Starship Troopers (1997)

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers (WGA):

Robert A. Heinlein (book)
Edward Neumeier (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Genocide doesn't compare to this.

Plot:

Humans of a fascistic, militaristic future do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival.

Plot Keywords:

Floating | Army | Bare Butt | Robot Hand | Male Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Casper Van Dien	...	Johnny Rico
Dina Meyer	...	Dizzy Flores
Denise Richards	...	Carmen Ibanez
Jake Busey	...	Private Ace Levy
Neil Patrick Harris	...	Colonel Carl Jenkins
Clancy Brown	...	Career Sergeant Zim
Seth Gilliam	...	Private Sugar Watkins
Patrick Muldoon	...	Zander Barcalow
Michael Ironside	...	Lieutenant Jean Rasczak
Rue McClanahan	...	Biology Teacher
Marshall Bell	...	General Owen
Eric Bruskotter	...	Sergeant Breckinridge
Matt Levin	...	Kitten Smith
Blake Lindsley	...	Katrina McIntire
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Shujumi (as Anthony Michael Ruivivar)

Also Known As:

Starship Troopers (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Infanteria stelara (Romania) [ro]
Invasión (Starship Troopers) (Argentina) [es]
Patrouilleurs de l'espace, Les (Canada: French title) [fr]
Soldados do Universo (Portugal) [pt]
Starship Troopers (France) [fr]
Starship Troopers - Fanteria dello spazio (Italy) [it]
Starship troopers - Universumin sotilaat (Finland) [fi]
Starship troopers: Las brigadas del espacio (Spain) [es]
Svemirski marinci (Croatia) (TV title) [hr]
Svemirski vojnici (Serbia) [sr]
Tropas Estelares (Brazil) [pt]
Vesoljski bojevniki (Slovenia) [sl]
Yildiz gemisi askerleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic sci-fi violence and gore, and for some language and nudity.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | South Korea:15 (video rating) (cut) | Finland:K-15 (DVD version) (uncut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Brazil:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (video rating) (uncut) | Germany:18 (original rating) (cut) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Agoura Hills, California, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Some of the walls were reused from Total Recall (1990) (another film directed by Paul Verhoeven).

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After they capture the brain bug, the shadow of a boom mike is visible on Jenkins' trench coat.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Newsreel announcer: Young people from all over the globe are joining up to fight for the future.
Soldier #1: I'm doing my part.
Soldier #2: I'm doing my part.
Soldier #3: I'm doing my part.
Young kid dressed up as a soldier: I'm doing my part too.
[Soldiers laugh]
Newsreel announcer: They're doing their part. Are you? Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Burly Man Chronicles (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Intense

Best satire since Dr. Strangelove

Starship Troopers is a subtle and insidiously subversive movie that proved frighteningly prescient in the wake of post-9/11 uberpatriotism. Both Heinlein's book and Verhoeven's film are valid and interesting political statements at opposite ends of the spectrum. Heinlein's novel was criticized as fascist at the time of its publication, and for all his obvious talent as a writer I'm inclined to agree. The movie is as much a sendup of the original novel as it is a satire of jingoist American politics. It really is a shame that despite the squeaky-clean heroes plucked straight from the soaps, the Mormon extremists, the multiple-amputee mobile infantry retirees and the propaganda shorts masquerading as news, the vast majority still seems to regard Starship Troopers as a stupid action movie and, for some reason, absolutely refuse to consider that it might be something more.

10/10