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Starship Troopers
- Thread starter Vieo
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ConfusingJazz
Member
I still don't understand why they couldn't have flamethrowers or suborbital ships that shot out napalm, the bugs were asking for it when they attacked that outpost, about a million bugs destroyed with a few flybys...
Definitely a guilty pleasure 
"Join the Mobile Infantry and save the Galaxy. Service guarantees citizenship. Would you like to know more?"
[Carl psychically probes the captured alien]
Carl: It's afraid. It's afraid.
[Everyone cheers]
:lol :lol :lol
I need to read the book. I read a vaguely similar novel once, Armor by John Steakley, and that one kicked ass. Awesome sci-fi, and some deep stuff about soldiers in war.
"Join the Mobile Infantry and save the Galaxy. Service guarantees citizenship. Would you like to know more?"
[Carl psychically probes the captured alien]
Carl: It's afraid. It's afraid.
[Everyone cheers]
:lol :lol :lol
I need to read the book. I read a vaguely similar novel once, Armor by John Steakley, and that one kicked ass. Awesome sci-fi, and some deep stuff about soldiers in war.
Mike Works
Member
Pfft, so they killed some mormons, so what. It was the mormons god damn fault, we told them not to go there in the first place.ConfusingJazz said:
God damn mormons.
Gah, Starship Troopers>>>>>>>Armor. Armor is completely worthless past the first bits with Felix, imo. If you want to read deep stuff about soldiers and sci fi, read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.Dan said:
The hollywood Troopers movie is fun, but a fucking travesty if you're a fan of the novel. Verhoeven decided to focus relentlessly on what he felt was the fascist element, dumping much of what really mattered in the process. Heinlein was a somewhat controversial figure in his day- Troopers was actually written very quickly as a 'protest' over a moratorium on nuclear testing during the Cold War (1959). Verhoeven is not a fan, to say the least.
And goddamnit, the armor suits are the big stars....and he left them out. Bullshit. /rant off.
The CG series is a better adaption, but it was made early on in the CG cartoon era and definatley shows its age. Still, worth watching if you can find them cheap; the whole series is out on DVD. Caveat: it was never finished, so be prepared for a letdown if you watch the whole thing. The first disc is Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Pluto Campaign
Heh, well I enjoyed Armor. Starship Troopers could certainly be a hell of a lot better though. I've had The Forever War on my list for a while too, but I find so little time to read fiction. It sucks. I'll get to it some day though.
I might have to try the Roughnecks series. I can sample that with my Netflix account.
I might have to try the Roughnecks series. I can sample that with my Netflix account.
SpoonyBard
Banned
The first movies is brilliant, I can't believe how crappy the second one was...
The book started pretty interesting, but it really went nowhere. Verhoven did the right choice when he decided to make the movie the way he did.
The book started pretty interesting, but it really went nowhere. Verhoven did the right choice when he decided to make the movie the way he did.
the sequel was directed by the director of visualfx @ tippet studios (they did the FX for the 1st one) and the studios is best known for its talking animals; I think they did the blockbuster talking animal ads. The sequel also had no budget which is why it was all shot at night to deneccesitate the need for lots of CG implementation (matte + GS) work. The low budget of $15 million (I believe) vs the original's 100k+ has to mean the sequel had to suffer. Tippet (Director) also made the one mistake of having way too many closeups (again; closeups = not needing as much sets...etc).. but there IS no excusing of the extensive closeups in the wide/desert sequence. He's good at VFX supervisorship but not a good film/movie director
WHy SONY decided to make this a low budget affair is beyond me. The first did well enough. We have crap getting made that have bigger budget and worse stories
WHy SONY decided to make this a low budget affair is beyond me. The first did well enough. We have crap getting made that have bigger budget and worse stories
Gorey said:
No shit.
A strong left-leaning European director who lived under Nazi occupation (he talked about it extensively before) makes a movie based on a book espousing right-wing militarilistic values and it ends up slanted somehow? You don't say.
Mind you, this is not a criticism of Verhoeven, his movie is pretty brilliant and entertaining on its own.
Many also see Verhoeven's Robocop as a criticism of Reagan economics.
SpoonyBard
Banned
You may think I'm crazy, but IMO
Starship Troopers > Total Recall > Robocop
Starship Troopers > Total Recall > Robocop
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000682/bio
wow.. i have to see the fourth man now..
it would have also been interesting to see his version of minority report..
wow.. i have to see the fourth man now..
it would have also been interesting to see his version of minority report..
SpoonyBard
Banned
:lol
Vinzer Deling
Banned
Saturnman said:
Verhoeven never read the book. If he did then he'd know it had nothing to do with facism.
Sokar said:
You're debating semantics.
The book does talk about military values, of earning your place in society through personal sacrifice, something not completely unrelated to the Faschist regimes of the 30's. All Verhoeven did was take this and tie it to the faschist imagery he is personally familiar with, without actually saying it is.
