Back in 1997, Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall) released a little
sci-fi picture called Starship Troopers, based loosely (very
loosely) on the 1959 novel by Robert Heinlein. The movie achieved moderate success,
mostly in the “cult film” category, and even managed to make an
eloquent point about the irrationality of warfare and its effect on the average
citizen. Now in 2004, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation
has arrived as a made-for-cable movie directed by special effects wiz Phil Tippett
(Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Starship
Troopers). The results, which could easily have been disastrous, are
really not so disappointing.
Phil Tippett, with a script from Edward Neumeier (Robocop,
Starship Troopers), serves up this entertaining tale about
a squad of Mobile Infantry soldiers trapped in an abandoned outpost on a bug-infested
world. With a damaged radio and a single survivor (Richard Burgi) from the original
outpost crew, who may be a hero or a murderer, all seems lost for the squad.
That is until their General (Ed Lauter) arrives, saved by a trio of strangers
(Ed Quinn, J.P. Manoux, and Kelly Carlson), thus improving their chances of
being picked up by the beleaguered Federation fleet. However, all is not as
it seems with these newcomers, and it’s not long before the MI squad finds
themselves fighting the enemy outside as well as in.
This is a solid effort from newbie director Phil Tippett. He’s certainly
spent enough time around big-budget sci-fi/fantasy sets to have picked up a
thing or two. The cast is filled with largely unknown faces, which ends up working
to the film’s advantage. Far too often, wartime movies are cast with supposedly
“nameless” soldiers played by highly recognizable actors who are
ill-suited to the part (see Saving Private Ryan’s Private Ryan). The Mobile
Infantry squad of Starship Troopers 2 share obvious bonds offscreen
that work well to make them believable as a veteran military unit onscreen.
Tippett did a commendable job of assembling the team and getting them to work
so well together, especially given the short 26 day shooting schedule. Further,
writer Edward Neumeier has come up with a tight, well-crafted story that pays
just the right nods to both Verhoeven’s and Heinlein’s works while
still giving the audience a fresh, new look at bug-squashing goodness.
The visual effects are solid, though nowhere near the level of those in the
first picture (whose budget topped out at around $100 million). The bugs are
still vicious and the blood still flows freely, but this film is more about
the psychological fear of an enemy within than grand, sweeping exercises in
military warfare of the first. Small budget and differing story focus aside,
Tippett Studios has done a great job with what they have to work with and the
result is a stylish sci-fi/action romp that does justice to its source material.
The DVD release of Starship Troopers 2 is relatively light
on special features, though this is never necessarily a bad thing. Better to
have a few good features than a disc full of awful ones (check out the Starship
Troopers: Special Edition DVD, for example). The features on this disc are as
follows:
-Director, Writer, and Producer Commentary. This is the usual commentary fare,
with director Phil Tippett, write Edward Neumeier, and producer Jon Davison.
Nothing spectacularly original here.
-“From Green to Silver Screen” Featurette. A look into the production
of several special effects shots from the film, from storyboard to the finished
product. The setup should be familiar to anyone who’s watched the special
effects featurettes provided with larger-budget films. Very basic, textbook
DVD stuff.
-“Inside The Federation” Featurette. This is a little “making
of” short which gives the viewer a good feel for the camaraderie on-set
between the cast and the crew. Nothing overly fascinating here, but it makes
for a more interesting viewing than the previous featurette.
-Photo Gallery. This is a photo gallery. There are photos in it. Don’t
bother… watch the movie and/or the “Inside The Federation”
featurette to see these photos in motion!
-Bonus Trailers. There’s nothing wrong with the film studio throwing plugs
for their other productions onto a DVD, but must the viewer really sit through
them every time they put the disc in before the main menu comes up? This is
unfair, as cool as the Hellboy trailer may be.
Overall, this DVD is bound to be picked up by the rabid fans of the first
film and ignored by pretty much everyone else until it ends up in the bargain
bins. If you’re an on-the-fence fan of the first movie, try this one on
for size. What’s lost in gory, action-packed goodness is more than made
up for with a solid story and capable casting. At least check it out on cable;
everyone involved with this movie seemed to really enjoy themselves. If nothing
else, this movie is a labor of love and that feeling comes off very strongly.
DVD Film Score: B+
DVD Special Features Score: C
Overall Score: B-
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