After humanity cavalierly invades their territory, the insectoid Arachnid race declares war on Earth, hurling giant asteroids our way, one of which decimates Buenos Aires. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), and Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris), natives of Buenos Aires enrolled in Federal Service in hopes of attaining full citizenship, suit up and join the fight.

CRITIQUE

I don’t understand how people could misconstrue Starship Troopers as fascist propaganda instead of seeing it as the satire on fascist ideals it actually is. This is, after all, a movie directed by Paul Verhoeven, a man not noted for his subtlety. Most people caught the satire in Robocop, yet many of those same people seemed to think that Verhoeven had put on a brown shirt sometime in the decade that separated that movie from this one.

Did these people not notice that the people pushing for the war that drives the plot are all dressed in attire that brings to mind the fashion sense of the Third Reich? And did they not notice that many of the older military officers in the movie--the ones made out to be heroes and true gems of society--have been maimed in some way? Really, what would you think if you walked into a military recruitment office and the guy who handed you the paperwork to fill out was missing both of his legs? I know it would make me think twice about the locking and loading.

Many of the same accusations hurled at the movie were also hurled at the Robert Heinlein novel on which the movie is based, and while these weren’t quite as unfounded, they were still rather nonsensical (Anyone who thinks Heinlein was a fascist obviously hasn’t read much of his output; Stranger in a Strange Land, anyone?) It’s a bit unclear exactly what Heinlein was saying in the book (other than that everyone must be accountable for his/her actions), but he certainly wasn’t promoting a military dictatorship, benevolent or otherwise.

In fact, you could argue that Heinlein’s tale was a cautionary one, arguing that unchecked selfishness and irresponsibility could ultimately give rise to a dictatorial regime disguised as mankind’s last hope. But Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier (co-writer of Robocop) didn’t see it that way, apparently thinking that Heinlein was indeed promoting fascism and militarism.

What they brought to the screen is in many ways a bastardization of the book, ratcheting up the violence, tossing in some sex, and satirically skewing the plot to suit their own needs (or, if you prefer, agenda). This angered many fans of the book (while at the same time pleasing many people who found it reprehensible), and likely had the author spinning in his grave, but I have to admit I’m a fan of both the book and the movie. The novel is far from Heinlein’s best work, and the movie is far from Verhoeven’s, but each--more or less--accomplishes its intended goal.

I still find it amusing that Verhoeven, who was just coming off Showgirls, managed to talk a major studio into ponying up 100 million dollars for this movie. I’m pretty sure the moneymen thought they were getting a special effects extravaganza, but what Verhoeven actually gave them is a satire of gung-ho war flicks, especially those Hollywood cranked out during World War II. Verhoeven and Neumeier took the hey-kids-let’s-put-on-a-war rallying cry of those films and turned it on its ear, so that what you get here is a bunch of pretty boys and girls strapping on body armor, loading up their guns, and then getting their stuffing beat out.

The point seems to be that these are the last people you’d actually find in the middle of such a conflict, and therefore you expect them to emerge without a scratch. But that’s not the case here. Here they get bloodied, find themselves covered in rivers of bug effluvia, and even get sent to meet their maker (in one of the movie’s slyest moves, Verhoeven and Neumeier totally upset the apple cart by killing the wrong female lead).

If you share the same political and social sensibilities as the filmmakers and glom to their intent, the movie’s jabs prove quite entertaining. Or if you’re like me, and have always chuckled at the sort of movie being satirized here, you’ll also be entertained. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I find an enormous amount of perverse pleasure in watching vapid young actors of questionable talent (qualities I personally think Verhoeven was expressly looking for when he cast Van Dien and Richards) being torn to shreds by CG bugs, their toothy grins and perfect coifs proving useless against a relentless enemy.

The movie also works in a few satiric jabs at other cinematic conventions, particularly the pseudo-science that’s infected science fiction since the genre’s invention. (Anyone who seriously questions how the Arachnid can shift an asteroid out of orbit and nudge it across the galaxy is missing the point.) Remember the naïveté that surrounded the use of nuclear weapons in ‘50s sci-fi flicks? That’s touched upon here in scenes in which characters suffer no ill-effects from fallout, shield themselves from blasts by ducking behind mounds of sand, and outrun both nuclear fireballs and cave-ins created by them.

Furthermore, Verhoeven exacts some revenge on the MPAA (which gave him fits over Robocop, Total Recall, and Basic Instinct), hilariously self-censoring the probing of the Arachnid brain bug (you think the design of its mouth is a coincidence?) and in the process calling out the ratings board on their hypocrisy regarding violent vs. sexual content.

If you’re simply looking for action and effects, the movie delivers on that level too. There’s a great sequence in which the Arachnid make mincemeat of the Federation fleet, and an even better one in which one of the remaining ships is split apart and then blown to smithereens.