The movie is just satire. Get over it.
SpoonyBard
Banned
I remember hearing that Verhoeven actually did read at least the first half of the book.
Verhoven does a good job of making such intense, bloody action that it can at times even make you feel awkward (Murphey's death in the beginning of Robocop, the death of Dizzy, etc.). I thought Starship Troopers was a great movie - you could appreciate it in the simple "root for the good guys!" sense or you could appreciate for its satire. It was colorful, bloody, had great CG, and a few pair of titties for good measure. What more could you want from an action flick?
Yeah, it's utterly different from the book. Heinlein's a good sci-fi author, you may want to check out some of his short stories and see if you'd be interested in more of his similar works...
Yeah, it's utterly different from the book. Heinlein's a good sci-fi author, you may want to check out some of his short stories and see if you'd be interested in more of his similar works...
Kabuki Waq
Member
The CG in this movie still holds up well today.
Vinzer Deling
Banned
Saturnman said:
Ah, so military = facism.
Facism = evil.
Gotcha.
It's satire? You don't say!
I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about the book.
I'm talking about the perception.
The perception of the book.
Of it being "facist".
It isn't.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
tedtropy said:
exactly. its purposefully corny.. its a satire after all.
The Shadow
Member
People do take the movie way too seriously. Hell, they gave Michael Ironside the line, "They sucked his brains out" while he's holding some communicatin officer's hollow head. How can you take that movie as a serious interpretation of the book? Jeez...
I made the mistake of taking a date to that movie. It had just come out and this girl was just hired where I worked. I guess I wanted to see the movie just a tiny bit more than date her.
I made the mistake of taking a date to that movie. It had just come out and this girl was just hired where I worked. I guess I wanted to see the movie just a tiny bit more than date her.
As long as you got something out of it when you read it, there you go. I think some of my Heinlein aggravation spilled over there a bit- Steakley did a fine job with Armor. Do read Forever War if you get a chance, I don't think you'll regret it. Pretty quick read, also.Dan said:
I did very clearly say the movie is 'fun'. I own the damn thing, I appreciate it for what it is. But being a fan of the RH novel, it's a letdown. The movie is satire? That's fine and dandy; it's damn good sci-fi satire. However, this doesn't even remotely mean that I can't be annoyed that the first big-budget hollywood take on the story didn't deliver for a fan of the written work.Saturnman said:
If all someone gets out of Starship Troopers is the militaristic values stuff, then I'm genuinely sorry you wasted your time reading it.
Robocop is greaaaaat, so perhaps we could at least agree there.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
didn't that movie hold a record for "most bullets fired in a movie" for quite a long time? Maybe still does...
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Gorey said:
nice avatar.. i just started reading that book
Vinzer Deling
Banned
Well considering he never read the book in the first place. How does he even come to the conclusion that it's pro-fascist?
Even the movie is seen as a satire of a future fascist state. How do people come to the conclusion it's a "fascist" state? Because citizenship is only given to people VOLUNTEER for military/federal service?
Fascism is a form of authoritarian government.
Rasczak: "What is the difference if any between a citizen and a civilian?"
Rico: "A citizen protects the body politics defending it with his life, a civilian does not"
Then there was the scene at the prom where Rico asks Rasczak his advice on Fed Service and is told that real freedom is his freedom to choose, to make up his own mind.
So according to the dialogue of the movie, it's basically a free society and there are 2 class of people. Citizens and Civilians, the only difference is that citizens have the right to vote based on a term of service in a VOLUNTEER military.
Where's the authoritarian facsism state?
Even the movie is seen as a satire of a future fascist state. How do people come to the conclusion it's a "fascist" state? Because citizenship is only given to people VOLUNTEER for military/federal service?
Fascism is a form of authoritarian government.
Rasczak: "What is the difference if any between a citizen and a civilian?"
Rico: "A citizen protects the body politics defending it with his life, a civilian does not"
Then there was the scene at the prom where Rico asks Rasczak his advice on Fed Service and is told that real freedom is his freedom to choose, to make up his own mind.
So according to the dialogue of the movie, it's basically a free society and there are 2 class of people. Citizens and Civilians, the only difference is that citizens have the right to vote based on a term of service in a VOLUNTEER military.
Where's the authoritarian facsism state?
he whitewashed the bugs too.. in the movie they seemed like they were just chillin on their planet.. in the book they had guns.
ALSO.. even if you want to change the movie and dump the badass mech suits.. why the hell didnt they set off at least ONE planetbuster? I want to see a planet destroyed in a single shot.
ALSO.. even if you want to change the movie and dump the badass mech suits.. why the hell didnt they set off at least ONE planetbuster? I want to see a planet destroyed in a single shot.
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