090 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
STARSHIP TROOPERS
RETRO CLASSIC
years away, Starship Troopers portrays
targeted advertising and click bait (when one
piece of propaganda fi nishes, another simply
asks ‘would you like to know more?’ of course
we do!).
Critics at the time (and some now) weren’t
as impressed as they were with some of
Verhoeven’s earlier work, with Rita Kempley
calling it a “squishy, senseless, putrescent
romp” in the Washington Post. “It’s exactly
like Star Wars – if you subtract a good story,
sympathetic characters, intelligence, wit and
moral purpose,” Kempley continued.
Star Wars this is certainly not – there are no
noble battles against evil here, the fi ghts are
dirty and ruthless, and the Bugs are incessant
killing machines; evolved over generations to
do nothing but kill and propagate. There is
no proud rebellion. From the very beginning
it’s been made clear that for every one dead
Bug there are a handful of dead humans. This
is a slaughter which our heroes happily run
to, spilling out catchy slogans as they head to
an inevitable defeat: “The only good Bug is a
dead Bug!”.
Perhaps it’s the characters that many critics
didn’t like – Rico is not the haunted Murphy
from Robocop, nor the brave, hapless QuaidTOP FIVE
MOVIE BUGS
in Total Recall. Rico is a high-school jock
who is beguiled by a shiny war ideal (and of
his girlfriend) to fully understand the bigger
picture and seemingly too focused on his ego
to realise that he’ll soon be heading straight
into the front line. Ibanez, too, is overconfi dent
and self-obsessed; a smile is permanently
plastered on her face and we see only a hint
of a frown even as she delivers a spaceship
of hundreds of people to their likely demise.
It’s as though these characters embody
the propaganda ideals around them – the
handsome all-American boy and the pretty
prom queen proudly grinning their way into a
grisly battle.
But doesn’t this make the satire all the
more obvious? The picture-perfect characters’
contrast to the bloody, horrifi c war making the
whole idea of war more ludicrous? Besides,
Rico and Ibanez are surrounded by characters
that lend much of the fi lm its humour and
heart. From love-sick soldier Dizzy to the gruff
father fi gure Rasczak, it’s these characters
who ground the fi lm in a sort of realism before
it catches itself, shakes itself off and carries on
skipping blindly into colourful war (even the
Bugs’ blood is a vibrant orange).
Written by Robocop screenwriter, EdwardTHE FLY
TH E FLY
The Brundle Fly is a
formidable foe with
increased strength
and stamina. Bad
fi ngernails though...EDGAR
THE BUG
MEN IN BLACK
A giant cockroach
disguised as a
farmer – don’t kill
bugs around him.CETI EEL
WRATH OF KHAN
Warning: do not
let their larvae in
your ear. It WILL
wrap around your
cerebral cortex.VENEZUALAN
SPIDERS
ARACHNOPHOBIA
A nasty new species
of drone spider –
don’t mention the
lack of sex organs.THE JUDAS
BREED
MIMIC
Trying to eradicate
a disease caused by
cockroaches? Don’t
play with genetics.(^090) WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
STARSHIP TROOPERS
RETRO CLASSIC
Starship TroopersStarship TroopersStarship Troopers portrays portrays
we do!).
Washington PostWashington PostWashington Post
like Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars
moral purpose,” Kempley continued.
Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars
dead Bug!”.
from RobocopRobocopRobocop
TOP FIVE TOP FIVE
MOVIE BUGSMOVIE BUGS
in Total RecallTotal RecallTotal Recall
RobocopRobocopRobocop
THE FLY
THE FLY
The Brundle Fly is a
formidable foe with
increased strength
and stamina. Bad
fi ngernails though...
EDGAR
THE BUG
MEN IN BLACKMEN IN BLACK
A giant cockroach A giant cockroach
disguised as a
farmer – don’t kill farmer – don’t kill
bugs around him.bugs around him.
CETI EEL
WRATH OF KHANWRATH OF KHAN
Warning: do not Warning: do not
let their larvae in let their larvae in
your ear. It WILL your ear. It WILL
wrap around your wrap around your
cerebral cortex.cerebral cortex.
VENEZUALAN VENEZUALAN
SPIDERS
ARACHNOPHOBIAARACHNOPHOBIA
A nasty new species A nasty new species
of drone spider – of drone spider –
don’t mention the don’t mention the
lack of sex organs.lack of sex organs.
THE JUDAS
BREED
MIMIC
Trying to eradicate Trying to eradicate
a disease caused by a disease caused by
cockroaches? Don’t cockroaches? Don’t
play with genetics.play with genetics.