Starship Troopers (1997)

Humans in a fascistic, militaristic future do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Edward Neumeier (screenplay), Robert A. Heinlein (book)

Stars:

Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Casper Van Dien	...	Johnny Rico
Dina Meyer	...	Dizzy Flores
Denise Richards	...	Lt. Carmen Ibanez
Jake Busey	...	Ace Levy
Neil Patrick Harris	...	Carl Jenkins
Clancy Brown	...	Sgt. Zim
Seth Gilliam	...	Sugar Watkins
Patrick Muldoon	...	Zander Barcalow
Michael Ironside	...	Jean Rasczak
Rue McClanahan	...	Biology Teacher
Marshall Bell	...	General Owen
Eric Bruskotter	...	Breckinridge
Matt Levin	...	Kitten Smith
Blake Lindsley	...	Katrina
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Shujimi

Storyline

In the distant future high school kids are encouraged to become citizens by joining the military. What they don't know is that they'll soon be engaged in a full scale war against a planet of alien insects. The fight is on to ensure the safety of humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

military | federation | future | alien | battle | 

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Taglines:

Prepare for Battle

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic sci-fi violence and gore, and for some language and nudity

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invasión (Starship Troopers)

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 5,118,110 (Germany) (30 January 1998)

Gross:

DEM 15,096,442 (Germany) (20 February 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Big Bug Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Rico, Carmen and Carl meets with the recruiting officer after pledging, and the officer shakes hand with Rico, it is revealed that he has lost both his legs. This is not done with any means of special effect or other trickery, as Robert David Hall - the actor - had both legs amputated after an accident in 1978.

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Goofs

A bug's leg pierces Carmen's shoulder when she is captured. After rescue by Johnny, the blood remains, but her uniform has no visible hole. She also seems noticeably unaffected by the injury, able to use her shoulder easily.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Newsreel announcer: Young people from all over the globe are joining up to fight for the future.
Soldier #1: I'm doing my part.
Soldier #2: I'm doing my part.
Soldier #3: I'm doing my part.
Young kid dressed up as a soldier: I'm doing my part too.
[Soldiers laugh]
Newsreel announcer: They're doing their part. Are you? Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship.

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Connections

Referenced in Half-Life 2 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Into It"
Produced by Terry Becker (as Terri Becker), Le Baron, Zoë Poledouris and Christopher Tyng
Written and Performed by Zoë Poledouris

User Reviews

Better -- and more disturbing -- each time I watch it

This movie never fails to generate strong reactions, both positive and negative.

Much of the negative criticizes the wooden acting, soap-opera beautiful stars, and unreasonably military tactics that lead to an enormous human body count.

But that misses the whole point. The actors and plotlines are supposed to be caricatures of themselves. We are presented with a seemingly utopian society, where everyone is beautiful, the world is united under a single government, and patriotism is rampant.

The further the movie goes, the more the viewer realizes just how horrific this supposed utopia really is. Patriotism is exploited to trick young men and women into going off to a pointless war. The beautiful people are mercilessly chopped to pieces by their insectoid opponents. And the united world government uses its control of the media to brainwash the public into supporting this bloody war.

Yes, the Nazi symbolism is a little heavy-handed. But that's the whole point -- the intertwining of this "perfect" society with such a deeply evil subtext is supposed to be disturbing. What's even more disturbing is how close to our recent (American) history this movie truly is. Yes, it's a caricature, but it's a caricature of a very real and frightening phenomenon.

How different are the government propaganda ads in Starship Troopers from the "Loose Lips Sink Ships" campaign or the "10% for War Bonds" posters in 1940s U.S.? How dangerous is it to have a society where everyone looks the same, thinks the same, and acts the same, even to their own death? This is the message behind Starship Troopers, and it's a chilling one at that.

And for me, it works.