I’m not claiming Starship Troopers is a masterpiece by any means, but it does have it’s charms. The first thing is not to compare it to the book. Paul Verhoeven didn’t care in the least about what the book actually said. And, yes, the military tactics and equipment are just stupid. Those aren’t what the movie is about so just accept it and move on.
Completely by accident, I saw Paul Verhoeven’s Soldier of Orange just before I went to Starship Troopers. That movie follows the lives of a group of young Dutch during the Nazi occupation. If you don’t mind foreign-language movies, it’s a great show. Also, it’s got Rutger Hauer. Anyway, it really made sitting through Starship Troopers much more interesting having just seen his treatment of Nazi military fascism. Paul Verhoeven actually lived through the occupation as a small boy so that may have influenced his attitude about the whole thing just a little.
“The first thing is not to compare it to the book.”
Then why title the film and promote it as a movie based on the book?