Look, I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. We all know that Starship Troopers (watch it HERE) isn’t a horror movie. It’s a science fiction intergalactic comedy with a light tone and Neil Patrick Harris- but it’s also a well-made and tightly performed 90s creature feature that is sure to tickle the nostalgia bone for many JoBlo Horror fans. And with Paul Verhoeven being fresh on the mind from our Robocop episode, we thought it would only make sense to follow it up with another Verhoeven classic that showcases how far the director had come in the 10 years between these two films. If you’re still not convinced, this film also delivers on terrifying creatures, plenty of blood and guts, and even some boobies for you slasher trope seekers out there. While being more comedy/action than anything- Starship Troopers is a film that brings the goods with every action sequence and doesn’t spare audiences the gory details while also giving you a sort of college underdog comedy. And for me, sometimes that is simply all I’m looking for. So, my goal today isn’t to convince you that Starship Troopers is a horror movie- but what’s more is that I want to convince you that it’s worth watching anyway. And the best way I know how to do that is to put this movie over the microscope and figure out just what it is that makes it so special after all these years. I’m Kier with JoBlo Horror, and you’re watching Deconstructing.

Released in 1997, Starship Troopers follows the story of Johnny Rico, played by Casper Van Dien. A recent high school graduate living in the 23rd century who decides to skip his admission to Harvard and enlist in the United Citizen Federation- a special branch of military that is engaging in a vast and seemingly endless war with the creatures who inhabit our neighboring galaxies. While his parents don’t approve, Johnny’s clairvoyant friend Carl, played by Neil Patrick Harris, is also enlisting in the Federation’s intelligence branch. As well, his friend with benefits Dizzy, played by Dina Meyer is joining up, and so is Johnny’s new girlfriend Carman, played by Denise Richards. If you were a kid in the 90s, did you know anyone who didn’t have a crush on Denise Richards? Comment below.

So, when Rico and his friends enter the Federation as newbies, they all quickly climb the ranks of their respective departments as they each develop their own new relationships and gear up for their mission to take out an army of giant aliens. And to best look into what works so well with this movie- we’re going to be breaking down Starship Troopers by way of our four key categories. First, we’re going to discuss a brief origin of the film and how it got made- This is a MUCH more interesting topic than you might think so, stick around. Then we’ll get into the film’s legacy, which includes a similar franchise fate to Robocop. After that we’ll play a quick game of JoBlo Horror Trivia before we take on the most difficult topic- the movie’s X-Factor, where we look for that special something that really makes it shine. If you’re interested in revisiting this 90s cult classic and having one hell of a time along the way then make sure you leave a like on the video and of course, subscribe for the best in horror movie content. And let’s hit play on Starship Troopers.

ORIGIN

Okay, so once again this movie is a collaboration of Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier- the duo that brought us Robocop. HOWEVER, instead of being an original story, this film is based and reworked from a 1959 novel of the same name. The original novel was written by Robert Heinlein and when I say that the book was reworked, I don’t mean the story was completely changed. However, in classic Verhoeven/Neumeier fashion, the commentary and subtext of the novel were dramatically altered. Here’s what I mean- Starship Troopers, the novel, is widely believed to be less of a satirical adventure, and more of a propaganda piece for fascism, racism, and the glorification of violent behavior. Now, I haven’t read the book, and some say that there is a sort of irony and sarcasm in the writing that makes it more critical of those ideas. It’s not for me to say, but what I can say with absolute certainty is that Paul Verhoeven did basically the opposite of that.

Much like Robocop’s commentary on police brutality, Starship Troopers offers a not-so-subtle criticism on military, politics, and patriotism. You might think the comedy comes from these ironic digs, but it doesn’t. The comedy in this movie comes from the incredible interactions between these young soldiers who are all learning to survive in their new roles. Verhoeven directed these characters to be likable, brave, tough, and funny- but also, dumb. Well, mostly dumb anyway. But, we’ll get to that.

Despite the controversy of the source material, Verhoeven’s reputation as a filmmaker granted him enough street credit in Hollywood to secure a lofty $100 Million budget from Tristar and Touchstone. And folks, I do not say this lightly- They put that shit to GOOD use with the movies visual effects being way too good to be from the 1990’s. I mean, am I out of my mind or does this look better than the CGI in like half of what we see today? It’s actually nuts. Shout out to Tippett Studio for that one. According to reports from the production, about half a million dollars went into just visual effects. That’s about half of the movie’s total budget- but it is so worth it. Unfortunately, the film barely made its budget back and struggled to even break even at the box office- which is a tale too often told with these beloved cult classics. And that brings me- to this movie’s legacy.

