STARSHIP TROOPERS/ **1/2

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Starship Troopers

**1/2

Cinema Releases - January 2, 1998

Rated on a 4-star scale. USA. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Written by Ed Neumeier; based upon the novel by Robert A. Heinlein. Starring Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Michael Ironside, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Clancy Brown, Seth Gilliam, Patrick Muldoon.

In Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers" I witnessed a very satisfying creation, a world which was a surefire set-up for marvels of cinematic fun. However, it is an incompetently unsatisfying film, because it didn't provide them.

The film is set in the distant future, where the world is controlled by a totalitarian military dictatorship. From what we can see, the population really dig this, even though it means democracy is out, being a civilian is frowned upon, men in uniform are looked up to, teachers fill students' heads with right-wing propaganda, executions are televised and the only way to be eligible for human rights is to spend at least two years in military service.

Our main character, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), is serving this military service, along with his buddies Dizzy (Dina Meyer), Carmen (Denise Richards) and Carl (Neil Patrick Harris, the kid from "Doogie Howser MD"). As soon as they do so, fresh out of high school, bugs destroy Buenos Aires and earth goes to war with...um...a bug planet. Johnny, Dizzy, Carmen and Carl are pissed, and determined to fight, because these kids came from Buenos Aires. What follows in the movie is their training and fighting.

The situations are spectacular. The opening sections in the "modern" world are beautiful and expertly designed. The army training facilities are imaginative. The battle scenes on an alien planet are a perfect backdrop for alien goo on the warm, dry, yellow sand. The look of the film is a very pleasing one, the colors of the atmosphere highly appropriate for the futuristic aspect, the violent theme and the soldiers running around in metallic-green, Robocop-style outfits.

But the story is taken too seriously, the writing is often inappropriate and the message is deplorable.

Here is the story: Big bugs bad. Humans have big guns. Humans shoot big bugs. Sparks and goo fly everywhere. Lots of furious shouting and running. Fun. This is how it should stay, with a goofy, corny romance thrown in that works out well in the end, lots of salutes and some "let's go, guys!" crap thrown in. Do we really need the love triangle, loss and remade relationships? Or the pathetic news bulletin-style story updates? Once an officer teaches a private that there is always a reason behind a command, does the point need to be made over and over again? Do more than one people of stature need to lower their rank to see combat, just so we get the point? Films like this should not make an attempt to flesh out their characters, but should have the sense to make a corny exaggeration out of their singular dimensions: look at David Lynch's "Dune" or Paul Anderson's "Event Horizon" to see how films of this type can get around their inevitably ridiculous self-importance. "Starship Troopers" often goes beyond parody in its stupidity.

The writing makes the mistakes above, containing many embarrassing blunders. The lines should be corny in a gung-ho sense, not in a mushy sense. Lines like "Let's make a pact -- we'll be friends forever!" or "Luck had nothin' to do with it -- we had a darn fine flight crew!" are commonplace here.

And the message -- ouch! This film has a fascist leadership with violent policies governing an unjust way of life. The film salutes and rejoices in this! It proclaims that the starship troopers were honourable to sacrifice themselves for the dictators above them. I won't labour this point, I'll just say that Wilfred Owen's reaction to the movie would have been real ugly.

Nonetheless, there is plenty here to praise. The aforementioned look, the production design, the many exciting or enjoyable battle scenes and the marvellous special effects which are a very alive, spectacular part of the film. The presence of actors like Clancy Brown and Michael Ironside is refreshing. There is a lot of silly fun on offer in "Starship Troopers"; and some thorough trimming could show it off.

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