Starship Troopers (1997)

Paul Verhoeven is one of my favourite filmmakers. Every bit of his work has something to say, and this one is no different. To call Starship Troopers an allegory for the Gulf War would be to almost miss the point; the film pre-dated the Iraq war by just a few years as well, so not only did the film have something to say in 1997, George Bush then proved Paul Verhoeven’s point in front of the whole world years later. Initially set in a futuristic Buenos Aires, hero Johnny Rico has just graduated from college and wants to join the Mobile Infantry and serve the nation. The opening almost plays out like a high school comedy before morphing into a war film, but Verhoeven plays up the recruitment using adverts to ironically satirise the USA’s military strategy. The Mobile Infantry is the frontline in facing the USA’s enemies, the ‘arachnids’, a race of ‘bugs’ from the planet Klendathu. It’s unclear why especially they are the enemy, but troops are sent out to set in motion a full-scale assault of the planet. It becomes clear they have no idea what they’ve let themselves in for, they don’t know the planet and they don’t understand their enemy at all. At the films conclusion Verhoeven makes it clear what the film thinks of its object of satire, but this isn’t the films sole strength; it’s characters are engaging and fun to spend time with and the action sequences are frenetic and fun. The special effects have also aged extremely well, and I found myself wanting to learn a lot more about the bugs and their various species and factions. Verhoeven really is a tremendous asset to film, and I cannot wait for the release of Benedetta next year. 7.9/10