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doomonfilm · 5 years

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Thoughts : Starship Troopers (1997)

For years, I used to shoot down any notion that Starship Troopers was a classic movie. Many, many of my friends with excellent taste in movies attempted to persuade me otherwise, and like I fool, I didn’t listen. After hearing lots of critical evaluation of the film, particularly that of Rob Ager, I realized something : I failed to see the movie for what it really was. I had been taking the movie at face value, and for that reason alone, I failed to see the genius of it, but all that has changed now.

It’s the 23rd century, and Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is a young man in love with Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), a fellow student with aspirations to be a pilot in the Federation. The armed force was created to defend Earth against Arachnids (or Bugs, as they’re commonly referred to), a threat that has emerged as a response to Earth’s explorations and colonization of space. Many of Carmen and Rico’s fellow students have become Citizens (members of the Federation) in hopes of gaining rights and proving themselves to their peers, and Carmen’s journey to become a pilot, in combination with her obviously developing feelings for fellow pilot candidate Zander Barcalow (Patrick Muldoon), causes Rico to become a Citizen as well, albeit as an infantry member. Rico quickly ascends to become squad leader, but an unfortunate call during a live round exercise results in the death of a fellow squad member. Career Sgt. Zim (Clancy Brown) stands up for Rico, who is publicly punished, but despite this, Rico decides the Federation is not for him. With one foot out the door, however, tragedy strikes in the form of a Bug invasion, resulting in the deaths of Rico’s parents, friends and former residents of the annihilated Buenos Aires, where Rico is from. With no home to go to, and a newly found desire for revenge, Rico rededicates himself to the Federation, now at war with the Bugs.

The American military has always had a way of subtly dehumanizing the enemy in order to gain popular favor for conflict, and Starship Troopers certainly embodies that idea by literally making the enemy Bugs. With the military being such a key element of their society, it must be sustained with no end in sight in order to thrive, and this dehumanization of enemies allows that sustainability. Furthermore, designating non-military as ‘civilians’ and military as ‘citizens’ continues to drive that idea home, as anyone who thrives any stature is almost forced to join for access to what seem like inalienable rights. This wouldn’t be an issue if the military had a fixed set of morals and goals, but as they learn more about the enemy, the culture shifts, which causes a sort of schizophrenic nature among the ranks as those deemed unimportant suddenly have value. All of these elements, as well as the zealotry found in those who partake and support in the military, completely demonstrate the concept of the ‘fog of war’.

As previously mentioned, my prior interactions with this movie found me taking it very literally and at face value, as if they were going for a proper science fiction film that checks all the boxes. It took learning about the director and his intentions with the film, however, to finally understand the genius levels of satire and commentary found within the frames of Starship Troopers. In terms of satire, it is a complete send-up of both space and war movies, leaning heavily into the tropes found in those genres and using them to propel characters towards (mostly) tragedy. In terms of commentary, its stance taken on the military is a scathing one. The film does not hold back when turning the microscope towards the effect it has on families and relationships (both romantic and otherwise). The fact that ‘administrative punishment’ is still used in such a technologically advanced society is also a bit of a dig at how the military ‘forms’ career soldiers (or, if you base their role on the punishment given to them, ‘slaves’).

For a film made in the 1990s, the special effects hold up surprisingly well, especially the aliens. A solid integration of internet and news media-style presentation seemed to be a glimpse into the future of what communication would eventually evolve into. Despite the film’s lighter tone at times, the violence is incredibly hyper-realistic, both in casual and combat scenes, which helps create a sense of danger and high-stakes in what would otherwise be a dark comedy. With all going on in the writing, the ability to have Rico as the center of both a love triangle and a separate unrequited, doomed romance still worked incredibly and surprisingly well.

Casper Van Dien manages to make his character pitiful enough in the beginning that his eventual transformation into a career military man is both jarring and equally convincing. Dina Meyer and her singular parallel focus on becoming military and winning Rico’s heart makes her short-lived victory on both fronts incredibly heartbreaking. Denise Richards plays enough of a tease to make you care for Rico, but is self-driven enough for us to not completely dismiss her character. Jake Busey brings a much needed sense of levity and a character that the audience can easily relate to. Neil Patrick Harris managed to break himself out of his child star shell with this role, playing young enough for his high ranking to fall into a sort of mental uncanny valley territory. Patrick Muldoon provides a solid foundation for the main love triangle to be formed upon, with his smugness and arrogance being the characteristics that drive him. Patrick Muldoon, Clancy Brown, and Michael Ironside are all perfectly cast as military leaders. Seth Gilliam turns in a memorable performance early in his career as a standout member of the Roughnecks. Amy Smart, Rue McClanahan and Brenda Strong also make memorable appearances.

Films like Starship Troopers continually remind me how good art can subvert expectations, as well as remind me how much time can change our personal perspectives. For as much as I love Robocop and consider it to be top-tier Paul Verhoeven work, I think I can safely say I’ve been converted to the camp that considers Starship Troopers a grossly underrated cult classic.

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