The Movie That I Have Come to Like, But That I Just Can’t Love

I went into the movie theater in 1997 to see Starship Troopers with high expectations and I quickly had those hopes dashed. Paul Verhoeven’s film adaptation was satirical and was not a faithful adaptation of the Robert Heinlein book of the same name that is one of my favorite books. I was disappointed to note the absence of the power armor that made the Mobile Infantry of the book truly “Mobile” and that led to the troops in the book being known as “cap troopers” due to them typically being fired towards their planet-side objectives in capsules from a spaceship in orbit like bullets fired from a gun. I was also put off by the over-the-top portrayal of the book’s Terran Federation as a fascist government or at least a government with fascist leanings and values.

I have previously shared a video which addresses the claims that the government in the novel is supposedly a fascist state (https://gregorymaness.wixsite.com/website/post/a-look-at-the-government-and-society-of-robert-heinle). Verhoeven clearly wanted his fictional government and its military to be associated with fascism. There is some imagery deliberately taken from Nazi propaganda films. At times the portrayals of the military and the government seem downright farcical.

The movie itself was still enjoyable with its young, “beautiful people” stars and its impressive special effects. But I felt like Verhoeven was anything but a fan of the Heinlein book. Subsequent viewing and reading of interviews relating to the movie proved me right. I expect that Verhoeven told the story that he wanted to tell. It just wasn’t the story that I read in the novel. So while I have come to enjoy the movie for what it is and I have rewatched it and portions of it since my first viewing, I will never love it and I find myself hoping that someone will make a more faithful film adaptation of the novel in the future. The novel is a thought-provoking one and I would like to see a director attempt to tackle it in that light.

Below is a link to an short, interesting look at the movie. ✨ 🚀

“The Most Pause-Worthy Moments In #StarshipTroopers”

https://www.facebook.com/100044111349919/posts/940839714063065/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v