Starship Troopers

Director: Paul Verhoeven, Paul Verhoeven, Paul Verhoeven, Paul Verhoeven

1997 / 129min / DCP

Doogie Howser duded up in SS togs, “brain bugs” with obscenely oozing orifices, soap opera romance against a backdrop of staggering carnage, absurd agitprop interludes… Verhoeven’s gonzo adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel has it all, a mash-up of satire and earnest spectacle following Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his Earthling pals as they set out to settle the score with alien arachnids responsible for wiping Buenos Aires off the map. “Starship Troopers is for me, after Robocop and Basic Instinct, the best Verhoeven movie—I remember, I saw it five times in the theater. The brutal action blew my mind at that time, and it's always fun to watch it again.” —Philipp Westermair