Scan and Pan

Starship Troopers

I re-watched Starship Troopers last night. Although it has a poor reputation in some quarters, I think director Paul Verhoeven created a shockingly good film if you understand that it's actually an ultraviolent black comedy that satirizes the unreflective militarism of Robert Heinlein's novel. It's deliberately over the top as it takes aim at militarism, authoritarianism, and media propaganda, and it's more complex than it appears to be if you view it simply as a sci fi action film, although it certainly delivers some impressive action scenes to complement the satire. Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier previously collaborated on the similarly satirical RoboCop. Starship Troopers is less immediately accessible in some ways than RoboCop, but it's just as good.