STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
A Film Review
Copyright Dragan Antulov 2004
Ibn Khaldoun, 14th Century Arab historian, wrote that "the past
resembled the future as water resembled water". Many historians
would disagree with that, yet few could deny that there were
instances when certain historical situations from different periods
had remarkable resemblance to each other. Even certain Hollywood
movies, products of industry infamous for its distortion of historical
and contemporary facts, contributed to this phenomenon. A film can
be inspired by the past or present and later serve as incredibly
accurate portrayal of the future. All those who doubt in films' ability
to do that may change their mind after watching STARSHIP
TROOPERS, 1997 science fiction spectacle directed by Paul
Verhoeven.
The film is based on the famous 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein,
one of the most popular and most controversial authors of science
fiction genre. The novel described future human society in which
democracy got replaced with militaristic meritocracy - system in
which only those willing to serve in the military were deemed
worthy to participate in political process. Ed Neumeier's screen
adaptation shows that, at least superficially, there is nothing
particularly wrong with that system - future Earth has transcended
race and gender problems and the economy is so sound that only tiny
fraction of Have Nots bothers to gain citizenship through Federal
Service. Johnny Rico (played by Casper Van Dien) has rich parents
and joins Federal Service only in order to impress his high school
sweetheart Carmen Ibanez (played by Denise Richards). What was
supposed to be the way to win a girl's heart turns into something
more serious when Johnny's home town of Buenos Aires gets wiped
out by an asteroid, apparently launched from Klendathu, home
planet of Arachnids, race of giant spider-like aliens. Johnny, just like
millions of young men and women, gets thrown into brutal war
where human technological supremacy doesn't guarantee victory
against countless hordes of monsters.
To say that STARSHIP TROOPERS was a film ahead of its time is an
understatement. Few films were so misunderstood and so savagely
criticised as this one. Fans of the original novel were outraged with
the way Nuemaier and Verhoeven had "betrayed" the source and
turned one of the best science fiction novels into "dumb action flick".
The audience, conditioned to expect just another escapist "thrillride
of the summer", was shocked with the graphic violence, nudity, dark
sarcasm and misanthropy usually not found in 1990s Hollywood
blockbusters. That resulted in box office disappointment but the most
terrible blow to the film came from the critics. They apparently paid
most attention to the film's costume design and because of that
attacked STARSHIP TROOPERS for "promoting fascism".
Seven years later all that criticism is moot. In light of current events,
STARSHIP TROOPERS is becoming a film more relevant for the
world than everyone, including its authors, could have ever dreamed
of. Actually, if someone pays attention to many details in the film's
plot and compare them with contemporary news, he or she would
find many chilling similarities. Verhoeven's futuristic universe looks
like incredibly effective allegory of our world. A superpower that has
transcended race and gender problems and long time of prosperity is
suddenly awakened with nasty realities of universe when one of their
cities gets struck with disaster. War is declared, less because of sound
strategic interests and more in order to restore national pride and lost
sense of security. Thousands of young men and women are sent to
bleak desert battlefields where their technological superiority is of
little use against hordes of enemies that attack with suicidal vigour.
The enemy has been seriously underestimated, which results in many
young men and women being beheaded, dismembered,
disembowelled or sodomised; the price in human lives becomes
nearly unbearable while the enemy finds many creative ways to
strike, including attacks on tourist resorts. Some sort of the light at
the end of tunnel appears only when the enemy leaders gets captured
and taken out of their holes.
By serving as mirror to our times, STARSHIP TROOPERS shows that
the current world problems didn't have its roots in present or, as
many misguided people tend to believe, in a single man who
somehow managed to wreck the otherwise perfect past. A decade
earlier, while making ROBOCOP, Neumeier and Verhoeven used the
medium of science fiction film to speculate how some disturbing
trends of Reagan's America might develop in the future. In case of
STARSHIP TROOPERS disturbing trends were found in Clinton's
America - under the guise of prosperity, hedonism and aggressive
promotion of "political correctness" there was potential for militarism
and fascist-like media manipulation. This potential, occasionally
noted during inconsequential bombings or PG-13 wars like NATO
campaign against Serbia, was finally unleashed following September
11th 2001. Americans, just like protagonists of this film, lost their
innocence and discovered some unpleasant truths about themselves.