LEGACY

Despite the movie’s lack of profits, Starship Troopers ended up receiving the franchise treatment and getting 2 direct-to-video sequels (Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder). While Verhoeven was interested in directing a sequel, he stated that he needed time to develop something fresh and new. Unfortunately, due to the low box office numbers, the films were not intended to be released in theaters. This caused Verhoeven to walk away from the project- but Ed Neumeier stayed on as the writer of both sequels, and even directed the third film himself which brought back the character of Johnny Rico played again by Casper Van Dien. More recently, there have been two CGI animated films titled Starship Troopers: Invasion and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars. I haven’t seen any of these subsequent films. Not that I’m not interested in the universe, but more that I’m not interested in a watered-down version of the first film’s original message. And from what I’ve heard, none of the sequels really find that balance.

However, there have been talks of a reboot and a legacy TV series that kicked up pre-pandemic and have since sort of died down into rumor territory. But I have high hopes that eventually we will get something that does proper the original. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I really believe that the magic of this cast could take a sequel a long way. While certain actors from the film have reprised their roles here and there for a cameo, I think a Starship Troopers film that brings back all the main players who survived the film and if we made them the focus of the story that takes them on one final mission- maybe then we can get something worth watching and discussing. Verhoeven’s use of the Robocop style propaganda commercials are also very much missing from my life these days so I need more of that asap.

When it comes to why this movie is so beloved- I really think that it’s a combination of things. For fans of old science fiction movies, this movie harkens back to classic alien films with its retro-futuristic aesthetic. If you love movies like Stripes or even Road Trip, this movie will give you those vibes. If you’re looking for an empathetic approach to being a young and stupid kid who follows his heart into the most dangerous pants to impress a girl because you’re too young to know any better- this movie is for you. It explores its share of political themes, yes. But it also explores far more grounded themes like friendship, loyalty, heroism, and finding your place in either this world, or an arachnid riddled warzone somewhere off-galaxy.

TRIVIA

Okay, now admittedly, if you’re a fan of this movie- you probably know this story. But I want to share it because I think it really speaks to this movie’s legacy. During an interview in 2016, Casper Van Dien told a story of a time he was picking up his 10 and 8 year old daughters from school. When he pulled up to the pickup zone, he notices his daughters talking to some boys from their class and when the boys saw Casper, they called out “Johnny Rico!” as the two had recognized him. According to Van Dien, when he asked the boys how they recognized him, they said their dads had made them watch the film with them. That just goes to show you that we are getting older and this is officially a dad movie. But I don’t have any kids and even if I did, it’s a fucking sweet dad movie. Van Dien continued with the story stating that his daughter asked him if he actually went naked for the movie’s shower scene. When Casper told his daughter he did indeed go nude, she replied saying “How could you do that to me?!” and “My life is ruined!”. Hey, if being naked in a Paul Verhoeven means you can’t have kids than… I guess I made the right decision. Call me Paul, I’m available.

And before we move on, let’s see if you can answer this question:

During the production, which actor from Starship Troopers suffered from heatstroke while filming in the 120 degree desert weather?

1. Casper Van Dien
2. Jake Busey
3. Clancy Brown
4. Patrick Muldoon

Comment your answer down below!

X-FACTOR

Okay, look- I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’m having some trouble with this one. As usual, this is a movie that I adore. A movie that works for me on many levels and a movie that really just plays as one giant X-Factor. This is even Paul Verhoeven’s favorite film of his. How do I distill that into one small thing that makes it tick?

Well, first I wanted to praise the casting of this movie. And I’m not just talking about NPH and Denise Richards. This movie’s supporting cast and main cast are incredible. We get Jake Busey, Clancy Brown, Michael Ironside, Amy Smart, and Seth Gilliam. These actors are all great on their own, but together, it’s truly special. I also wanted to give the X-factor to Denise Richards just on principle, and then I even toyed with the idea of using this section to discuss the incredible CGI and visual effects that hold up so well. But, the truth is, you’ve heard all of that before. You already know that the creature design is flawless, the comedy is raunchy and light, the performances are perfectly dialed in and Rico’s hair is literally ideal. But what I think is the glue that holds that together is the brave and controversial decision of Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier to adapt a book written in hate and turn it into something that brings people together. Imagine reading a book or even seeing a movie that you don’t agree with. In fact, it’s the opposing side of the things you personally believe. Then imagine taking that thing you don’t like and flipping it into the same story, but somehow saying the opposite in subtext. It’s brilliant. It would be like making Titanic into a commercial for a cruise- and making people like it. If you ask me, that more than deserves to be praised by fans of this cult classic film.

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A couple of the previous episodes of Deconstructing… can be seen below,. To see more episodes, and to check out our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

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