871]

Saw this film in theaters at the age of 8 and everything you said in this review is spot on regarding the messages and ties to general war and government...and ut sill is today which is another reason why this movie is a staple in sci fi movies..

[@micklats5584]

In a 2007 interview with Empire, Paul believe’s a starship troopers sequel wouldn’t work then or in the future due to censorship. Even though there were smaller sequels, Paul did have big scale size sequels in mind.

[@gareth85522]

how was this a flop? it was awsome , and i love it even now!

[@brianoconnell6459]

It did, however, result in an animated series called "Roughnecks", and was slightly more accurate to the novel. That and the anime, Starship Troopers that came out almost 15 years prior.

[@Justthatguy420]

Saw it in theaters as a young teen. Loved it.

[@skrappyjon2019]

“The actors were weighed down with over 40lbs of gear “ That’s about the minimum we would carry in the army. It may sound bad, but it’s all about how you carry the weight, really.

[@devforfun5618]

when i watched this movie i was too young to realize that the bugs are slaves to the telepathic worm just like the soldiers are controlled by the military propaganda

[@jimstafford9409]

A very interesting and informative presentation. One issue you did not discuss: In recent years the casting of Rico has been questioned and not only because of Casper Van Dien's shall we say rather limited acting scope. Many see this casting decision as emblematic of the cultural appropriation seen in many films of its time period. In the book Rico was Filipino (Juan "Johnny" Rico) even though he and his family resided in Buenos Aires (apparently as a result of the worldwide wars that led to the establishment of the fascistic world state). This criticism is muted at least somewhat by the fact that Rico's ethnic origin is not (somewhat ambiguously, some critics assert) revealed until near the end of the book. On a different note, the sardonic nature of the film "Starship Soldiers" may have had the unintended consequence of delaying the film production of Haldeman's "The Forever War." Haldeman admits his writing was influenced by Heinlein's novel but suggests it is more of an anti Viet Nam war allegory based on his actual Viet Nam experiences than an actual counterpoint to "Starship Soldiers;" however, despite this partial denial "the Forever War" is thought by many to be a direct response to Heinlein's novel, a role the film largely expropriated in its stead. The "Forever War" film project reportedly has been in development for many years with at least seven scripts written. We can hope that at some point actual production ensues. Perhaps you have info on this you would like to share.

[@amyfey3112]

Its funny I saw this movie as a teen and got sucked into the fascism, but then also thinking in the back of my mind something is wrong here. Propaganda is a very powerful tool, but I think what had really sucked me in was the equality in every aspect of life (sports, military, showers, etc.) Then watching it again when I had a more critical eye, I did see critic that the of Utilitarian fascist government. I really enjoyed your video!

[@davidmayberry3190]

Wasn't it Cutthroat Island not Mistress of the Seas? The book it was based on was called Mistress of the Seas. And I thought Verhoeven declined to direct that film or left very early before production began because he wanted to make Crusade, but Cutthroat Island bombed so hard it bankrupted the studio and Crusade never got made. Edit nevermind looked it up and they were 2 different productions with freakish similarities, both were pirate films, both starred Davis, both wanted Verhoeven to direct, both turned to Davis's husband Renny Harlin to direct after Verhoeven declined/quit, and Cutthroat was filmed less than a year after Mistress fell through.

[@plainswell]

Excellent work. Thank you!

[@blucifer4865]

This movie actually predicted social media and it's grip on our day to day lives pretty well. We pretty much do get all our news and propaganda THROUGH the fiber-optic ally connected world that we call the World Wide Web. Instant grat and all....

[@Maples01]

Shh, you weren't supposed to notice the propaganda and manipulation of the masses

[@JamesLehartProductions]

Starship troopers is up there with robocop as being one of the greatest action movies made

[@mdwesquire]

We just calling anything a horror now huh.

[@LisaCupcake]

Next up: Steel Magnolias and Superman.

[@buccob]

it the end it was a horror for the BUGS! "it is afraid"!

[@matthewwilson3202]

I've always loved it, it's no Zardoz however

[@kaywat40]

haha

[@kingklank6732]

I don't consider Starship Troopers to be a horror movie. Alien is a horror movie. Aliens is an action movie with horror elements and monsters. Predator, action movie with horror elements and monster. Starship Troopers, the same. Good review.

[@madmandu]

I saw this movie when it came out, and it prompted me to read the book. It became my favorite novel and I read it or listen to the audiobook about once a year.

[@justgivemethetruth]

This is an interesting movie. I read the book as a kid, along with everything else Heinlein wrote, and many other SF authors. I was so looking forward to this movie, and then when I saw it all I could see was criticisms. Why did they have a mobile infantry? And those pop-guns were completely ineffective on the bugs. Where were the power-suits that were in Heinlein's book? It seemed stupid. But there was also a lot of good about, so a year later when I rented it I liked it a lot better, and ended up buying it. Now it is one of my favorite movies. I think it took some getting used to.

[@timmeyer9191]

I'd say Heinlein was a militant patriot, not a fascist. You can definitely see his admiration for the military in much of his work. His citizenship through service is interesting. I think that service could also include things like doctors without borders, habitat for humanity, fire/police departments, and the peace core. I don't think it has to be exclusion to military service.

[@wazza33racer]

Heinlein was aware that as the Greeks predicted, democracy always leads to plutocracy. The wealthy establishment always bribe and manipulate the public to support their dystopian agenda's (more control, less freedom). So Heinlein correctly saw that civic virtue is the issue, and placing franchise into the hands of people who would make a sacrifice in service of society, would be better placed make responsible choices.

[@mattp6089]

Starship Troopers was and is a great film. Would you like to know more?

[@koDaffi]

Showgirls was more of a horror movie.

[@StCreed]

It's underrated IMO. It was a pretty good comment on US society. I think the USA didn't like to watch that mirror.

[@koDaffi]

@@StCreed I rented it when first came out on PPV box. It wasn't as bad as what people were saying.