If you work for, or know anyone who works for the ABA -- no, not the American Bar Association or the American Bankers Association, but the American BUG Association -- get this word out to them immediately. Director Paul Verhoeven's latest film doesn't focus on lawyers or bankers, but instead sets its sights on insects and this is going to be a public relations fiasco for our little "friends." Instead of peaceful fuzzy caterpillars, majestic praying mantises, or even cute little furry spiders, we get huge, mean-spirited critters who want nothing more than to rid the universe of human beings. Perhaps this is payback for all of the swatting, spraying and stomping we've done to the little fellas over the eons, but one thing's for sure. The manufacturers of bug spray and roach motel products are going to love this movie because it's going to make people hate bugs even more than they do now. Of course these elephant-sized bugs (and bigger) wouldn't think twice about using a can of Raid as breath freshener, and that's what makes the movie so much fun.
If you haven't already figured it out, this feature is simple, stupid over-the-top entertainment, for which it makes no apologizes. From the opening newsreel footage (a clever parody of the 1950's propaganda films) to the all out battle scenes, this film has no intention other than to deliver a good time. Similar to those paranoia-induced "B" movies of the 1950's that featured giant insects created from nuclear material, this film features a young cast whose own parents were probably only young kids themselves during that time. The leads are relatively unknown young actors and actresses, but all provide decent performances for this type of film. Of note is Jake Busey, actor Gary Busey's son. Not only has Jake inherited his father's looks, but he's also decided to play his character here much like his father would have -- wild, uninhibited, and perhaps a bit on the crazy side. We also get to see Neil Patrick Harris whom you might last remember as Doogie Howser, MD, from the same named TV show. Now grown up and looking like he was sired by Quentin Tarantino, he delivers something of a young Tarantino inspired supporting performance.
Obviously aimed squarely at the teen audience that's made the recent film "I Know What You Did Last Summer" such a big hit, this feature will appeal to them and to sci-fi fans, and thus should have a robust outing at the box office. The production values are first-rate with the outer space scenes being as good as those in any other sci-fi film, and the computer generated insects (from visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett of "Jurassic Park" fame) are outstanding. Of course no one has ever seen insects quite like this nor on such a massive scale, but their movements are realistic enough to produce shivers for the those who aren't crazy about bugs. To top it off, when the bugs are dying, their legs twitch and flail about just like their little cousins -- though of course on a much larger scale.
That's only part of their deaths, however, for this film is ruthless in graphically depicting their demise as well as that of their human counterparts, and many audience members may find the film too relentlessly graphic and gruesome for their liking. Many of director Paul Verhoeven's films, however, have been this way, and he's previously attributed some of that to growing up in a war- torn era and witnessing horrific real-life incidents. Perhaps his films are violently cathartic for him, but this one easily outdoes his other, often brutal features such as "Robocop" and "Total Recall." All of the gross out material, however graphic it may be, is played in somewhat of a fun, comic book fashion and is designed more for the "gross, did you see that?" quotient than to be stomach turning (although it may still come across that way to some viewers).
Also played in a fun fashion are the many propaganda clips that are clever satire on the old newsreel films seen in the 40's and 50's. Much like the "Know Your Enemy" shorts and using the same type font on screen and similar music, these brief pieces are hilarious. In one scene, a group of young kids "are doing their part for the war effort" by collectively stepping on a collection of small, everyday insects. Such scenes, especially early on, help liven up the first half that is a bit too slow moving (as the characters are introduced and marginally fleshed out), especially since we're aware of, and waiting for, the inevitable bug mayhem. Once those battle scenes begin, however, the momentum rarely lets up and the film flies along in a speedy autopilot mode.
Those wanting a serious sci-fi film should look elsewhere. While it does lightly focus on a far off totalitarian state (where we see Doogie Howser wearing what's essentially a WWII Nazi officer's outfit) and a futuristic society where sexual differences are no longer valid, most of the movie is dumb as a rock. A main character who's got a hole the size of a grapefruit through her shoulder (courtesy of a bug attack) miraculously is okay by the end of the story and walks around without any apparent ill-effects. Likewise, the teens similarly don't react much after their hometown city has just been wiped out -- other than to get mad and get the adrenaline flowing. There's also some goofy E.S.P. stuff that never really goes anywhere (until a weak denouement). And for some reason a character plays "Dixie" on a fiddle during a time-out from the war (yes, it's Busey's character -- like father, like son).
Obviously none of this is meant to be taken seriously and few of the characters' reactions are remotely realistic -- they're nearly sub par that of comic book characters -- but they are what keep the film continuously moving forward. This movie doesn't intend to be cerebral, and instead simply focuses on a purely visceral experience -- lots of mayhem, blood, and guts. The film is essentially a dummied down, supped up version of "Aliens." Much like that film, the people of the future have developed interstellar spaceships, but still haven't managed to create a decent laser gun (commonly found in other sci-fi films) to fight these insect-like creatures. Thus, they have to rely on old gun technology (beyond a few grenades and small nuclear devices that are mysteriously absent when most needed) and only have machine guns with which to kill the critters. As both films show, however, that makes the plot that much more suspenseful as we clearly see that the odds are stacked against the humans. Much like those old WWII films, the enemy is also clearly defined, and in today's world bugs are perfect politically correct villains.
All of which makes this film that much more like a video game where the creatures just keep coming and coming and the heroes have to keep shooting them down one by one. And with the occasional gargantuan fire-breathing beetle showing up, that only adds that much more "fun" to the game. If you can tolerate the occasionally stomach turning gore and don't mind the thought of giant insects, then you'll find yourself on the equivalent of an amusement park-like ride. It's big, loud, full of unpleasant surprises, and you certainly won't burn a single brain calorie while experiencing it. Yet, you'll have a lot of fun riding it. We did, and thus give "Starship Troopers" a 7.5 out of 10.