IMDb > Starship Troopers (1997)
Starship Troopers
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Starship Troopers (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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Starship Troopers (1997) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   77,730 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Edward Neumeier (screenplay)
Robert A. Heinlein (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for Starship Troopers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 November 1997 (USA) more
Tagline:
Genocide doesn't compare to this. more
Plot:
Humans of a fascistic, militaristic future do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(128 articles)
Bill O'Reilly, 'Eclipse' And Denise Richards' Tattoo In Today's Twitter-Wood
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 11 December 2009, 3:30 PM, PST)

James Cameron's "Avatar"
 (From The Auteurs. 11 December 2009, 2:55 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Brilliant & timely critique of fascism more (948 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for graphic sci-fi violence and gore, and for some language and nudity.
Runtime:
129 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 (video rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:Not Rated (SPIO/JK) (video rating) (uncut) | Germany:18 (theatrical rating) (uncut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R (No. 34343) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the movie credits, Amy Smart's character is identified as "Pilot Cadet". However, the FedNet announcer refers to her as "Lieutenant Stack Lumbrezer" - (which is likely) an homage to one of the movie's co-producers, Stacy Lumbrezer. . more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The "bug" meteor destroyed at the beginning of the movie would not have simply stopped in place after being shot by the missile. Its momentum, the gravity of the Earth, and the lack of friction in the vacuum of space would have meant that the shards would have continued in the same direction. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Star Fox Assault (2005) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Pier Thirteen more

FAQ

What are the songs played during the high school prom dance?
What is the song played during Rico and Zander's brawl?
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160 out of 262 people found the following comment useful.
Brilliant & timely critique of fascism, 11 August 2004
Author: Delysid from Vancouver, BC, Canada

The truth is that this is a brilliant film that, like Verhoeven's earlier "Robocop", is an insightful satire and critique of fascism and at the same time succeeds as a sci-fi thriller. It can be enjoyed at both levels, though obviously it is much richer when the viewer comprehends the satirical and critical level as well.

It's not as if the satire is so subtle it's hard to get. If anything, it hits you over the head with it. But at the same time, it is very disciplined and consistent in not tipping its hand and giving the game away, which to me makes it much more successful and enjoyable than if the satire and social critique were blatantly broadcast. That's the strange and wonderful thing about "Starship Troopers" and "Robocop" -- one viewer might totally not get it, while to another, the critical/satirical level is totally in your face and is what the film is really all about.

I don't know if I'm describing it well, but watch it with the film-makers' commentary turned on (on the DVD version), and director Paul Verhoeven and writer Ed Neumeier lay it all out very clearly: the film is about how war makes fascists of us all. Very timely today (2004) with US imperialism wreaking havoc in Iraq & Afghanistan.

On a technical level, the film is excellent. The bug special effects are top notch and the whole bug society and hierarchy is deeply thought through, as is the future Earth society's politics and technology. The acting is excellent, and the balance between the characters' interpersonal story line, the bug war story line, and the underlying political satire and critique, is perfectly handled.

A truly exceptional film, Verhoeven's best so far, topping even "Robocop" in my opinion, and fully deserving a 10 out of 10 score, which I rarely give.

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