Starship Troopers Trilogy (Starship Troopers/Starship Troopers 2 - Hero Of The Federation/Starship Troopers 3 - Marauder) [Blu-ray][Region Free]

this set is what every diehard fan must buy... simply because it features all three films plus some special features ... 'making of' etc for all three films, deleted scenes, theatrical trailors .. your average dvd contents really.

the 1st film .. Starship Troopers is golden... a perfect blend of satrical humour and people getting their brains sucked out by the 'brain bug' ... i can't think of anything else to say other then watch this film

now the reason i say it's more suited for diehard fans is because of the second film (hero of the federation) that film is just bad, even by starship troopers standards (satirical/splatter fests) bad graphics and a confused plot mixed with bad acting make this substandard sequel a turkey. I watched the second film thinking it would be like the Starship troopers and was disappointed when it had no real character connections to the 1st film.

the third film is a good, bad-ish special effects and fair enough it doesn't really get to the same level as the 1st film, but it's got good laughs and with the return of Johnny Rico it is worth the watch.

so, i guess my advice/review is to think about whether you like all three films, there is no point buying all three if you just wanted one or two of them, with this trilogy you can skip the 2nd film and it doesn't matter.

Do you have Starship Troopers on DVD? Dont bother with this set.
Do you have Starship Troopers 2 on DVD? Sell it.
Do you have Starship Troopers 3 on DVD? May be worth getting the boxset so you have ST1.

There. Done.

OK, I watched this eventually. The first film is still the best and I finally replaced my old flipper DVD (remember those!?). The second film is just an excuse for a gore fest. Loads of cutting heads off and blood by the bucketload. It's a poor movie though and the end is just nonsense. I mean, lets have a think about what I would do...get in the ship and go home or die? Hmmm, tricky one. Sound and picture are just average, it looks like the time and effort that went into the BluRay was what the film deserved.
Film 3 is much more back on track with 1. It's got that gung ho OTT feel thanks to Rico. The whole religion thing though and the arrival of the Marauders made me think I was watching some Warhammer 40K movie at the end. Again, the picture and sound are'nt special and I even noticed artifacts at one point.
Not a great boxset at all, but it is cheap.

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein is one of the masterpieces of science fiction. The universe he created, the action and warfare are magnificent. The society Heinlein posits as an alternative is at least thought provoking if not much more. The Starship Troopers trilogy are films set in that universe and to a reasonable extent reflect a lot of the sentiment that Heinlein produced. Starship Troopers 1 is a great action film that introduces the war between the Federation (humanity) and the Bugs. Starship Troopers 2 is a B Movie that drags the trilogy down a little by creating what is essentially a zombie fest. Starship Troopers 3 is the cleverest of the films and brings in more of the elements that Heinlein created including the societal structure needed to win a total war and some of the technology that Heinlein described that have been so influential to sci fi in the decades since.

What the original book did not do was produce a cast of deep characters. Starship Troopers 1 goes as far as it is possible to change that approach. The bug war is a relatively distant and unheralded conflict that humanity is engaged in when Johnny Rico and his friends graduate from high school in Buenos Aires. Rico is a traditional American jock - Casper Van Dien's powerful jawline and strong physique as well as the natural tendency to think of him as stupid capture very well the uncertainties of a man who must make his way in the world having been a sports darling at school. Rico's love is for the much smarter and aloof Carmen. She is the classmate who best understands the ideals of the Federation and is the one person who signs up to the military on pure conviction.

The high school stuff is a nice way to introduce the importance of the Bug War. It is full Americana including the Arena Football game which it has to be said is really well executed. The physicality of the match Rico plays in for just a couple of minutes is better than most representations of sport in film. Rico's quarterback is Dizzy Flores which is an amusing take on page 1 of Heinlein's book. Played by Dina Meyer it is perhaps a little unbelievable that she could be a QB as she's not the biggest but the love quandrangle between her, Rico, Carmen, and Rico's rival Zander is a fundamental part of the tale.

There is a distinct lack of human affection in Heinlein's original so the teenage love interest is a little bit over the top though the payoff between Rico and Dizzy is highly satisfying. That anyone would have preferred Denise Richards to Dina Mayer is a little hard to believe. Still, it is a part of the film that probably appeals to those who weren't already in because of Heinlein.

Following Rico through boot camp is good fun mainly thanks to the magnificent Drill Sgt Zim played by Clancy Brown. Boot camp Sgts are a bit of a cliche but Zim brings a wit and charisma to the role beyond the usual shouting. It is nice to see Zim's payoff captured in the end. Probably the most interesting character is Michael Ironside's Rasczak as much of the philosophy behind the story is told through his mouth. He is a paragon of the virtues Heinlein espoused and is one character who follows through on his commitment.

The effects on Starship Troopers 1 are excellent. The bugs are a believable swarm of menace and the Fleet are nicely rendered. The battle scenes are generally very believable and the juxtaposition of gore and patriotism is well produced. Some of the meaning behind the patriotism is a little opaque perhaps because of the high school characters but there is a clear sense of understanding in the survival militarism.

