Category: Starship Troopers movies

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008, Edward Neumeier)

I love this movie. Seriously. Not just because it features the most idiotically jingoistic song since Grease 2‘s “Do It For Our Country.” There’s a fair amount of political commentary (instead of going for the easy Bush jugular, Neumeier’s a lot more complicated, particularly when it comes to how religion is sellable as war propaganda) and a lot of good acting.

However, I hate Neumeier a little for wasting the finest performance Casper Van Dien is, likely, ever going to give. The movie follows Jolene Blalock (who’s awful at the start, but then turns good when the film enters its second act–Marauder‘s so shockingly well-plotted, I can’t believe they didn’t give it a limited theatrical… it’s an actual sequel to Starship Troopers, not a direct-to-video continuation) at the expense of Van Dien and it’s not right. Sure, Blalock’s got a romance with Boris Kodjoe (also way too good considering) and a personal discovery storyline, but Van Dien’s actually really good. It’s a tragedy his… yes, I’m going to say it… ability is wasted.

Unfortunately, besides those three–and Stephen Hogan, who’s fantastic–the supporting cast is pretty weak. At times, with the reasonable CG and the competent if unspectacular direction and good script, it feels like Marauder is a “real” movie… until the supporting cast speaks. Marnette Patterson and Cécile Breccia are both, sadly, laughable. I just wish they’d been able to get solider actors.

But again, I love this movie. It’s an unbelievable success.

1.5/4★½

CREDITS

Directed by Edward Neumeier; screenplay by Neumeier, based on a novel by Robert A. Heinlein; director of photography, Lorenzo Senatore; edited by Michael John Bateman; music by Klaus Badelt; production designer, Sylvain Gingras; produced by David Lancaster; released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Starring Casper Van Dien (Colonel Johnny Rico), Jolene Blalock (Captain Lola Beck), Stephen Hogan (Sky Marshal Omar Anoke), Boris Kodjoe (Gen. Dix Hauser), Amanda Donohoe (Admiral Enolo Phid), Marnette Patterson (Holly Little), Danny Keogh (Dr. Wiggs), Stelio Savante (Chief Bull Brittles), Cécile Breccia (Lt. Link Manion) and Garth Breytenbach (Pvt. Slug Skinner).

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Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004, Phil Tippett)

The last time I tried watching Starship Troopers 2, I turned it off. I have no idea how I made it past that point this time, but I’m almost glad I did. The big problem with the first act is Brenda Strong, who it centers around. Strong’s acting “style” fit in the first film, but she’s a big problem in this one. She’s just too light to believe as a war-harden sergeant. Bad too is Lawrence Monoson, who’s playing, essentially, an SS officer.

Even Richard Burgi, who eventually gets good in the film, is bad at the start, but his introduction is at fault.

As much as I love Phil Tippett, the man cannot direct.

I just remembered, the last time I saw it I was attempting to double feature it to Desert of the Tartars. No wonder I couldn’t handle Troopers 2.

Anyway, Tippett. He’s not inventive with his budget, which is small but people have made great action movies on less. He’s shooting, it appears, on cheaper digital video and maybe in front of green screens. Some of the miniature work is solid and convincing; in fact, when it fails, it’s usually because of Tippett’s directorial choices.

Neumeier’s script has its moments, just in terms of writing quality, but he doesn’t really seem to know how to write such a small picture. Way too many characters, way too much going on. It’s a siege movie. You don’t need to complicate a siege movie.

Still, the end works.

1/4★

CREDITS

Directed by Phil Tippett; written by Edward Neumeier; director of photography, Christian Sebaldt; edited by Louise Rubacky; music by John W. Morgan and William T. Stromberg; production designer, Franco-Giacomo Carbone; produced by Jon Davison; released by Columbia TriStar Home Video.

Starring Billy Brown (Pvt. Ottis Brick), Richard Burgi (Capt. V.J. Dax), Kelly Carlson (Pvt. Charlie Soda), Cy Carter (Pvt. Billie Otter), Sandrine Holt (Pvt. Jill Sandee), Ed Lauter (Gen. Jack Gordon Shepherd), J.P. Manoux (TSgt. Ari Peck), Lawrence Monoson (Lt. Pavlov Dill), Colleen Porch (Pvt. Lei Sahara), Drew Powell (Pvt. Kipper Tor), Ed Quinn (Cpl. Joe Griff), Jason-Shane Scott (Pvt. Duff Horton), Brenda Strong (Sgt. Dede Rake) and Brian Tee (Cpl. Thom Kobe).

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Starship Troopers (1997, Paul Verhoeven)

The only “real” pro-war movie I can think of is The Green Berets. But Starship Troopers is also pro-war, even if it’s, well, startlingly so. I mean, the scene where Casper Van Dien grins after getting his battlefield promotion, following a colleague’s horrific death, is a fine example.

What Verhoeven does here, in Starship Troopers, is directed the finest made “science fiction” film–and those quotations just generalize, meaning a film set in the future in space with spaceships–since 2001. Really. No one else has ever done as competent of space scenes since Kubrick. It’s stunning. Verhoeven’s no innovator here–he borrows liberally from 2001, the Star Wars movies (a little) and the Star Trek movies (a lot)–but he mixes them together into something astounding. I once called, without being familiar with the novel, Starship Troopers the sci-fi hit (i.e. the Star Wars) if the Nazis had won. And it is–not just in terms of setting (the gloriously fascist future), but in terms of its approach to narrative. Neumeier and Verhoeven do an amazing job with this film’s structure–it’s impossible not to cheer at the end and never to once question what one’s cheering.

Even the cardboard acting from “90210” and “Melrose Place” guest stars (Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards and Patrick Muldoon all appeared on those Shakespearian actor spawning grounds) is somehow perfect–Starship Troopers is certainly Verhoeven’s best film since Robocop and the most deceptively postmodern blockbuster film ever made.

4/4★★★★

CREDITS

Directed by Paul Verhoeven; screenplay by Edward Neumeier, based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein; director of photography, Jost Vacano; edited by Mark Goldblatt and Caroline Ross; music by Basil Poledouris; production designer, Allan Cameron; produced by Alan Marshall and Jon Davison; released by Tri-Star Pictures.

Starring Casper Van Dien (Johnny Rico), Dina Meyer (Dizzy Flores), Denise Richards (Carmen Ibanez), Jake Busey (Ace Levy), Neil Patrick Harris (Carl Jenkins), Clancy Brown (Sgt. Zim), Seth Gilliam (Sugar Watkins), Patrick Muldoon (Zander Barcalow), Michael Ironside (Jean Rasczak), Rue McClanahan (Biology Teacher), Marshall Bell (General Owen) and Brenda Strong (Captain Deladier).

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