The design and animation of the Arachnid (which was supervised by Phil Tippett), while not quite as impressive as it was a decade ago, is often amazing (although the bit with Rico riding the tanker bug looks sillier than ever), and the scene in which several of the myriad bug species (these things are a marvel of biodiversity) mass on a deserted human outpost, with wave upon wave of the creatures swarming from every direction, is mindboggling.

But if none of that is up your alley, the movie also contains a coed shower scene, which features enough male and female nudity to please people of all sexual orientations or permutations thereof. (Verhoeven has commented on the enlightened politics of this scene, stating that the future society being depicted has finally abandoned antiquated, sexist gender roles. I don’t buy his argument. First of all, I can’t imagine why he would spend most of the movie knocking the political beliefs of this world and then praise it for this sort of equality. More importantly, though, I think he just likes photographing naked women.)

It’s really the perfect movie for the entire family.

THE VIDEO

All three standard-def Starship Troopers discs proved to be perfect demo material, so expectations ran high for this BD disc. The 1.85:1/1080p transfer included here proves to be a worthwhile effort, but it’s not the grand slam so many of us fans were hoping for. There’s some annoying edge enhancement on display, and excessive grain and noise can be distracting during a scene or two.

Worst of all are the boot camp and Planet P sequences, which are blown-out, flat, and far too digital looking when compared with the rest of the movie. On the plus side, colors look fantastic, detail can be very impressive at times (you can see practically every piece of debris trailing off the Rodger Young as it goes down), and blacks are strong and deep.

THE AUDIO

Audio is available in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English or French). The movie’s sound design is consistently active, with near constant surround action. As was the case with the three previous home video incarnations, the surrounds aren’t seamlessly integrated into the soundstage, resulting in something of a disconnect between the rears and the front channels (I’m beginning to think this may be characteristic of the original mix).

It’s not a major flaw, but there are moments when it proves to be impossible to ignore. Low end activity is often thunderous, with the space battles (even the lowest thrum of the Rodger Young’s engines provides some healthy thumping) and the carpet-bombing of Planet P being standouts. Dialogue remains clear and intelligible throughout, and Basil Poledouris’s terrific score has never sounded better.

English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.

THE EXTRAS

This release contains most--but not all--of the supplemental material found on the original 1998 and 2002 Special Edition standard-def discs, as well as a couple of BD exclusives.  

The commentary by Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier (a holdover from the ’98 disc) is still one of my favorite commentaries. Neumeier talks about the story and characters, Verhoeven relates a story from his youth about a mixed-up Allied bomber crew, and they both try to figure out why so many audience members and critics walked away with the wrong message.

The commentary by Paul Verhoeven, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, and Neil Patrick Harris (originally recorded for the ’02 disc) is less worthwhile, with the participants primarily providing anecdotal memories from the shoot.

Death from Above (38 minutes) is a good making-of documentary, charting the movie from its conception (it began not as an adaptation of the book--which the participants discuss in oddly reverential tones--but as an original treatment by Neumeier) on through production and release.

Know Your Foe (18 minutes) is a series of five featurettes devoted to the different Arachnid species featured in the movie, with a look at design concepts, CG work and practical effects. 

Bug Test Film: Don’t Look Now (2 minutes) is footage from an early CG test of a bug attack.

The Spaceships from Starship Troopers featurette (4 minutes) explores design concepts for the Federation ships and the effects used to bring them to the screen.

FX Comparison featurettes (27 minutes) contrast raw production footage with the finished footage for nine scenes.

Storyboard comparisons (11 minutes) contrast original storyboards with the finished footage for three scenes.

The Making of Starship Troopers (8 minutes) is a standard EPK-style promo piece.

Five deleted scenes (9 minutes) are also included. All are extraneous or repetitive, although one provides evidence that Rico at least made it to second base with Carmen.

Two screen tests (4 minutes) for Van Dien and Richards will have you either wondering what in the world Verhoeven was thinking or reinforce your opinion he knew exactly what he was doing when he cast them.

Scene Deconstructions (8 minutes) break down two scenes, with Verhoeven walking the viewer through the storyboards, raw production footage and final edits.

The following two features are Blu-ray exclusives.

The FedNet Mode Picture-in-Picture track is a pretty good addition to the making-of material. Both new and old interviews with the cast and crew are combined with text-based production notes, providing even more information regarding the story, shoot, effects, reaction, etc.

The Recruitment Test tristvia game is an interactive BD-Java feature that quizzes you on the movie and uses your score to determine if you’re fit for duty in the Federation. (I’m apparently qualified to be a colonel, so I have that going for me.)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether you’re an old fan or one of the number of people who’ve come around in the past decade, this disc is for you. It’s not the benchmark Blu-ray disc you may have expected or hoped for, but much like the movie, it delivers more often than not.