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The 1990s were a great decade for sci-fi, giving movie fans films like Total Recall, Independence Day, The Fifth Element, Jurassic Park, and many, many more. Many of the films were impressive blockbusters or films that, while maybe not as big budget were still pretty popular and continue to be much-enjoyed classics, like Gattaca. But there were also some sci-fi films of the era that were genuinely great but were, at the time of their release, wildly misunderstood by audiences and critics alike and have only now started to get the appreciation they deserve — and the best one is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Released in 1997, Starship Troopers is a military sci-fi action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier. Based on Robert A. Heinlein’s novel of the same name, the film is set in the 23rd century and follows teenage Johnny Rico and his comrades serving in the armed forces for the Earth’s world government United Citizen Federation as they fight an interstellar war against the alien Arachnids. The film, which stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, and Michael Ironside, underperformed at the box office and was met with critical backlash. However, in the decades since its release, people are revisiting the claims it was an endorsement of fascism and instead are seeing the film for the masterpiece satire it really is.
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Everyone Missed the Point of Starship Troopers in 1997
When Starship Troopers was released, pretty much everyone missed the point of the film and, on the surface it’s easy to see why. The film very much is presented as being a pro-military film with its characters carrying on with the “good fight” even if it would seem that they have every reason not to or at least question what they are doing. There’s also a lot of pretty standard action that one would expect for a military movie. However, underneath that surface there’s actually a lot more going on. The film is very much a critique of the military war machine as well as fascist nationalism and the propaganda that is used to manipulate and brainwash people. The more times you watch Starship Troopers, the more evident the satire becomes as Verhoeven did a fantastic job of weaving the subversiveness carefully into the film.
Outside of its satirical message, Starship Troopers is also just a very fun movie. It’s very gory and quite over the top and even functioning as a satire, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. The effects in the film are also delightful even if dated — there really is nothing quite like the Bugs in this movie — giving the film an overall campy and fun vibe. While none of this was appreciated upon the film’s release, as more fans discover it, people are starting to see the film for the brilliant work it actually is.
And we might not be done with Starship Troopers. Last March, it was confirmed that a remake was in the works, set to be written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, though there have been few details about that project to emerge since it was announced.
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