Troopers 1 is an excellent film. The extras are very minimal on the boxed set and are disappointing.

Starship Troopers 2 has not been well received generally. The plot is not very good. A few survivors in a losing battle are pitched against a horde of bugs and find themselves stowed away in a spooky tower. Unbeknownest to them they bring an enemy within their midst and that enemy slowly picks them off one by one. The plot is essentially some kind of zombie horror without the horror and from a purely storyline perspective is not very impressive. The B Movieness of it is reinforced by the gratuitous nudity performed by Kelly Carlson. Her acting is not very good but she actually does extremely well in her role a stunningly beautiful woman with a sculptured body to be hugely impressed by.

What is a bit of shame about the poor plot for Troopers 2 is that it wastes an excellent character in Cpt Dax played by Richard Burgi. The stoicism and honour of a man who knows real battle generates terrific pathos for Dax. He is the one man who has the fighting and leadership skills to win wars but he lacks the self-preservation talent needed for military politics. For all that Troopers 2 is roundly slated, Dax is a very well crafted and acted lead character and while he doesn't shine like Johnny Rico, he is a Hero of the Federation.

Troopers 2 also has more of an anti-war feel which is soundly at odds with the underlying philosophy. The script clearly attempts to portray Dax as an exploited man but he does save the Federation and he does do it because for all his talk of grim futility he clearly does believe in humanity.

The atmosphere of Troopers 2 is not bad and the lighting effects are particularly well rendered. There is much less action than in the other Troopers films so there is more of a focus on the psychology of the people involved. It doesn't delve too deeply but the moment when Sgt Rake jabs herself with adrenalin to continue her fight is a great moment.

Unfortunately Troopers 2 is not a great film. It isn't as bad as some suggest and to some extent that might be because it is not a natural sequel to Troopers 1. It is a film set in the same universe. There are other sci fi films that attempt similar stories and do it much worse despite getting much more hype.

Troopers 3 is a return to form and is the most interesting of the trilogy. It does not have the action sequences that the first boasts but it does have plenty of bug-killing action. Bringing Johnny Rico back and with him looking better than ever, the film opens up in a large fortification on the front line of the bug war. The arrival of charismatic Sky Marshal Omar Anoke throws everything into confusion and a bloody battle commences.

Anoke is a masterpiece of a character. The depth of the personification he represents should not be underestimated. He is not only the leader of the Federation but he is well-loved because he is essentially a celebrity. Heinlein's original work did not produce much to explain what it is that binds a people together. In Troopers 3 what does the binding is the cult of the media. It is a brilliant satire and understanding of contemporary mass psychology. Anoke is a good looking guy and sings inspiring patriotic songs beautifully. Stephen Hogan imbues him with a seriousness that works as any hint of comedy would have utterly ruined this film. Anoke's journey through the remainder of the film is magnificent despite a slight touch of plagiarism from Star Trek V.

The film isn't perfect though and it is a film of two halfs with the first half taking up more than three quarters. Normally that wouldn't matter but as the first half is designed to set up the philosophical twist it can be a little frustrating when it appears that no twist is coming. When it does come and the Federation's evolution to a belief system that binds people together much more effectively into a fighting force it is perhaps the greatest social philosophy moment ever produced in film.

Casper Van Dien is again excellent as Johnny Rico. His supporting cast put in a good show which is good as Rico doesn't actually get all that much screen time. Jolene Blalock as Cpt Lola Beck gets the most screen time and as with most of the characters in the film she is transformed - in her case from annoying woman with pouty lips into bad ass sci fi warrior woman and comes out much the better for it. There is one terrible bit of casting which is Cecile Breccia - no comment on her acting ability but it is almost impossible to understand her very strong accent.

The heroism of military people is nicely drawn in particular with the marines who defend the Sky Marshal's ship - they are affected by battle and in some cases killed or injured but they are noble warriors. Others who are not military are typically less noble and those who are not hardened by battle are often shown as cowards or bullys. This might be taking the themes a little too far but as the film makes so much sense at the end it all fits together very nicely.

The newsreel style scenes are brilliant in Troopers 1 & 3 and are perhaps the most innovative part of the trilogy - very well written.

The dvd extras for Troopers 3 are easily the best of the trilogy with a nice technical exposition of monster creation, good talking head and on-set chat, the full length version of the excellent A Good Day To Die song, and a clear sense that Troopers 3 brought some credibility back to a franchise that took a confidence hit after Troopers 2.

Starship Troopers the book was one of the defining works in sci fi history. The films are not the same story but fit very well into the same universe. They are definitely Casper Van Dien's finest hour and they are a great introduction to some of the concepts Heinlein wrote about. Troopers 1 is a big budget mainstream action adventure that anyone can love. Troopers 2 is a zombie shlock that takes a slightly different taste to admire. Read more ›