Plot: What’s it about?
As graduation approaches, students have to decide in which direction to take their future, to the world of normal work, or toward becoming a citizen. Of course, you can only become a citizen if you serve in the military and since the war with the bugs rages on, that often means risking life and limb in the process. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) was a sports hero, came from a wealthy family, and was a poor student, but when he learned his girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards) was enlisting, he decided to do the same. Against the wishes of his parents, Rico signs up and is assigned to join the infantry, which means he will be among the first to storm the bug strongholds, the most dangerous division of all. As he trains to take on the enemy, he forms friendships with several fellow troopers, including former classmate Dizzy (Dina Meyer). After he runs into Carmen and discovers she is now close with someone else, Rico forms a bond with Dizzy and soon, he is forced out on the battlefield. Can Rico manage to survive the horrors of the war against the bugs and more to the point, can humanity overcome and send the bugs back into the ground?
Although it strays wildly from Robert A. Heinlein’s excellent novel, Starship Troopers is a sharp, clever, and visually dynamic motion picture. It is humorous to see some reviewers act as if they’re the only ones to notice the propaganda angle, as I think it is obvious from second one here, unless you’re deceased or just very dim. As director Paul Verhoeven likes to lay themes under his main elements, you’d expect Starship Troopers to be that way, but I think he plays his cards in plain view, leaving it up to the audience how they wanted to classify the movie. It is an obvious satire of propaganda materials and also a wild, often outlandish action picture, either way, Starship Troopers stacks up well and is a terrific movie. The cast is well chosen, mostly beautiful creatures with wooden talents, like Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards. This kind of material needs that wooden acting, at least in some of the roles, like the two I mentioned. The visuals are tremendous here also, while the special effects and battle sequences flat out rock, no two ways about it. This new two disc Special Edition has all of the extras from the previous release plus more, as well as having two layers for the visual transfer to stretch out in, as opposed to one. I give this film a high recommendation and if you’re going to pick up Starship Troopers, this is the only version you’ll want to own.
I know a lot of film snobs dislike his movies (especially the ones since he joined the Hollywood system), but I have to admit, I hold Paul Verhoeven as one of my favorite directors, with no doubt in the least involved. I think this is because he makes movies that seem like trash on the surface, but then have layers underneath, which means audiences need to pick up on them, or else miss part of the point of the picture. This is not so much the case in Starship Troopers since it is all rather obvious, but Verhoeven often does use that approach. In this film, he piles on the cartoonish violence, with bug fights, huge gun battles, and all that fun stuff, but it just doesn’t hit that hard, as I mentioned, it seems more cartoonish. This is in keeping with the tone of the film, which plays like an old John Wayne flick in some ways, violent, but not offensive. Other films directed by Verhoeven include Basic Instinct, Soldier of Orange, Robocop, Total Recall, Hollow Man, and Showgirls. The cast includes Casper Van Dien (The Omega Code, Modern Vampires), Denise Richards (Wild Things, Valentine), and Dina Meyer (Johnny Mnemonic, Dragonheart).
Video: How does it look?
Starship Troopers is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I’m not sure if this is the same transfer used on the previous disc, but if it is, then the dual layered disc (the original was a dual sided-single layered disc) used here allows for some improvements. The image seems to have better detail and look a tad sharper, though not to an extreme degree. I think those who’ve seen the prior disc a few times will notice the difference, but as I said, it is not a night & day kind of change, just some minor improvements. I saw some grain and print defects, but nothing to be concerned about, nothing worse than was seen in the previous transfer. The colors are vivid and bold, with no smears to be seen, while black levels look rich and refined throughout. This new treatment is a nice improvement over the previous disc, but I’m not sure if that is due to the additional space, or that Columbia crafted a new transfer for this release.
Audio: How does it sound?
As you expect from an action driven sci/fi movie, the audio is powerful and the included Dolby Digital 5.1 mix lets it realize its full potential. The various newsreels even sound good here, with more presence than expected, though of course, the action scenes provide the real showcase material moments. The endless firing of guns, war yells, screams, insect projectiles, dismemberments, and exploding bugs all sound excellent here and when the shit hits the fan, you’ll feel like you’re in Rasczak’s Roughnecks yourself. The dialogue is clean and clear also, while more subtle moments come across in natural, but active form, as it should be. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This new Special Edition is spread over two disc and brings back all the old classics, as well as a host of new supplements. The first disc is home to some talent files, as well as not one, but two audio commentary tracks. The same commentary with director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier is included, in which they discuss the changes made, the expected reactions, and recall various memories from the production. The second track features cast members Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, and Neil Patrick Harris, who have a more relaxed approach and seem to have fun remembering the production. I think the two tracks offer a nice balance between technical and casual information, which is always good, I think. Also on this first disc is an isolated musical score, with comments from composer Basil Poledouris.
Now we move on and explore the second disc, where the bulk of the supplements can be found. We’ll start off with Death From Above, a newly created featurette that runs just over half an hour and offers a wealth of cast & crew interviews. Verhoeven, Neumeier, Van Dien, Meyer, Jake Busey, composer Basil Poledouris, Dale Dye, Denise Richards, cinematographer Jost Vacano, and many others contribute their comments, which combine to form an interested, well put together look behind the scenes. You can also view five brief featurettes about the various bug creations seen in the film, take an inside look at how the spacecraft were designed, and view Don’t Look Now, a humorous bug test short. A total of nine special effects comparisons are also found here, as well as two scene deconstructions, with commentary by Verhoeven. This release also includes some storyboard comparisons, screen tests, deleted scenes, a promotional featurette, conceptual artwork galleries, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
