Amazing movie. I don't think I've seen a film that better shows and satires the effect of the propaganda and media machine during war and how our natural sense of morals as humans can be overrid so easily.
The acting is supposed to be wooden people, the characters in the film represent and satire our image of the perfect American, attractive, wholesome, football playing, All-American soap opera-esque heroes.
The scene where the alien kills the cow... how could those aliens do such a barbaric thing.
(I stole that example from imdb, there's some good user comments on there) In truth, the aliens are no different from the Americans. They can think, feel, fear. What makes us better than them and makes killing them justifiable and worthy of cheering? The soldier aliens don't think much, but then again, our military infantry is taught to act the same way. When the war is on, a few of our soldiers dieing is seen as a crime and headline news, while killing thousands of innocent aliens that had nothing to do with the attacks is seen as "victory", and the we cheer like NPH when he announces the creature is afraid, because they are the enemy, they are lesser beings that should be stomped on. One thing I also like is that the movie never gets preachy or steps over the line with it's message, it keeps it subtle enough that most critics totally missed it when it came out, unfortunately.
On top of all that, the movie is a blast as a balls-out sci-fi/action film. Brilliant action sequences and CGI, great pace where the film never loses its step, awesome over the top Verhoeven gore. Pure entertainment.
One of the best sci-fi, satire, or war films I have seen. Fantastic.
5/5(On a side note, it's downright eerie how the Buenos Aires attack and plotline mirrors 9/11 EXACTLY... Big K, like Afghanistan, wasn't waging war on Earth, the single asteroid was released as retaliation probably by a single being or group for the Americans involving themselves with the planet beforehand. But then the government decides to make an entire movement to wipe out the aliens/Al-Queda, much of which leads to arrogant decisions without merit, like going into Big K with wrong information... sound familiar? Or is planet P Iraq, the neighbor planet that had nothing to do with the attack, and then got invaded out of false pretenses. Hmm. All this of course leads to a ton of of pointless deaths, all created by the war machine creating these aliens as enemies and overblowing the need for this war. How fucking accurate is that for a movie made in '97? Is Starship Troopers the most scarily prophetic film ever or what?)
