Starship Troopers
From the time I first watched Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 sci-fi war film theatrically, I’ve been at a disconnect with it. Reflecting on that now, I recognize that took depiction for endorsement of its fascist ideology, but it wasn’t that simple. In adapting Robert A. Heinlein’s novel, Verhoeven and screenwriter Edward Neumeier (working together again after “Robocop”), decided to make a satire of war propaganda films while also being a hero’s journey for its main characters. Now, that’s the divide that I can’t quite square with this film. In trying to satirize one thing it deprives us of a story and characters we grow with, and are simply pawns in Verhoeven’s own intentions with the film.
The story goes that, when he first worked to adapting Heinlein’s novel, Verhoeven was uncomfortable with its fascist narrative- which clashed with his own ideology- and looked to Neumeier to do something that more commented on its themes than played them straight like the novel did. Shy of 30 years since watching the film for the first time, I have a firmer grasp on what Verhoeven is doing, but it makes it all the more frustrating that I don’t think it works. The craft is there- the remarkable visual effects hold up beautifully, as does Basil Poledouris’s thunderous score- but the movie Verhoeven wants us to watch doesn’t jive with the structure he’s working under.
“Starship Troopers” begins, and ends, with propaganda videos. We start by seeing a live remote from the front lines on a distant planet, where soldiers are fighting against bugs. The reporter gets torn to bits. The way these videos play speak to the way the internet in the ’90s was, where you had different options and could explore for yourself. It’s a fun modernization of concept that holds up really well. We then shift to a year before, which is where we meet Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his classmates- girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards), the girl in love with him Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) and Carl (Neil Patrick Harris). They are about to graduate, and Carmen, Dizzy and Carl are all enlisting for service after high school. Johnny’s parents want him to go on vacation, and go to Harvard, but he chooses to enlist to be close to Carmen. It’s as they are going through training when a bug meteor hits the Earth- in particular, Johnny and co’s home of Buenos Aires- when the war begins.
I understand that Heinlein’s novel has Rico as a first person main character in the film, but writing allows for stories to be told in a different way than movies can. With Johnny and co, the expectation is that we’re going to come to learn about these characters, and their worldviews, and even if we don’t empathize with them, we at least care about them. In all honesty, I don’t really care about any of these characters. They serve different plot purposes, but when Carmen breaks up with Johnny, it doesn’t impact me. When Dizzy dies on the battlefield, it doesn’t impact me. This is all plot mechanics, not emotionally grounded storytelling. Verhoeven is out to critique military culture and government propaganda, which leaves far more impact than the feelings the characters might engender.
Verhoeven is the clear MVP- other than Phil Tippett’s amazing visual effects- of “Starship Troopers.” The performances are ok but everyone is basically playing an archetype. His vision for what he wants to do with the material is front and center, and does what he sets out to do. If I don’t have the same affection for it as others do, it’s because I almost would have preferred he lean entirely into making a futuristic “Triumph of the Will” satire rather than trying to shoehorn a narrative into the film. I’ve definitely come a long way with this film since 1997, however.
