Campy 'Starship Troopers' blasts its way to victory

Oh my dear lord! When I first saw the previews for this movie late last winter, I knew that I would be there opening night, eagerly awaiting director Paul Verhoeven's newest sci-fi venture, "Starship Troopers." But I was not ready for this.

REVIEW
	Starship Troopers At Briarwood and Showcase

Never, in my 21 years, have I seen a movie like this: a movie that is so superficial, yet so deep; so pro-war, yet anti-war; American, yet un-American.

The movie is set at some point in the distant future, when we have mastered interstellar transportation (hence "Starship").

The world has become one giant, English-speaking Federation. There are two groups of humans: civilians and citizens, with citizens holding the higher rank. The only way to be a citizen is to join the army of the Federation.

The main story lies in the war with the Bugs; giant insects from the planet Klendathu (in the Milky Way), are sending giant asteroids loaded with eggs to our planet. After an asteroid gets through the defenses, the Federation launches an all-out offensive on the bugs (hence "Troopers").

Nothing else needs to be told about the main story because everyone knows what is going to happen. The underlying parts of the movie are the most fascinating, just behind the most superior special effects ever put on the silver screen.

Porn stars or star warriors? The hilariously named Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer) and Sugar Watkins (Seth Gilliam) are campy troopers in "Starship."

Imagine this: A cross between "Saved by the Bell," "Total Recall," any old American western, any old World War II movie and the good old propaganda films of the first half of this century - and you have "Starship Troopers."

Producer Jon Davison best sums up the Federation by calling it "Fascist Utopia."

That's right, heroes of this movie are members of a fascist race, make that an inter-racial fascist race. The intelligence officers, led by Carl (a less than Doogie-like Neal Patrick Harris) act and dress like the Nazis. This is the only part of the movie that is not based on actual events in the history of the world.

What looks and sounds like the newsreels that used to run before movies narrates the film. Phrases like "Even back at home, people are doing their part," hearken back to the Rosie the Riveter days of World War II.

The movie wraps you up to the point where you accept the phrase "The only good bug is a dead bug," but this carries the echoes of war propaganda through the ages.

That phrase has been used in describing Indians and the Japanese. But these are the good guys, right?

Well, yes. This movie, acting as a mock PR-film, does what any good propaganda movie does: it dehumanizes the enemy. What is less human than a bug? The bugs are pure evil just as aliens are in many other sci-fi movies. But this movie succeeds where many of the others fail.

"Independence Day," though a huge box office smash, fell short critically. Its main flaw lay in the fact that the movie forgot it was supposed to be an action movie. When it started getting all involved with unnecessary characters (ie. the First Lady), the movie trailed off and lost its audience.

"Starship Troopers," on the other hand, knows exactly what it is - an action sci-fi movie. Verhoeven pushes the envelope again with violence, with thousands upon thousands of gruesome deaths, human and bug alike. He also tosses in some nudity just to make sure he nails down the 15-50 male demographic that studios so lust after.

If it weren't for the slow start that is used to set the story, "Starship Troopers" would be a four-star movie all the way.

In addition to the giant bugs, Casper Van Dien stars as Johnny Rico, the gun-toting, lady-loving, butt-baring, roach-killing hunk in "Starship Troopers."

11-10-97