Starship Troopers: One of the Most Misunderstood Movies Ever

The Atlantic ^ | November 7, 2013 | Calum Marsh

[C19fan]

When Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers hit theaters 16 years ago today, most American critics slammed it. In the New York Times, Janet Maslin panned the “crazed, lurid spectacle,” as featuring “raunchiness tailor-made for teen-age boys.” Jeff Vice, in the Deseret News, called it “a nonstop splatterfest so devoid of taste and logic that it makes even the most brainless summer blockbuster look intelligent.” Roger Ebert, who had praised the “pointed social satire” of Verhoeven’s Robocop, found the film “one-dimensional,” a trivial nothing “pitched at 11-year-old science-fiction fans.”

But those critics had missed the point. Starship Troopers is satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism. The fact that it was and continues to be taken at face value speaks to the very vapidity the movie skewers.

[C19fan]

For some reason this year old article is on the top of the most popular list on The Atlantic. I saw Starship Troopers when it came out and I understood immediately it was a satire on militarism and jingoism. The people who missed that theme must of been blind because the whole movie had fascist overtones. Hard to miss how Doogie Howser was dressed like a SS officer with the black leather jacket and cap.

[BenLurkin]

What’s wrong with snappy uniforms?

[C19fan]

Especially designed by Hugo Boss himself. :)

[TomGuy]

I enjoyed it.

#2 wasn’t that good.

#3 was okay and more like the first one.

[Chickensoup]

The movie might have been satire, I am not sure the author meant the book as satire.

[Azeem]

“I understood immediately it was a satire on militarism and jingoism”

The book is the opposite. It’s also a great discussion on national service, responsibility, and the use of violence.

[C19fan]

That is why I remember Heinlein fans went ballistic when the movie came out.

[AceMineral]

The novel is decidedly serious. The song with the same title is pretty good too.

[jjsheridan5]

Starship Troopers is satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism.

Except ... the most malevolent uses of militarism are almost invariably left-wing. The "right-wing" uses the military to ensure freedom, and to protect the innocent against those that would do them harm. The left uses the military to oppress, to steal, to subjugate, and for their own selfish purposes.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Rules.

[thefactor]

Great book. Hot chicks in the movie.

[mrsmith]

The fact that it was and continues to be taken at face value speaks to the very vapidity of the producers, directors, writers, actors....

Liberals always blame others.

[Blood of Tyrants]

One of the points often overlooked is the requirement that you serve in the military to become a full voting citizen.

[GraceG]

[ The fact that it was and continues to be taken at face value speaks to the very vapidity of the producers, directors, writers, actors....

Liberals always blame others. ]

Liberals ALWAYS use PROJECTION to attack others. They may not realize it consciously, but their worst faults are always exposed when they attack others who are more righteous than themselves because they project their own internalized fears about their own kind onto others.

(it is part of the whole, if we do it, the other people do too mentality. Without realizing that other people don’t necessarily do it at all)

[logi_cal869]

Starship Troopers is satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism.

In contrast with the book, exactly. But many take offense at being mocked.

[left that other site]

Right Wing Militarism and Jingoism in the face of enormous evil bug invaders is a GOOD thing.

A time for everything under the sun.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

And the unisex sbowers?

[Captain Peter Blood]

The movie bears little or no resemblance to Robert Heinlein's book.
His book is much better and when you read it he is very prescient about where society was headed when he wrote the book over 55 years ago.

[Mr. K]

I love that movie!

Even the sequels were not bad