Starship Troopers (1997)I just watched this again, after watching a
YouTube video by "Knowing Better", and I was curious to see it once more, and compare it to my memories if the last time I read the book (which I probably need to do again too!)
It's a curious film. Initially it is very clearly aimed at the teen US audience with the main characters being jocks and the popular people at a USA type school. After that, it becomes a much more space battle type of film, probably playing on the era of many shoot-em-up science fiction films, that started with Star Wars. What I find particularly weird is that whilst Paul Verhoeven, and others involved in it, state quite clearly that it's anti-fascist, the characters and the storyline pretty much say that their culture actually works. Whilst plenty of people die, ultimately it's all "for the greater good", and the film ends with all of the warrior types, and even the 'faux SS' with Neil Patrick Harris, having demonstrated that they were in the right, and all their justifications are valid.
It's rather hard to see how this is meant to show fascism as being bad, when it appears to demonstrate the exact opposite. I find it a little uncomfortable to watch, although the cinematography and relatively early CGI special effects are more impressive.
I've never seen any of the sequels, so wonder in which direction they go. I suspect they're just more shooting baddies and succeeding, rather than any better or further consideration of the background culture.
