Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars

The first “Starship Troopers,” closely following the style of “Robocop,” writer Ed Neumeier’s debut team-up with director Paul Verhoeven, was an intense satire on neo-Nazism that incorporated all the accessories of 1940s fascism altered into outer space and reimagined for a generation that would eventually get a president like Donald Trump. JR Southall said in his review, “But there’s no point in creating satire that only appeals to those who already agree with your point of view, and Verhoeven’s film certainly contained enough carnage to cater to the knuckleheads who might take it on face value.”

Southall noted, “Just like Robocop, Starship Troopers spawned a cottage industry that the writer has found himself trapped inside, and here he is twenty years on, reuniting with star Casper van Dien for the third time in this fourth sequel.” Neumeier’s sense of satire hasn’t left him, and despite how bad fading returns damaging the franchise – we’re firmly into animated sequel area here – “Traitor of Mars,” released in 2017, is in some respects, according to Southall, “quite a pointed polemic on the perils of isolationism. Brexiteers will undoubtedly miss the point.”

With maverick Johnny Rico having been demoted to a training station on Mars, far from the Bug war, there’s obviously more going on than we see. New Sky Marshall Amy Snapp (Emily Neves) is unhappy about Mars’ request for independence, and with a perfect fall guy we see in the return of Carl Jenkins (Justin Doran, with Neil Patrick Harris being a huge star), she has a plan that will side-line those aggravating Martians permanently. What she doesn’t see is the determined tenacity of manhunter Rick and ex-girlfriend Carmen Ibanez (Luci Christian, replacing Denise Richards) – or indeed his other ex-girlfriend Dizzy (Dina Meyer, making a ‘surprise’ return).

Southall noted, “Like the animated Resident Evil films, this is an instalment that knows exactly what it wants to be and hits all its targets squarely on the jaw. The double-dealing that underpins the plot is so apparent it barely counts as intrigue at all, and this being Starship Troopers we don’t mind the characters lacking in dimension; Neumeier’s film series have always favoured ideas over authenticity anyway – and the animation is so slick it’s only when our protagonists remove their helmets that we truly realise it isn’t live action. So our quirk-distinguished heroes are thrown into a variety of situations, with the next bout of shooting or blowing things up never more than a few minutes away.”

It's not very engaging, and other than in its politics it doesn’t say a whole lot. However, that’s besides the point. This is a polychromatic thrill ride for the fans who enjoyed the polychromatic thrill ride of the original film, and in those ways, it does its job.

This may not be any better than the last time they tried an animated sequel, but it’s fine for what it is. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see these animated spin-offs, but I won’t force anyone. If you enjoyed the first one, then you might get into the animated movies or not. I guess it will be different for everyone.

Now we have ended “Starship Troopers Month.” I hope all of you enjoyed it and…wait a minute. Next month is October. You know what that means…HALLOWEEN MONTH!!! Stay tuned because I will be looking at certain films directed by someone who had his own ups and downs in his career.

Starship Troopers: Invasion

The computer game visuals of this CG animated film by the director of Appleseed goes beyond the visuals. It doesn’t only look like a videogame cutscene (those video parts in-between the action in computer games) extended to a feature film’s runtime, but it also feels like it because the characters act like characters in a videogame and not like they would in real life or even other movies.

“Starship Troopers: Invasion” is apparently a 2012 sequel that takes place years after the events in the first Paul Verhoeven movie (Casper van Dien’s Johnny Rico character is now a general), but it has less in common with the Verhoeven movie or even the 1959 Robert Heinlein novel than any generic space videogame where the characters dance around in high-tech body armer and advanced robot suits. James O'Ehley said in his review, “Any hint of irony – what made Verhoeven’s funny “fascists in space” movie so memorable - is also jettisoned as the characters spout hammy videogame dialogue. Some scenes are in fact so unintentionally OTT campy that they’ll make you roll your eyes.”

O’Ehley said, “The plot involves a group of Federation troopers having to stop a spaceship filled to the brim with so-called “Bugs” – an arachnoid species that serve as cannon fodder for our one-dimensional heroes - from reaching the Earth. Plot holes abound. In Heinlein’s original novel the so-called Bugs were an intelligent specie with particle beam weapons and spacecraft.” Here – and to be fair the previous movies too – they are just dump extraterrestrial creatures with no technology at all. (It is a little difficult to build and fly spaceships without any working thumbs in the end.)

At the start of the film, we see a space station located on an asteroid being overrun by so many Bugs. Later on, it is told that “Bugs can’t fly spaceships.” Then how did they get aboard that asteroid to being with?

O’Ehley admitted, “The animation is okay-ish, but some of the human figures’ faces reminded me a bit of this guy to be honest.”

Once you discard any thoughts of this being a real sequel to the 1997 movie or the Heinlein novel – in the end, take away the Bug alien look from the storyline and you have a generic space action flick – then “Starship Troopers: Invasion” is a passable thoughtless way to pass 90 minutes.

