Author Topic: Starship Troopers  (Read 13836 times)

Chris S

Starship Troopers
« on: 25 May, 2008, 08:53:44 pm »
What a cracking film  :thumbsup:. It's a few years since I've seen this.

Paul Verhoeven is a bit of a twisted soul.

Bug-tastic!

"Would you like to know more?"

jellied

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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #1 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:04:29 pm »
I loved the books but was never that keen on the film, a little to gung-ho at times. It still has an edge, an anti-war message and with the torture scene at the end makes a strong point about who is the bad guy.
A shitter and a giggler.

border-rider

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #2 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:10:55 pm »
Yeah - I started half-watching it on Friday and ended up staying up 'til the end :)

I'd really forgotten how anti-war it was

Really Ancien

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #3 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:26:46 pm »
What a cracking film  :thumbsup:. It's a few years since I've seen this.

Paul Verhoeven is a bit of a twisted soul.

Bug-tastic!

"Would you like to know more?"

Apparently inspired by the Nazi newsreels seen in his youth in Holland and the violence he witnessed, nicely picked up in the costumes. I like to think of Team America World Police as a cross between this film and Thunderbirds.

Damon.

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #4 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:28:12 pm »
I think it is a nice movie as well. Slightly and deliberately OTT.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

andygates

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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #5 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:32:02 pm »
I would go for "heavily and deliberately OTT" :)  And it's got Diz.  *little moment*
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #6 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:33:42 pm »
I would go for "heavily and deliberately OTT" :)  And it's got Diz.  *little moment*
Euphemism my dear Andy, eu-phe-mism...  ;)

It gets some bad reviews for it though; I always thought people who do are missing the point, but I am no movie reviewer.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Flying_Monkey

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #7 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:46:36 pm »
It gets some bad reviews for it though; I always thought people who do are missing the point, but I am no movie reviewer.

Sounds like you are a lot more perceptive that some. I am amazed how many people don't get Starship Troopers, indeed don't get Verhoeven full stop. It is also a rather unusual case of a film being a vast improvement on a book IMHO - although of course they are doing rather different things. 

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #8 on: 25 May, 2008, 09:49:08 pm »
Never bothered to watch it, on account of poor reviews.  Didn't realise it was a Verhoeven film.   Will make a point of watching it.

Si

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #9 on: 26 May, 2008, 09:56:03 am »
Always thought of it as dross, but very enjoyable dross, sad that I missed it this time around.  It's (IMHO) a bit like a futuristic version of Platoon where the makers bottle it at the last minute.

andygates

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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #10 on: 26 May, 2008, 10:12:38 am »
I recall reviews of the time complaining that everyone was pretty and the uniforms were camp and that it glorified violence.  Many reviewers didn't have their Verhoeven head on that day.
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

D0m1n1c Burford

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #11 on: 26 May, 2008, 10:33:27 am »
It gets some bad reviews for it though; I always thought people who do are missing the point, but I am no movie reviewer.

Sounds like you are a lot more perceptive that some. I am amazed how many people don't get Starship Troopers, indeed don't get Verhoeven full stop. It is also a rather unusual case of a film being a vast improvement on a book IMHO - although of course they are doing rather different things. 

Maybe they do get it, but just don't like the film.  I've seen it, get his point, but think the film is below par.  There are plenty of films that contain anti war and/or anti violence messages that are just so much better:

Platoon
Deer Hunter
Saving Private Ryan
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Johnny Got His Gun
Gallipolli
Black Hawk Down
Born on the Fourth of July

Criticising a film does not mean you don't get it..it means you don't like it.

Flying_Monkey

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #12 on: 26 May, 2008, 04:25:04 pm »
Maybe they do get it, but just don't like the film.  I've seen it, get his point, but think the film is below par.  There are plenty of films that contain anti war and/or anti violence messages that are just so much better:

Platoon
Deer Hunter
Saving Private Ryan
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Johnny Got His Gun
Gallipolli
Black Hawk Down
Born on the Fourth of July

Criticising a film does not mean you don't get it..it means you don't like it.

From your list, it seems to me you are one of those people who think that SF can't be as good as mainstream stuff, or that satire is necessarily worse than straight ahead worthiness... but, please correct me if I am wrong... and in any case being anti-war/ anti-violence is not really the point of Starship Troopers. It is much more about war in a media-saturated society (IMHO).

But I wasn't talking about people who just don't like the film having understood it, I was refering to people who clearly don't understand it and therefore condemn it. Go look at some online reviews and you will see what I mean. I am not quite so stupid as to be unable to tell the difference, you know... at least I should hope not since I teach courses on film amongst other things!  ;)

Really Ancien

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #13 on: 26 May, 2008, 04:47:16 pm »
Violence! Satire! Film Criticism! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1</a>
Today I am producing a film amongst other things.  ;)

Damon.

