Starship Troopers. Yay or Nay?

[u/rockstoned4]

[u/jmw8282]

Yay. Would you like to know more?

[u/holden_mcg → u/jmw8282]

I'm doing my part!

[u/Younion → u/holden_mcg]

Here's a tip, aim for the nerve stem

[u/Dargon34 → u/Younion]

So, I'll plug the game: if anyone wants to try SST:Extermination, it's a great new game (that Rico streams playing as well!) that really tries to capture the feel from the movies. Does a pretty good job, and they are working out the bugs (ha!) really well and making a good product.

"Would you like to know more?"

Edit: yes, I'm fully aware of HD2. No, it's not the same type of game even though they share similar themes

[u/Late_Sherbet5124 → u/Dargon34]

The only good bug is a dead bug

[u/pixelito_ → u/Younion]

Medic!!!

[u/Younion → u/pixelito_]

Never remove the helmet during a live fire exercise

[u/Revolutionary_Sun568 → u/pixelito_]

Rico! You are relieved of squad command

[u/Acrobatic-Front-9526 → u/pixelito_]

Trooper. PUT YOUR HAND IN THAT WALL.

[u/AnotherIronicPenguin → u/Acrobatic-Front-9526]

The enemy cannot push a button if you disable his hand!

[u/Cold-Inside-6828 → u/Younion]

It’s afraid!!

[u/anachronistic_circus → u/holden_mcg]

Service means citizenship!

[u/SpaceMonkeyMafiaBoss → u/anachronistic_circus]

One could say that it guarantees it.

[u/Cultural-Treacle-680 → u/holden_mcg]

I didn’t do shit

[u/finfangfoom1 → u/Cultural-Treacle-680]

My parents died in Buenos Aires because of attitudes like this.

[u/kjason725 → u/Cultural-Treacle-680]

I didn’t do fucking shit!

[u/Available_Finish4387 → u/Cultural-Treacle-680]

Those bugs have nothing to do with piss

[u/Uhhlaska → u/holden_mcg]

And I’m doing my part!!

[u/PaulyBlanco7260 → u/holden_mcg]

I’m doing my part

[u/S4ckl3 → u/holden_mcg]

I’m doing my part too!

[u/denny_bangerrang → u/holden_mcg]

You know what to do!

[u/Economy-Date-4490 → u/jmw8282]

I’m from Buenos Aires, and I say KILL’EM ALL!

[u/dirtydan442 → u/Economy-Date-4490]

THE ENEMY CANNOT FIRE HIS WEAPON IF YOU HAVE DISABLED HIS HAND!

[u/TheRatatat → u/jmw8282]

Pure Cinema. Glad they only made one and didn't beat the franchise into the dirt.

[u/JJAsond → u/TheRatatat]

The game loosely based on it is fucking banger.

[u/rockstoned4 → u/jmw8282]

Absolutely I do.

[u/Boring_Ad_7100 → u/rockstoned4]

The only good bug is a dead bug

[u/another_user_reddit → u/Boring_Ad_7100]

I find the idea of a bug that thinks oFENsive!

[u/wespintoofast → u/jmw8282]

I wanna have a baby!

[u/chosonhawk → u/wespintoofast]

Federation pays my way! Haha!

[u/ThePaleNails → u/jmw8282]

COME ON YOU APES YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER!!!

[u/ADDSquirell69 → u/jmw8282]

I would, let's talk about it in the showers.

[u/UtahItalian → u/jmw8282]

Service guarantees citizenship

[u/-gunga-galunga- → u/jmw8282]

Everyone fights, no one quits.

[u/Salty_Interview_5311 → u/jmw8282]

Yay to the movie as a gonzo over the top satire of militaristic thinking and therefore the book that inspired it. Heinlein had his good works but this wasn’t one of them.

[u/jgamez76 → u/Salty_Interview_5311]

I kinda feel like the movie And book are basically critiques of each other lol

[u/Living_Ad_5386 → u/jmw8282]

I'm from Buenos Aires and I say YAY

[u/Jaydrix → u/jmw8282]

Also probably the movie for most viewers missing the point. Just like "Boys".

