Why is Starship Troopers such a great movie?

Question

First: acknowledge that S.T. is indeed a great, overlooked SF film. Now, why is it such a great film?

Answer 1

It's a witty satire of fascism, all the more relevant in today's America!

Answer 2

ST is a GREAT Sci-Fi film!

Robert Heinlen's work is very difficult to translate into film, but Paul Verhoeven's approach was very original and interesting.

The novels of R.H. are unique in the way the future is treated so very much like the mundane of the present. When the characters in a Heinlen novel go about their daily routines, they constantly interact with futuristic elements and high technology- but they don't marvel at it. More significantly perhaps is that Heinlan's future is basically different in .human. ways. This or that religion thrives or dies, this or that form of government becomes popular, life spans get longer, the classes get farther apart, etc. Again the heroes are not rallying against these things like we would expect, because to them, facism is a part of everyday life- the picture RH's novels paint then is not done by showing the character's reactions to the world, but by showing the world's reactions to itself **through broadcast media and current events**. Do you want to know more?

The acting in the film was admittedly sub-par, which is a sad thing to say- but the makeup and digital effects were spectacular, and the pacing of the film was perfect! This was a sci-fi action/adventure 130 minutes long that never got stale.

And just so you know, the old Power Armour suits did make one appearance, but it was really just a cameo.

Now lets see someone make Time Enough For Love into a movie- who would you cast as Lazarus Long?

Answer 3

The acting is decent. The special effects are good. They pace of the movie moves quickly. They gave the Government a Big Brother feel as in "1984". And they paid attention to the small details in the story line. To me it felt like the humans where the underdogs in this fight and everyone likes to cheer for the underdogs right? Robert Heinlein has a book called Starship Troopers, but I believe the movie has some ideas that are from the novel "Armor" which is a great Sci-Fi book.

Answer 4

One of the most underrated films ever.
The poor acting of van Dien, Richards, etc. is concept. Verhoeven would have been able to cast more talented actors - but look at Richard smiling for the first time - it simply takes this one exaggerated smile to make her whole character visible.
In a world where people are not able to develop their personality, bad acting is the appropriate and intelligent way to show their lack of character. Everything that looks superficial in Starship Troopers indeed IS superficial. The protagonists aren't meant to show depth or insight, they are mere stereotypes. The bugs' design brilliantly plays on anyone's superficial knowledge (including mine) of Freudian psychoanalysis - they are all cruel (asexual) penis and then dangerous but vulnerable vagina.
And although the probably most interesting character, the 'masculine woman' (Dina Myer) has to die, as usual in movies, there is a lot of gender confusion going on under the stereotype surface.
This is one very intelligent movie.

Answer 5

Yes I agree it is a great movie. The hole concept of BIG BUGS flying through space and colonizing other planets, hey who would have thought. The acting SUCKs but the plot & story was pretty good.
Denise Richards should have died it that movie what a whore. She wants to fly the BIG ships while her boyfriends getting his A** kicked by BUGS she's fallin for the ex-football player who rivaled her boyfriend. Then she gets him killed and goes back to her old boyfriend like nothing happened. Well enough about that.
Sure BUGS uniting and taking over planets with a big fat vagina looking "brain" that heads the whole lot of them, giant beetles that shoot rockets out their butts, gore and more gore whats not to love..... See Ya Trooper fans......

Answer 6

starship troopers only claim to fame is the special effects.the special effects were fantastic.the plot itself was a horrible ruination of Robert Heinlein's novel,starship troopers.the movie takes on a very Nazi propaganda style whereas r.a.h.was writing on responsibilities and duty.he wrote starship troopers in response to the Cuban missile crisis.the best part of the novel was the armored suits the mobile infantry wore,which the movie left out completely.as a dedicated r.a.h. fan,I'm sure r.a.h.is rolling over in his grave .

Answer 7

It's got the three necessary ingredients for a guy movie. 1) Humor. Maybe it's not laugh-out loud funny, but earth is at war with bugs for cripe sakes. 2) Nudity. Not much to be said. 3) Violence. Ditto.

Answer 8

Mike Ironside Nuff said

Answer 9

Who wouldn't want to kill giant bugs? It must be better then killing each other. Also it shows how humans can work together to defeat a common foe. Now that makes a good movie.

Answer 10

It just is. Its hard to explain. It has a lot of action, Casper Van Dien and Neil Patrick Harris.