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Starship Troopers 2: More of the same?

Most Heinlein purists hated the movie version of “Starship Troopers.” They hated the fascist imagery. They hated the bad science (spaceships banking in zero gravity, insects shooting plasma out of their butts). They hated the portrayal of professional soldiers as sadistic. They hated that a minor character changed sexes and because a love interest. They hated the bad acting. Most of the ire was directed at director Paul Verhoeven.

Well, Verhoeven isn’t involved in the sequel, now in production. But from this brief report from the Dark Horizons Web site, it looks like the sequel now in production probably won’t be much better:

It takes place 5 years after the first movie, the opening scenes are of the propaganda commercial stating why you should join the Federation Troopers, lots of scenes of Troopers running and then a scene that is a copy of the Iowa Shima [that's spelled Iwo Jima, dumbass] Flag Lifting. Immediately cuts to planet Zulu where the troopers are surrounded on a cliff by bugs and they are blasting away and are told to retreat. Nearly ¾ of the troopers are killed as they retreat towards an abandoned military base. They arrive at the base and get no response from the Federation when they ask for evacuation and pick up, meaning they are stranded there. There is also a subplot that the bugs have engendered a virus that infects some of the troopers and the bugs are trying to get the infection to go all the way up to the heads of the Federation. This virus turns it’s victims into Zombies of sorts.”

[Producer Jon] Davison told me he was off to a zombie test last week —; now that does sound captivating.

Other changes: No Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, no guy who played Doogie Howzer (Neil Patrick Harris).

The movie sequel cannot be faulted for failure to follow the book because Heinlein wrote no sequel. I am not anticipating any great improvement in Starship Troopers 2, considering the use of “propaganda” commercials. I also thing the idea of a virus that turns people into zombies wouldn’t pass muster with Heinlein, either.

At the time I saw this movie, it had been 10 years since I read Starship Troopers. My reaction was that I didn’t recall the book portraying the Federation as fascists. My impression was the opposite. I missed seeing the powered armor. I didn’t mind the co-ed army, but I was appalled at the co-ed shower scenes. I don’t mind nudity in movies. Hell, I usually enjoy the hell out of it. But I thought the scenes were intrusive, embarrassing and an insult to the characters.

I think Heinlein fans — myself included — would not have minded the changes between book and movie had the movie not treated the concept of honor, duty and responsibility as a source of derisive humor.

After the movie came out, there was a syndicated show called “Starship Troopers: Roughnecks.” It was computer animated and a much better representation of the novel. It also had powered armor. Maybe they should put the people who did this version in charge of the next sequel.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 31st, 2003 at 10:20 am and is filed under Movies and Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.