This
movie is easily one of my
all-time favorites for so, so many
reasons. The only thing I would hold against it would be the
retention of
Heinlein's title... it should've been something else, with a small
tagline somewhere or other saying "Inspired by Robert Heinlein's
Starship Troopers". Perhaps
Teenagers In Space or
Doogie Howser Goes To War! (and this time,
It's Personal) or maybe something more
oblique such as
Return To The Planet Of The Bugs...
Anyway, I digress. And yes, I've read the book, and liked that, too. This film has nothing to do with that book.
I really really really liked this movie. I never expected it to be an intellectual powerhouse (nor its stars), nor did I expect all of the layers of preachy nonsense Verhoven slathers to work. But when it's good, it's good. And when it's bad, it's hilarious. Like when Dizzy dies. Or during the ferret scene. Or the propaganda reel of kids stomping (Earth's) bugs. Or any of the "Would you like to know more?" spots, for that matter.
Melrose in Space it ain't, but the perfectly-tanned, always smiling teens (Denise Richards has admitted in interviews to being told to flash her pearly whites for the whole film) were only a foretaste of the oncoming teen/millennial revolution of culture it preceded.
Er, I've digressed again.
So if you to turn your brain off and laugh for a while, rent this on DVD. The quality is awesome, and the movie rocks. Make sure you watch it at least six times.
The weekend when I first saw it culminated in a 5 a.m. Sunday-morning showing, during which I was able to pretty much recite the entire movie, as well as repeat most of the snide comments I'd said the first four times, all the while crouched on the armrests of the theatre seats, perching like a parrot and laughing like a madman.
codger:ramblings