Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Clancy Brown, Eric Bruskotter, John Cunningham, Christopher Curry, Dale Dye, Lenore Kasdorf, Rue McClanahan, Steven Ford, Dean Norris, Brenda Strong, Seth Gilliam, Clancy Brown, Amy Smart, Julianna McCarthy, Walter Adrian, Curnal Achilles Aulisio, Patrick Bishop, Hunter Bodine, Ronald L. Botchan, Ungela Brockman, Mylin Brooks, Eric Dare, Armand Darrius, Denise Y. Dowse, Mara Duronslet, Matt Entriken, Stephanie Erb, Tami-Adrian George, Bruce Gray, Robert David Hall, Brad Kane, Alexi Lakatos, Kai Lennox, Matt Levin, Blake Lindsley, Travis Lowen, Nathaniel Marshall, Timothy McNeil, Timothy Omundson, Anthony Michael Ruivivar, Austin Sanderford, Michael Stockey, Tyrone Tann, Teo, Greg Travis, Rhiannon Vigil, Patrick Wolff

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Summary: The new millennium brings man face-to-face with the deadliest enemy of all... an intelligent race of alien bugs. Young freedom fighter Johnny Rico and his comrades join the elite cadet flying school where you need to be tough to survive. When Buenos Aires, Johnny's home town, is destroyed by the bugs, an all-out intergalactic war begins...

Some time in the future, a group of friends joins Earth's military forces after high school graduation to battle the insectoid Klendathu. One fights for the chance to be a renowned pilot (Denise Richards), one for revenge (Casper Van Dien), and one for the love of a good man (Dina Meyer), but interpersonal relationships take a backseat to the firepower leveled against (and returned from) the chitinous aliens. Paul Verhoeven's subversively humourous and thrilling sci-fi film is adapted from the classic science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein.

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A gloriously over-the-top treat, Paul Verhoeven's Starship Trooperstakes the militaristic moralising of Robert Heinlein's pulp classic and sets about undermining it mercilessly. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) desperately wants to join the Mobile Infantry and kill some Earth-threatening alien bugs. He also desperately wants Carmen (Denise Richards), but only gets to fulfil one ambition in the second of Verhoeven's futuristic satires (also cowritten with his RoboCopscriptwriter Ed Neumeier).

Set in a fascistic future where kids must do military service to qualify as citizens, own property or even have babies, the film's dark Vietnam and Nazi-era parallels are all the more disturbing given its deceptively sunny Beverly Hills 90210teenage cast (though scenery-chewing veteran Michael Ironside steals the movie as tough-talking Lt Rasczak). The CGI arachnids are among the most convincing and dangerous-looking creatures ever seen on screen, and with the movie clocking up the highest number of blanks ever fired on a film set, it's also pretty loud! Verhoeven went on to be Executive Producer of the Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chroniclesanimated TV series a couple of years later.

On the DVD: Starship Troopersin this DVD incarnation can now be played continuously on one side of the disc (the original Region 2 release version was that crime against the DVD format, a "flipper"). You'll also feel really spoiled by the extras here: five deleted scenes (approximately six minutes) pad out Carmen's love triangle problems. There are impressive screen tests for Denise Richards and Casper Van Dien (three-and-a-half minutes). An eight-minute featurette zips by with key interviews and fact flinging. And a real treat is three scene developments with layers of FX work explained by Verhoeven. But what makes this DVD essential is the director's enthusiastic commentary alongside screenwriter Ed Neumeier: dissing astrology, making a stand for feminist issues, saying how he went nude to placate the actors for their shower scene, and drooling with praise for his FX team, Verhoeven makes a fascinating statement that "war makes fascists of us all". After a studio disclaimer, and beginning with his reaction to the film's critique in Time Magazine, this is no-holds-barred fun. --Paul Tonks

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Scene Development, Screen Tests, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	Dutch, English, French
Year:	1997
Release Date:	June 11, 2001
Runtime:	130 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B E D 888317
Keywords:	General, Fiction, Starship, Science, Troopers, Horror, Futuristic, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Science Fiction