STARSHIP TROOPERS (R)
Directed by Paul Vorhoeven Running Time: 129 minutes Originally Released: November 7, 1997
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * * (out of four)
Luckily, some people got STARSHIP TROOPERS. Some people knew it was supposed to be silly. For those of you who didn't, how could you miss it? From the very beginning, when we see an interactive Internet-like promotional video for the armed forces of the future, it should be obvious this film is to be taken lightly. I guess without blatant one-liners and HOME ALONE style slapstick, some people just don't recognize such goofy humor. Such a dry approach to such intentionally campy humor must have left some disillusioned. First thing to do before seeing this movie - lighten up.
Meet the equivalent of "Beverly Hills 90210" meets "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". Four close friends are now graduating high school and are ready to join the armed forces, which, in the future, means fighting for the whole galaxy and not just your country. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is ready to join the infantry, mostly because his girlfriend Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards) has enlisted to be a pilot. Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) has enlisted as a trooper, and it's possible she's joining merely to follow Rico, whom she's always had eyes for. If you saw these three on the street, you'd automatically start searching for the fashion designers and photographers, for never has a movie's cast looked so much like the cut-out cover of "Seventeen" magazine. The lone non-supermodel, Carl Jenkins (played by Doogie Howser himself, Neil Patrick Harris) is the brainiac who gets into the military intelligence division, the top secret department that pretty much leaves Doogie - er, Carl out of the picture. (Good call - now we can put all our drooling efforts into only the most deserving of characters).
Right off the bat, Rico becomes the star of the show, far surpassing all the other soldiers and becoming squadron leader in a short period of time. But a horrific accident during a standard training exercise (which follows all to closely to his breakup with Carmen) leaves Rico ready to call it quits. With his bags packed and his civilian clothes back on, Johnny is ready to walk off base and catch the next flight home. Well sorry, Rico Suave, but there's no place like home, especially after gigantic alien insects have destroyed it. That's right, the planet is being attacked by a colony of arachnid-like alien beings that a can of Raid just isn't going to destroy. With a sudden change of heart (and clothes), Rico is back in the game, following his fellow starship troopers off to fight a mean group of daddy long legs.
What STARSHIP TROOPERS really is, is a spoof of all that it even remotely touches on - the soap opera like love affairs of high school, the love for sci-fi and thirst for gore shared by this same age group, etc. Nothing is taken seriously. It's almost as much a satire on young adults as CLUELESS, but with its sly and futuristic approach, it's not as recognizably so. It's a spoof so subtle that many won't recognize the spoofery. If you deem this as sci-fi/action, you're wrong. It's sci-fi/action/comedy, with the comedy being on the level of such cult favorites as EVIL DEAD 2. STARSHIP TROOPERS just may be on the road to cult status as well.
Gore is a factor heavily brought up in reviews of this film, but the gore, too, is meant to be cheesy. Yes, it's graphic, but it's also brutally phony, and that's what makes it such great fun to watch. Not since the old "Mr. Bill" skits on "Saturday Night Live" has torture and mutilation been such a joy to watch. People were laughing out loud every time a body was severed in half or a head was viciously decapitated. Perhaps it brings back fond memories of the severities we inflicted upon our sisters' Barbie dolls as young children. With the actors resembling Ken and Barbie so closely, it's a good chance this is the case, whether we're fully aware of it or not.
STARSHIP TROOPERS has it's slow parts, but it's truly an alternative to your typical sci-fi/action flick or lame juvenile comedy. Aside from the intentionally cheesy gore, the special effects are quite astounding. When the spaceship passes a meteor, it's quite an awesome spectacle, visually crisp and captivating. If you're looking for brainless fun, this is the epitome of your search. A beautiful cast, awesome special effects, fast-paced action, campy acting, and a whole lot of gore. This is brainless heaven. Just remember not to think.
February 15, 1998
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