STARSHIP TROOPERS
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1997 David N. Butterworth
Rating: *** (Maltin scale)
As a faithful screen version of "Starship Troopers," Robert Heinlein's classic 1959 science fiction novel, Paul Verhoeven's latest film might find more than a few detractors. But as a brainless bubblegum movie, it's an exhilarating adrenaline rush.
Advances in digital technology have allowed "creature effects" supervisors to bring monsters out of the darkness and expose them in plain sight--gazillions of them, in fact. Visual stylist Phil Tippett's dinosaur stampede in "Jurassic Park" was jaw-dropping enough, but on the open, desolate landscapes of "Starship Troopers"' Klendathu and planet P, his team of brilliant technicians have raised the bar even further, computer-generating an army of ferocious, insect-like aliens that are nothing less than astonishing.
"Starship Troopers" is a film of two distinct halves. Its first hour concentrates on plot and character development, with the second hour almost entirely dedicated to what amounts to one big Bug Hunt (the script's working title). This is just as well, because the war is so exhausting, so relentless, that two plus hours of this would have left even the most resilient viewer a little shell-shocked.
In a future world dominated by Federal Service campaigning, three high school hopefuls are eager to enlist.
Johnny Rico (newcomer Casper Van Dien) wants to become a "citizen" in order to impress his girlfriend, Carmen (played by Denise Richards). Carmen aspires to pilot her own spaceship some day. And Dizzy Flores ("Dragonheart"'s Dina Meyer), who has the hots for Johnny, schemes to follow him into military school and create a little triangular friction in the process. "Mobile infantry and Fleet don't mix!" we also learn.
"Starship Troopers" isn't afraid to poke fun at itself, and this is largely what makes the first half watchable. There's also some predictable boot camp sadism that we've all seen before (only better), but once the kids graduate and start kicking some bug heiney, there's no stopping these troopers.
After the disastrous "Showgirls," director Verhoeven has returned to more comfortable terrain and an opportunity to re-deploy his highly visceral style, as one might expect from the man who made "Robocop" and "Total Recall." "Starship Troopers" is big on gore--very big--with pretty boys and girls being torn limb from limb at the slightest provocation. But it's so over the top that most viewers will become desensitized to it early on.
Verhoeven's casting of bit players from television's "Melrose Place" and "Beverly Hills 90210" works surprisingly well. Even with its R-rating (for extreme violence, and for some language and nudity), "Starship Troopers" is clearly aimed at the teen market, who should have no trouble relating to all those fresh young faces and jutting jaws.
Few in this generation are likely to have read Heinlein's book, or even realize the film's screenplay is based on material from another medium, but if taken at face value, "Starship Troopers" is an effects-laden thrill ride.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu
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