Under certain circumstances even the proud citizens of enlightened
liberal democracies can embrace policies of murder, destruction and
torture. What is even more disturbing is realisation that, once the line
is crossed, there is no way of returning to pre-war bliss and
innocence. All those hoping that a single election could bring back
the times before WTC attacks are as delusional as all those who
dreamed about ways to restore the world shattered in Sarajevo 1914.
The world is revealed to be much nastier and difficult place where
simple and cheap solutions don't work any more; the best thing to do
is to persevere and hope that the light can be found at the end of
tunnel, just like the protagonists saw it at the end of film.
STARSHIP TROOPERS is great film because its authors managed to
present such depressive content in the form of incredibly entertaining
action adventure. Just like with ROBOCOP, even those who
recognise explicit social criticism in the film's script are going to root
for the protagonists and be equally impressed with the way
Verhoeven created world both futuristic and close to our own.
Although CGI effects at times aren't as effective now as they were
seven years ago, this film still features many awesome images. The
alien monsters in the film are as impressive and, in some way, even
more realistic that those in ALIENS. Great care is given to many
minor but very revealing details - the most talked about example is
in the uniforms that suggest that futuristic military draws its
inspiration from institutions like Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Gestapo.
Film's structure is also superb - otherwise simplistic plot is cut with
propaganda/news clips that provide clever and satirical exposition of
the futuristic world and its issues.
The acting in the film used to be criticised, not because of its quality
but because of the film's cast. Somehow critics couldn't accept the
idea of futuristic soldiers looking like fashion models. Whether they
look great or ordinary, actors playing this film's protagonists did very
good job. Criticism based on actors' perfect looks loses much of its
point when some of current socio-cultural trends are taken into
consideration - with sufficient development of cosmetics, medicine
and technology the world where every youth is supposed to look like
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake is going to become reality.
Casper Van Dien portrayed convincing transformation from innocent
youth into battle-heartened and militaristically indoctrinated veteran.
Denise Richards, who plays his love interest, was easily
overshadowed by Dina Meyer in the role of her rival. Verhoeven
made casting coup with Neil Patrick Harris - actor best known for his
role of super-intelligent child doctor cleverly uses intellectual
charisma to create this film's closest equivalent of human villain.
Talents of Michael Ironside and Clancy Brown, two actors known for
playing villains, are also put to good use - they are very convincing
in the roles of officers who transform spoiled teenagers into adult
soldiers.
Another reason why this film was so criticised is in the display of
unbelievably stupid military tactics - bands of lightly-armed
infantrymen charge against masses of numerically superior and
suicidal enemy and get trashed in the process and, while all that
happens, artillery and heavy weapons are nowhere to be seen.
Because of that STARSHIP TROOPERS was rejected, especially by
those who accepted 1990s vision of all-powerful and absolutely
perfect US military. But many examples of such military stupidity
could be found in history. American Civil War became such
prolonged and pointless slaughter mainly because it was waged by
amateurs learning their trade from Napoleonic tactics manuals and
not taking inventions like Minnie ball, telegraphs and railroad into
account. Few decades later European militaries suffered the same fate
because of their generals had failed to seriously think about repeating
rifles, machineguns and modern artillery. It isn't that hard to imagine
future military making similar mistakes, especially after centuries of
peace and against the completely alien enemy.
Whether it tells a about our past, our present or our future,
STARSHIP TROOPERS is a great film.
RATING: 9/10 (++++)
Review written on July 6th 2004
Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax
http://film.purger.com
- Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom/Movie Reviews in
Croatian
http://www.ofcs.org
- Online Film Critics Society
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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1295097
X-RT-TitleID: 1080606
X-RT-AuthorID: 1307
X-RT-RatingText: 9/10
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