Review of Starship Troopers (1997) by Matthew A — 19 Apr 2012

I really like the idea of Paul Verhoeven taking a novel he had almost no respect for or interest in and making a satire about cultural fascism instead of a direct adaptation. The overblown cliches and the mediocre central cast are intentionally hilarious and they also account for many of the major criticism directed at the film, as if Verhoeven and a few members of the audience are the only people aware that a parody was constructed.

As for all the Heinlein purists who bash the film for being so divergent from the book, I can really only defend the film as associated with the source material by name only. Its brutal, quite funny, and legitimately exciting at points.