Review of Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004) by Ole J — 09 Aug 2008

Some sequels deserved to be made while others just don't. Starship Troopers 2 is more or less an average CGI filled direct to DVD sequel. The film more or less is about a group of Troopers on a derelict planet full of Arachnids that are out to get them.

They end up fighting off as much as they can until the group retreats to a small military bunker. They hold out until help arrives but only to end up fighting a new enemy instead.

Phill Tippett made his directorial debut with this film. He had a background of visual effects for films like Jurassic Park and With his knoledge, he delivered a pretty impressive visual treat. The thing that irritated me most was this film was shot in a sound stage but was shot as if it was an amateur film.

In the exterior areas there were tons of close up shots of the cast and barely could see the creatures. It seemed to me that the director didn't want to use much CGI in the beginning of the film. It irritated me a bit but it didn't stop there.

The first film was about traveling to different planets but the fact this one was set in one place seemed too out of place. I also didn't like that this was set up to be a horror movie as well. That alone felt very awkward.

This film had alot of bad but there is some good in it. The film's Blu Ray transfer gave off a decent HD picture. I noticed alot of grain in some areas but in most it looked neat. The CGI bugs looked cool as well and looked to have brought more life into it.

It was a good transfer but not a solid one. Also the acting was decent. I wasn't amazed by the performances but they were decent. Also the amount of blood,gore and action in this film should amuse people who were fans of the first installment.

To my surprise this was a HUGE departure from the first but it was a decent film for direct to DVD.