Starship Troopers

I consider this movie a cinematic treat. A masterful example of modern, intricately crafted kitsch with a large budget and advertising. The high rating indicates that it is an exceedingly successful example. If this is a sample of an anti-war film and a satire on dumb series for teenagers, then I become an enthusiastic militarist and a consumer. Paul Verhoeven employs elements from teenage series, cheesy sci-fi movies, and bloody action films, while also using some elements from artworks and creating an impression of satirical exaggeration and criticism. Kitsch is simply something that pretends to be something else, and Verhoeven is a very good player. Those who give the film four or five stars, do it precisely for the outward appearance of action sci-fi movies, for the digital special effects, for the visual aspect of the film, and for those beautiful young actors who took a break from shooting commercials. However, you are aware of the superficiality and need to wrap it in some acceptable, seemingly critical form. Yes, it's dynamic, and colorful, with lots of lovely women. Overall impression: 40%. (08/14/2007)

Verhoeven doesn’t mess around much. Starship Troopers was a commercial flop in the US, the Americans found no sympathy for the satirical undertones of the fascistic depiction of the human society of the future and the naturalistic gore scenes. When I went to see it, there was a little girl and her mom sitting next to me. The little girl loved it at first, the story unfolded like a sort of Beverly Hills 90210 from the future. Gradually, however, Verhoven's creepiness began to be revealed and the little girl and her mother couldn't stand it and ran away from the cinema. I, on the other hand, was in my element. State-controlled news and army recruitment, as if cut from the documentaries of the Communist era. Kindergarten children trampling little bugs to the enthusiastic applause of the teacher, it was like seeing our peasants exterminating the American potato beetle in the 1950s. The cerebral elite in long black coats, looking like Gestapo, a female lead dying in pain and with blood in her teeth – tell me, how many times have you seen a female lead die like that in a mainstream film? No, I'm not a pervert who revels in that, I just love Verhoeven's lack of inhibition, which he has demonstrated so many times before and which, in the case of this film, makes for a hard-to-digest affair that can't possibly have a chance at wider commercial appeal. And I get the feeling that Verhoeven doesn't give a toss, and that's what I like about him. Arms, legs and heads fly through the air with such frequency that it must have given the censors a hard time. And on top of that, those amazing visual effects. No, this is not mass entertainment, this is a cult-classic for weirdos. (05/11/2003)

Beautiful example of how it is possible to make a B-movie with a significant impact. It is also an example of how critics usually do not understand it. The question is whether Verhoeven really made such a revolutionary B-movie or if the critics are right. Personally, I would lean towards the first option because, by the way, the visual aspect is great and the fights with bugs are fantastic. (04/03/2015)

An incredibly entertaining parody of everything that stood in Paul Verhoeven's way at that time. Brilliant internet interludes, brutal and unprecedented bloody action scenes that are almost flawless, likeable protagonists, excellent one-liners, Michael Ironside as the ultimate badass, and fantastic looking bugs. This is how an action-packed masterpiece should look, skillfully alternating suspense with light-heartedness. I admire the director, he truly wasn't afraid to use large amounts of blood and scored with that. If nothing else, even the skeptics will remember this movie because of all the severed limbs and heads. Brilliant fun and excellent score by Basil Poledouris. (05/08/2005)

If Paul Verhoeven had actually made the satire that so many of the reviews keep referring to, I would have enjoyed it; and yet the director isn't making fun of multiple genres at once. Instead, he's combining three genres together to occasionally try, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes decently, to engage the viewer. Still, I would like more than just oscillating between awkward dialogue, unimaginative training sequences, and the film's best aspect, namely the well-executed and action-packed fights with the enemy. I would like to delve deeper into the film, and the resolution of whether the main hero ends up with this one or that one, or pondering the different ways bugs can kill you, will never give me that. (08/15/2007)