When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or does he?
Director:
Paul Verhoeven
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Sharon Stone,
Michael Ironside
In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.
In the sequel to Paul Verhoeven's loved/reviled sci-fi film, a group of troopers taking refuge in an abandoned outpost after fighting alien bugs, failing to realize that more danger lays in wait.
Violence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.
Federation trooper Johnny Rico is ordered to work with a group of new recruits on a satellite station on Mars, where giant bugs have decided to target their next attack.
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director:
James Cameron
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Jamie Lee Curtis,
Tom Arnold
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.Written by
Christopher Van Pelt
In several scenes, Johnny wears a jacket similar looking to the one Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in Total Recall (1990), which was also directed by Paul Verhoeven. See more »
Goofs
In the scene where the children are being shown the weapons, in the long shot the boy wearing the pale blue shirt is wearing a stud earring in his left ear. In the close shot, the hole is clearly visible, but empty. See 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.
See more »
Alternate Versions
The Australian Cable, VHS, DVD, and theatrical releases are uncut. The free-to-air TV version makes a few cuts in order to receive an 'M' rating so that the movie may be shown at an earlier 8:30pm time-slot. Nudity and language are intact, and the following scenes are cut for violence:
The decapitation/trench run at the beginning is cut by a few seconds. In the middle of the movie where the scene is replayed, it is still cut. The death of the cameraman is not shown and cuts to Rico shooting the bug still.
The 'knife' scene is cut. The knife is thrown, but it is not actually shown going into the hand, let alone Zim calling out Medic! when he pulls the knife out.
Shujumi's death is cut, the Bug doesn't carry him around before chucking him away.
One of the announcement breaks are cut, The one when the reports of Mormons settle on a military base, with the corpses being shown.
When the Radio Technician is picked up by a Flying Bug, the initial stinging of him is cut.
When Rasczak has his legs bitten off, the shot of Rico fully plays out over the gunshot wound to Rasczak, instead of cutting to the shot.
The three victims of the Tanker Bug are cut.
The showing of Farley with his brains gone is cut.
Numerous cuts occur on the attack on the military base.
Dizzy's death is cut, the initial 2 stabs are in, the next 2 stabs are cut and the pulling out of the claw is cut too, just Rico and Levy carry her back to the lifeboat.
A shot of Carmen wincing in pain after she gets stabbed by a Bug is cut
The scene where the brain bug sucks Zander's brains out is cut; it cuts away to a shot of Carmenafter the head is pierced.
Starship Troopers is a subtle and insidiously subversive movie that proved frighteningly prescient in the wake of post-9/11 uberpatriotism. Both Heinlein's book and Verhoeven's film are valid and interesting political statements at opposite ends of the spectrum. Heinlein's novel was criticized as fascist at the time of its publication, and for all his obvious talent as a writer I'm inclined to agree. The movie is as much a sendup of the original novel as it is a satire of jingoist American politics. It really is a shame that despite the squeaky-clean heroes plucked straight from the soaps, the Mormon extremists, the multiple-amputee mobile infantry retirees and the propaganda shorts masquerading as news, the vast majority still seems to regard Starship Troopers as a stupid action movie and, for some reason, absolutely refuse to consider that it might be something more.
10/10
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Starship Troopers is a subtle and insidiously subversive movie that proved frighteningly prescient in the wake of post-9/11 uberpatriotism. Both Heinlein's book and Verhoeven's film are valid and interesting political statements at opposite ends of the spectrum. Heinlein's novel was criticized as fascist at the time of its publication, and for all his obvious talent as a writer I'm inclined to agree. The movie is as much a sendup of the original novel as it is a satire of jingoist American politics. It really is a shame that despite the squeaky-clean heroes plucked straight from the soaps, the Mormon extremists, the multiple-amputee mobile infantry retirees and the propaganda shorts masquerading as news, the vast majority still seems to regard Starship Troopers as a stupid action movie and, for some reason, absolutely refuse to consider that it might be something more.
10/10