Starship Troopers

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Starship Troopers ★★★ 1997 (R)

As Bugs Bunny would say, “Of course you know, this means war!” Giant arachnids prove to be an invincible opponent with zero tolerance for things with less than four legs in Verhoeven's comic-book styled, epic slaughter fest. The futuristic, fascist, co-ed Moblie Infantry, led by renegade Commander Rasczak (Ironside), does battle with the sinister arthropods, usually resulting in much human bloodshed. The high body count includes many young actors, but unlike Verhoeven's “Showgirls,” their careers should remain relatively unscathed. The acting is straight out of a Mattel toy factory, but the action and confrontations with the enemy insects are a thrill thanks to computer animated special effects. Cheesy, bloody good fun, if you can ignore the fact that fascists are portrayed as the good guys. Based on the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein. 129m/C VHS, DVD, UMD . Casper Van Dien, Michael Ironside, Neil Patrick Harris, Clancy Brown, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, Seth Gilliam, Rue McClanahan, Marshall Bell, Eric Bruskotter, Blake Lindsley, Anthony Michael Ruivivar, Dean Norris, Dale Dye, Amy Smart; D: Paul Verhoeven; W: Edward Neumeier; C: Jost Vacano; M: Basil Poledouris.