Flying_Monkey

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #14 on: 26 May, 2008, 06:30:45 pm »
Violence! Satire! Film Criticism! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1</a>

Now, that's what I'm talking about!  ;D

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #15 on: 26 May, 2008, 06:34:48 pm »
Saving Private Ryan
Black Hawk Down

These two struck me as films purporting to be anti-war, but really are films about american heroes.

D0m1n1c Burford

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #16 on: 26 May, 2008, 07:33:54 pm »
Maybe they do get it, but just don't like the film.  I've seen it, get his point, but think the film is below par.  There are plenty of films that contain anti war and/or anti violence messages that are just so much better:

Platoon
Deer Hunter
Saving Private Ryan
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Johnny Got His Gun
Gallipolli
Black Hawk Down
Born on the Fourth of July

Criticising a film does not mean you don't get it..it means you don't like it.

From your list, it seems to me you are one of those people who think that SF can't be as good as mainstream stuff, or that satire is necessarily worse than straight ahead worthiness... but, please correct me if I am wrong... and in any case being anti-war/ anti-violence is not really the point of Starship Troopers. It is much more about war in a media-saturated society (IMHO).

But I wasn't talking about people who just don't like the film having understood it, I was refering to people who clearly don't understand it and therefore condemn it. Go look at some online reviews and you will see what I mean. I am not quite so stupid as to be unable to tell the difference, you know... at least I should hope not since I teach courses on film amongst other things!  ;)


I have nothing against SF per se, but you have to admit, that SF satire is a fairly niche genre, and I am not convinced that Verhoeven did a brilliant job combining the two in Starship Troopers. It seemed liker an opportunity lost.

I agree that the film is more concerned with the influence of the media on issues relating to war though.

D0m1n1c Burford

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #17 on: 26 May, 2008, 07:47:22 pm »
Violence! Satire! Film Criticism! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1</a>
Today I am producing a film amongst other things.  ;)

Damon.

James Ivory meets Quentin Tarantino - now that could work  ;D


Really Ancien

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #18 on: 26 May, 2008, 07:56:10 pm »
Salad days is largely forgotten now, so part of the satire is lost, this is the only reference I could easily find.
'Written by Julian Slade in 1954, Salad Days is a tongue-in-cheek musical concerning two fresh Arts graduates, unsure as to what to do with their lives, two nagging mothers who know best, a starlet cabaret singer, four uncles (and the one we don’t mention!), a UFO and a magical piano. Salad Days follows our young graduates, Timothy and Jane, on their journey to answer that nagging question of what to do with an Arts degree. In the tradition of the best in British comedy and musical theatre, Salad Days combines song with laughter, dance with family drama, and of course, at the end of it all, a well-deserved spot of tea. '

Damon.

Really Ancien

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #19 on: 26 May, 2008, 08:20:08 pm »
Violence! Satire! Film Criticism! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1</a>
Today I am producing a film amongst other things.  ;)

Damon.

James Ivory meets Quentin Tarantino - now that could work  ;D


That would be a bit like this then.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/IKCAGb6Pzcg&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/IKCAGb6Pzcg&rel=1</a>

Damon.



D0m1n1c Burford

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #20 on: 27 May, 2008, 12:22:02 pm »
Violence! Satire! Film Criticism! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Hnv7tXEBATc&rel=1</a>
Today I am producing a film amongst other things.  ;)

Damon.

James Ivory meets Quentin Tarantino - now that could work  ;D


That would be a bit like this then.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/IKCAGb6Pzcg&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/IKCAGb6Pzcg&rel=1</a>

Damon.


I'd forgotten all about that sketch.  Brilliant!

That was when Harry Enfield was still good - I thought his series from last year was very hit and miss (mostly miss).

You must have Youtube indexed and catalogued or something.  How do you find such appropriate clips all the time?

mattc

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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #21 on: 27 May, 2008, 12:37:24 pm »
I like to think of Team America World Police as a cross between this film and Thunderbirds.
This is all too confusing - are you saying Thunderbirds was satire? <boggle>
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Really Ancien

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #22 on: 27 May, 2008, 01:00:48 pm »
From a BBC review of Team America.
Obviously Trey Parker and Matt Stone, admitting their inspiration came from the original Thunderbirds TV shows, . Team America: World Police is their latest full-length feature, following on from the South Park big screen outing and it's has had its own fair share of media controversy.

Team America: World Police is a satirical take on both the typical Jerry Bruckheimer action films and the way America, both the government and the celebrities handle and hype up the terrorist threat.
BBC - collective - Team America: World Police (2004)

Damon.


gonzo

Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #23 on: 27 May, 2008, 01:05:56 pm »
I thought it was great as light entertainmnet!

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: Starship Troopers
« Reply #24 on: 27 May, 2008, 07:19:43 pm »
I loved Team America - World Police but I hated every minute of Starship Troopers.
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