The Star Online looks at what makes a successful movie based on a science fiction novel. The conclusion:
So it’s not surprising that the “better” sci-fi movies are only loosely based on their sources. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven�s 1997 Starship Troopers was a fun but forgettable, alien-busting special-effects romp based on Robert Heinlein’s book of the same name.
The book was a satirical socio-political study of war and society; the movie was a shoot-’em-up with some witty, G.I. Joe gung-ho moments.
Verhoeven knows his medium, and his audience. Folks don�t want sci-fi movies that provoke thought; they want to go for an SFX ride. If you can inject some thought-provoking moments or issues, then that�s just icing on the cake of visual sci-fi.
Steal some of the ideas from the sci-fi book, but regurgitate it as an SFX-laden action-adventure. The latter keeps the audience glued to their seats, the former at least gives many talking points to the movie.
Because the writer tossed quotation marks around the word “successful,” I can agree with this assessment. Verhoeven’s movie was a financial, but not artistic, success.
The average video-game-loving male geek in his late teens and early 20s loved that movie. Lots of blood, guns, special effects and naked boobs, with no troublesome messages — other than Verhoeven’s simplistic military-equals-fascism message.
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