If you want Verhoeven’s irony and humor, then forget about it: this is about as irony-free as you would think. If you want your movies to be more like computer games with non-stop action and boring characters quoting videogame cliches, then this is for you.

I honestly don’t know who this film would be for, but I don’t think everyone will enjoy this film, despite it being animated. If you want to give it a pass, you won’t be missing anything.

Alright everyone, look out. Because next week we’ll be wrapping up “Starship Troopers Month” with the second animated movie. Is it any better than this one? Tune in next week to find out. Also, sorry for posting this late. I had a crazy Friday.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder

Die-hard fans of “Starship Troopers,” Paul Verhoeven’s infamous 1997 cult-favorite sci-fi show, will be relieved to be told that its second direct-to-video sequel bravely attempts to duplicate the original movie’s over-the-top style and self-satirical tone. Unlike 2004’s unimportant “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Foundation,” a completely straightforward action flick, the latest sequel reprises Verhoeven’s love-it-or-hate-it mix of horrible chaos, exaggerated drama, sneaky nudity and insincere fascist visuals. For that reason alone, “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder,” released in 2008, likely will get larger sales and rentals than its previous sequel. Improved production values definitely won’t hurt its predictions.

Genre specialist Ed Neumeier, script writer of the first two “Starship Troopers” films, makes his directorial debut this time around, working from his own scenario about the ongoing war between human soldiers and giant arachnids. At the start, Neumeier indicates just how seriously watchers should take the film: Omar Anoke, played by Stephen Hogan, the heroic sky marshal in charge of fighting the giant bugs, is, as Joe Leydon of Variety says, “a charismatic celebrity and chart-topping singer whose onstage movements and militaristic song list suggest Adolf Hitler as an “American Idol” contestant.”

Casper Van Dien, protagonist of the first film, returns as Johnny Rico, a trigger-happy soldier who’s reintroduced in his new task as commander of military forces on a farming-colony planet. Leydon states, “Unfortunately, when his outpost is overrun by hordes of mammoth, man-eating insects, Rico is blamed and receives a death sentence at his court-martial.”

However, he’s allowed to cheat the hangman, literally, when fellow officer and estranged friend Dix Hauzer (Boris Kodjoe) drafts him for a rescue mission to a distant planet, where Anoke and a few other survivors – including Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock), Hauzer’s girlfriend and Rico’s ex-girlfriend – have been stranded after a spacecraft crash. I guess everyone can tell that there are a lot of giant insects on this planet, right?

Like most other makers of direct-to-video sequels, Neumeier cleverly balances the need to cut corners with the need to recapture at least some of what made the first film typical. “Starship Troopers” is, as even its fans will say, very much a developed flick. However, “Marauder” does manage to carry some of its traits, although watered down.

Leydon notes, “New pic adds a sprinkling of seriocomic religious allusions to the original goulash served by Verhoeven (who’s credited as a “presenter” of the vidpic). Also conspicuous are bits of throwaway dialogue that heavy-handedly reference post-9/11 paranoia.” Performances are deliberately broad throughout the cast.

I have to admit, when I saw this film, I was relieved at how much better it was compared to the second film. Thankfully too, because the second film was notoriously bad. If those who are reading this review and didn’t like the second film, you can watch the third film and you will like it. However, it is not as good as the first film because that film is like catching lightning in a bottle. The same thing will never happen again. Still, check it out and have a fun time watching the enjoyment of trying to redo what the first one did.

You would think that they would have stopped making direct-to-video films to “Starship Troopers,” but think again. After this, they tried to make animated sequels. How are they compared to the live-action films? Stay tuned next week to find out when we continue “Starship Troopers Month.” Sorry for posting this late. I completely forgot today is Friday.

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation

The original “Starship Troopers” was fun. It was over the top, funny and a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Movie Scene said in their review, “"Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation" is none of that, a poor direct to video sequel made on a tiny budget and whilst not the worst movie I have ever watched is certainly a misguided attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the original.” In all honesty, there are only two things that are good about “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation,” released in 2004, are Brenda Strong and Richard Burgi since the rest of the cast is as forgettable as the movie.

A Federation Mobile Infantry unit is stuck in an abandoned remote base as they are completely outnumbered by the bugs. However, they are not along as they find locked in the furnace Captain V.J. Dax, played by Richard Burgi, who had been imprisoned for killing his superior officers, but being outnumbered they need his supreme military skills to defend the outpost. However, having a murderer help them out is not the only problem they have to face as while they try to keep the bugs out, they have another enemy inside.

“Starship Troopers 2” starts by recapturing that over-the-top feel of gung-ho military with a public announcement but it is only for a short while because quickly the true “Starship Troopers 2” shows itself. That true “Starship Troopers 2” is a poorly made sequel which not only has poor special effects which often keeps the CGI and actors separate along with the dark but also bad script. There is nothing in the least bit clever or original about a small group of troopers stuck in a remote base where the danger is inside and the outside. To be honest for a lot of the movie looks like it is trying to distract you with superfluous scenes, filling it with cheap thrills like a naked woman.

