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At the time of its release in cinemas, it seems film fans didn't quite understand the themes of this action film , but years later it's been reconsidered as a cult classic, as its subject matter has become all the more relevant. Starship Troopers is not your average action film. With a futuristic setting it acts as a satire of fascism and authoritarian governance. And yet, it handles these heavy topics with heaps of humour film fans can't help but rave about. One critic took to Rotten Tomatoes to say: "A strong, almost outrageous representation of the military -industrial complex in the States, Verhoeven's sci-fi film benefits from being over the top in everything: its acting, its convoluted plot, and its politics." Set far ahead in the 23rd century, Starship Troopers tells the story of a future interstellar war that sees humans take on a race of giant aliens known as Arachnids. Recent high school graduate Johnny Rico joins the military as a teenager after he loses his family to an Arachnid attack. Viewers watch on as he and his other teenage friends navigate the difficulties of combat and training within the military. Their experience helps to tell the story of war and what it means to be a soldier and citizen. Another review says: "As hilarious as it is campy, as engrossing as it is gruesome, and as rousing as it is satirical. Impossible not to be held captive by a smile as cheesy as Denise Richards’ throughout." The casting is what many feel makes this movie such good fun to watch, despite its tense themes. Playing the lead role as Johnny is Casper Van Dien, alongside Neil Patrick Harris playing Dr Carl Jenkins and the likes of Dina Meyer, Denise Richards and Jake Busey. One fan of the film wrote: "Just as good now as when I first watched it. The CGI still holds out to this day. Humorous, action-packed and clever. If you didn’t like this movie, it went way over your head. One of the greatest sci-fi movies ever." Another viewer said: "I had a great time with Starship Troopers. It’s campy as hell, total ‘90s cheese, but never feels dumb or cheap. Genuinely funny, too. The gore and violence hit hard without crossing into sleazy territory. Just pure, ridiculous fun that knows exactly what it’s doing. I really like this one." Due to its popularity, the film helped to launch an entire multimedia franchise, made up of four sequels. Not to mention, its story continued on in a 1999 animated series and went on to produce a range of video games and comics. For those keen to have a mad movie night in, with laughs along the way, Starship Troopers will be on ITV4 tonight at 11:45pm. If that's way past your bedtime, then the film is also available to stream on Disney+.
