Starship Troopers (1997)

Starship Troopers (1997)

In director Paul Verhoeven's military-related adventure-action film, it was a combination spoof of militarism and a violent science-fiction saga set in the 23rd century. It followed the training of Mobile Infantry volunteer Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) from basic training through brutal combat experiences in an interstellar war against alien arthropods to becoming an officer.

Gung-ho college graduates who enlisted and trained in the futuristic Federal Service (military) based on Earth, explored other regions of the universe, including Klendathu. It was the homeworld of giant, intelligent, lethal pseudo-arachnid enemy of insect-inhabitants called "Bugs."

• in the sequence of the brutal, training process of the enlistees by drill instructor Zim (Clancy Brown), one beefy recruit had his arm broken and another had his hand impaled by a knife during a lethal attack of swarming green bugs, a few of the soldiers were decapitated when struck in the head; another kneeling down was struck by a wounded and falling bug - and squashed
• during an infamous uni-sex shower scene with male and female soldiers cavorting and sharing the same open shower stalls at boot camp, the recruits soaped and rinsed off; the camera showed various grunts talking about their "excuse" for joining up with the futuristic 23rd Century Mobile Infantry:
  • "Well, we all have one thing in common. We're all stupid enough to sign up for Mobile Infantry."
• in the futuristic society, military service was required in order to attain citizenship; African American Djana'D (Tami-Adrian George) added that she was going into politics so she had to become a citizen; brash and tomboyish Ace fighter Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), who was infatuated with hot-shot Johnny (he joined the military with demure pilot girlfriend Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards)), removed her black T-shirt top and joined the bathers; she answered for Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and embarrassed him; she referred to his 'girlish' reason to enlist in the military: "Oh, uh, he said because of a girl." She didn't answer back when asked: "Is it you?"

• the film was mostly composed large-scale, visceral, extremely gory battle scenes between humans and mobilized giant alien bugs shown in a swarm

• one hapless soldier was sucked into a pit, and had half of his body chewed off - visible when he was pulled out; Johnny Rico obliged the lethally-wounded soldier ("Rico, you know what to do!...Do it, Rico!") by shooting him in the chest to put him out of his misery
• when Rico's girlfriend Carmen Ibanez broke off her romance with him for career reasons, he became romantic with Dizzy Flores; as they were preparing to have sex, and she was being kissed by Johnny, he asked her: "What's so funny?"; she replied: "You know. Just the way things work out," but their heated kissing was interrupted by a call to move out because of a distress call from Planet "P"; their relationship was short-lived when she was impaled by one of the giant bugs
• when the giant, fire-breathing super-insect Mother Bug finally attacked, its fiery blast incinerated the right arm of one of the infantry soldiers. Rico heroically jumped onto the back of the super bug to ride it, and to enable him to shoot a large hole into its shell with his machine gun. He held onto the bloody hole he had created and then dropped a grenade into it, causing a blast that exploded the creature to oblivion. As he watched from a close distance, he was showered with bug guts.

• in the film's surprising, deeply satirical ending, the entire film was revealed as a gung-ho recruitment ad for the futuristic military