This means that “Starship Troopers 2” fails to do anything that was good about the first movie and just gives some routine sci-fi action nonsense. The Movie Scene says, “When it does eventually just focus on the action and as the title suggest on a hero it becomes almost reasonable but before that, which basically means the first 80 minutes it is dull. It almost feels wrong for it to be called a sequel because whilst we have the troopers battling bugs none of that camp feel of the first movie manifests itself.”

What also doesn’t help this weak sequel is that we are thrown right into the middle of action and don’t get introduced to the characters. Between having plenty characters and a lot of the drama taking place in the dark, especially in the beginning it is hard going trying to figure out who is who and how important they are. The Movie Scene said, “In the end whilst Colleen Porch is watchable as Pvt. Lei Sahara and Ed Lauter is recognizable as Gen. Jack Gordon Shepherd it is the duo from "Desperate Housewives" Brenda Strong and Richard Burgi who make the biggest impression but only because they have strong characters which allow them to over act the macho side of them.”

To summarize, even though this isn’t the worst movie ever made, “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation” is a huge pain to watch for a direct to video sequel. Anything which was enjoyable about the first movie is missing in this weakly made sequel that ends up just giving generic sci-fi action.

As all of you can predict, this is a terrible sequel. But what can you expect from a direct-to-video sequel? Not that many of them work, and I don’t think they should have made a sequel to the movie. This was should be avoided at all cost. Don’t watch this because you will feel nothing but pain while watching this.

Next week we’re going to look at a decent sequel in “Starship Troopers Month.”

Starship Troopers

For this entire month, I thought of reviewing a goofy sci-fi franchise that actually had some enjoyable entries, the “Starship Troopers” franchise. Let’s jump right in with the first movie, released in 1997.

Paul Verhoeven returns from the realm of campy adult material to the realm of campy action with “Starship Troopers.” Like “Robocop,” “Starship Troopers” takes place in a neo-fascist future, what was taken too seriously by some reviewers who were very critical of the film. Carlo Cavagna said in his review, “I choose to believe that, as in Robocop, the neo-fascism is Paul Verhoeven's idea of a joke, and it's a pretty funny joke, too--almost as funny as the terrible acting.” If looked at as a comedy, “Starship Troopers” is actually an actual enjoyable film, thanks largely because of the spectacular special effects, which matched those of “Alien Resurrection” as the best of 1997.

Cavagna noted, “Based loosely--very loosely--on Robert Heinlein's 1960 Hugo Award-winning novel (most fans of the book were offended by the screenplay), Starship Troopers is about a group of young people with perfect cheekbones who enroll in the military to fight the "bug menace." They are all so attractive that genetic engineering is clearly a part of Verhoeven's neo-fascist world, although it is never explicitly acknowledged.” Only by enrolling in the military can a person become a “citizen” and get the right to vote.

The first half of the movie focuses on showing how the young recruits are shaped into murderers and establishing the romantic subplot. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is in love with Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), who goes off to flight school while Johnny joins the infantry. Dizzy Flores, played by Dina Meyer, who has loved Johnny for years, is in infantry training as well, but Johnny only has his love for Carmen. Cavagna notes, “Johnny continues to reject Dizzy's advances, despite the fact that Carmen appears to be utterly devoid of a personality and is less attractive than Dizzy to boot.” Then again, Johnny doesn’t look like he has much of a personality, either.

The difficulty with being in the military is that the “bug menace” is very real, and the numbers of casualty is surprisingly high, especially in the infantry. Cavagna said, “In the second half of the movie, the wall-to-wall action begins, featuring amazing computer-generated giant bugs of several different varieties and plenty of blood and gore. The action is organized around three separate campaigns, the first of which is an ill-advised assault on the bugs' home world. It's not entirely clear why the military sends in ground troops instead of blowing the planet to pieces with nuclear weapons, but in the subsequent campaigns, the infantry's role is more defined. In the end, Johnny, Carmen, Dizzy, and all of the other featured characters get the opportunity to be heroes.

A lot of “Starship Troopers” plays like an exaggerated marketing film – in fact, Verhoeven uses hilariously funny advertisements and news reels as narrative devices, as he did in “Robocop.” The plot isn’t badly articulate, and it’s odd how all the characters keep running into one another, even though the military is so large that, when Carmen leaves for flight school, she says to Johnny that they will probably never see each other again. However, if you’re in the mood for some escapist entertainment, the bad acting and ludicrous elements of the story are part of the fun.

Look, this is a silly 90s sci-fi action film. I don’t really think this may be a great film, but it is a fun movie that I think everyone can watch and enjoy. This is the definition of a product of the 90s. Check it out and see for yourself.

Now how was the sequel to this film? Hold on to your vomit bags, because next week we’re going to look at that in “Starship Troopers Month.”