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 Superbit edition has no supplements, but looks and sounds awesome, making it the definitive release of Starship Troopers for diehard fans.
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 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie has always looked good on DVD, but this new Superbit edition is hands down the best version out there and fans should be thrilled. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for improvement, but this new transfer extracts every last drop of enhanced visuals. The colors are vivid and bold, with no smears to be seen, while black levels look rich and refined throughout. But the hues seem a tad more rich this time around and flesh tones are more accurate, as if some fine tuning went into this edition. As usual for the Superbit line, subtle detail is improved and that means an overall better picture. In fact, this edition could be rolled right into your reference rotation, without question. So knock the Superbit line if you will, but Starship Troopers has never looked this good.
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. But we’ve all been waiting for a DTS option and finally, we have that wonderful soundtrack. But was it worth the wait? Yes and then some, as the surrounds are tighter and more natural, while the bass kicks deeper and on the whole, the DTS track is much superior. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