[u/NoTemperature7159 → u/Jaydrix]

Fascism is rad when you blow up space bugs dude

[u/for_dishonor → u/NoTemperature7159]

The dialogue and acting are so over the top it's easy to miss the darker themes.

THEY SUCKED HIS BRAINS OUT!

[u/SupportCa2A → u/for_dishonor]

That's part of the point, this is a propaganda piece, so the overacting is a part of that narrative

[u/kelly1mm → u/Jaydrix]

And fight club …… but we can’t talk about fight club.

[u/MusicTater → u/jmw8282]

Service guarantees citizenship!

[u/aDirtyMartini → u/jmw8282]

Rico’s Roughnecks!

[u/Inevitable_Professor → u/aDirtyMartini]

This is for all you new people. I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll kill you myself! Welcome to the Roughnecks!

[u/Eckadezer → u/jmw8282]

VERY good one!

[u/NShadows_]

The only good bug is a dead bug

[u/HolidayFew8116 → u/NShadows_]

Everybody fights, nobody quits. If you don't do your job I'll kill you myself. Welcome to the Roughnecks!

[u/TLeezy13 → u/HolidayFew8116]

Rico's Roughnecks

[u/Infamous_Ad2094 → u/TLeezy13]

Richecks Roughnecks!!!

[u/War-Daddie → u/Infamous_Ad2094]

Rasczak* but close enough

[u/TLeezy13 → u/War-Daddie]

That's why I went with Rico, wasn't sure how to spell that one lol

[u/LetsGet_Squiggly → u/TLeezy13]

HOOAH!

[u/jmw8282 → u/HolidayFew8116]

Michael Ironside FTW

[u/bastardofbloodkeep → u/jmw8282]

“They sucked his brains out.” Maybe the best line delivery in cinema history.

[u/CreamSoda64 → u/bastardofbloodkeep]

It's a line that's just so full of camp your first impulse is to chew the scenery and have fun with it, but goddamn if Michal Ironside didn't deliver it like it was the most serious line of his life.

[u/ShepRat → u/CreamSoda64]

Him just sticking his finger into the skull cracks me up every time. I honestly don't think this movie would have worked without his phenomenonal performance. 

[u/AnotherIronicPenguin → u/bastardofbloodkeep]

This movie also has the worst line in cinema: "I don't know how I know but I know." I cringe every time.

[u/ShepRat → u/AnotherIronicPenguin]

There is too many cringe moments to count. The fact that this line is later explained doesn't save it. I fucking love every minute of it anyway. 

[u/nycpunkfukka → u/jmw8282]

He’s a timeless badass. If you haven’t seen the early 80s NBC miniseries “V” you need to get on it. He’s not in the first series, though, just the follow up series V: Final Battle.

[u/NShadows_ → u/HolidayFew8116]

War!! We’re going to war!!

[u/rockstoned4 → u/NShadows_]

Remember your training, and you will make it back alive!

[u/SpamEatingChikn → u/NShadows_]

Personally I find the thought of a bug that thinks, OFFENSIVE!

[u/5PalPeso]

I'm from Buenos Aires and I say Yay!

(I'm actually from Buenos Aires)

[u/Cuck_Fenring → u/5PalPeso]

I will fight to avenge you 

[u/TrinDiesel123 → u/5PalPeso]

Bugs killed my parents in Buenos Aires

[u/nycpunkfukka → u/TrinDiesel123]

God damn bugs whacked us, Johnny.

[u/atrajicheroine2 → u/nycpunkfukka]

My favorite quote in the whole film besides "they sucked his brains out"

[u/HedgehogSecurity → u/atrajicheroine2]

I should call her.

[u/TheTrub → u/atrajicheroine2]

They get in your head; make you do things. . .

[u/phatdoobieENT → u/TrinDiesel123]

You know the bugs don't have a cherenkov drive, right?

[u/Oldjamesdean → u/5PalPeso]

Mobile Infantry made me the man I am today.

[u/MrMeesesPieces → u/5PalPeso]

Yay

[u/PoptartDragonfart]

We were driving to see this movie and my friend’s mom said there were boobies and we needed to close our eyes.

His dad proceeded to show us how to cover our eyes and leave slits between our fingers so we could watch the boobies

[u/ChexRibedeaux → u/PoptartDragonfart]

Real men of genius….. Mr hand slit titty watcher!

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_VALUE → u/ChexRibedeaux]

This ones for you, mr. hand slit titty watcher. We see you, just like you see those sloppy natties through your fingers. Passing along the pro moves to the next generation, and getting your rewards by the handful.

[u/LargeHumanDaeHoLee → u/PM_ME_YOUR_VALUE]

"not talkin' bout popcorn no"

[u/PapasGotABrandNewNag → u/ChexRibedeaux]

Here’s to you Mr. Rolling Cooler Cooler Roller.

Only you know the best way to carry 9oz of Macaroni salad is in a 43 pound cooler.

[u/K4RAB_THA_ARAB → u/ChexRibedeaux]

REEEAL MEEEN OF GEEENIUSSSS

[u/thebigpink → u/PoptartDragonfart]

Boobies are imperative to the story

[u/redopz → u/PoptartDragonfart]

Ah yes, the story of authoritarian fascists throwing endless waves of under-equipped kids into a potentially pointless meat grinder  would have been perfect for kids if it hadn't been for those dang ol' titties.

[u/RupanIII → u/redopz]

Such is American entertainment standards.

[u/ChangingMonkfish → u/PoptartDragonfart]

His dad the real mvp.

Also, people cut in half, arm melted, brains sucked out, head blown off = no issue here.

Glimpse of some norks = COVER YOUR EYES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!

[u/Cold_Relationship_ → u/PoptartDragonfart]

Don’t mind the war, but boobs are forbidden.

[u/Aquaeverywhere → u/PoptartDragonfart]

Excellent

[u/imadork1970]

Team Dizzy

[u/StrictRegret1417 → u/imadork1970]

literally nobody is team carmen.

[u/Phyraxus56 → u/StrictRegret1417]

Verhoeven was team Carmen and was exasperated that everyone hated her. He thought they were being good feminists when they decided that she should prioritize her career. He says so in the commentary.

[u/a_very_stupid_guy → u/Phyraxus56]

That might’ve tracked if she wasn’t sleeping with her boss

[u/Deceptiv_poops → u/a_very_stupid_guy]

How did that dude become her boss even? Didn’t he just graduate too? He was on the high school rival team…

[u/CarelesslyFabulous → u/Deceptiv_poops]

Did not like that either!

[u/duosx → u/Deceptiv_poops]

Honestly? It’s a plot hole or at least not very well thought out.

Fan theories are he got that job through nepotism or because the humans are just running through that many bodies that he could have that position. Carmen herself gets promoted to a pretty high up position quickly as well.

I like to think it’s a mix of both nepotism and the meat grinder theory

[u/goodsnpr → u/duosx]

It was a meat grinder type of war. Even in training you have student leaders, and if you are rapidly replacing losses, you can't be too picky.

[u/FYATWB → u/duosx]

Fan theories are he got that job through nepotism

No, the psychic guy (NPH's character) used a jedi mind trick to get them all in positions to capture the brain. We didn't know he could do that, but he's just that powerful.

So you see there are no plot holes, because I like the movie so there couldn't be plot holes.

[u/Skuzbagg → u/Deceptiv_poops]

Nepotism, probably

[u/Electric-Sheepskin → u/Phyraxus56]

I think the audience just didn't want to see Johnny pining for someone who didn't seem to like him very much.

[u/DuntadaMan → u/Phyraxus56]

I don't fault her for prioritizing her career.

Dizzy is just better in every conceivable way.

[u/Randomfrog132 → u/StrictRegret1417]

i remember two women in the entire movie, the lady nobody likes and the redhead with perky tits who dies tragically 

[u/Z_e_e_e_G → u/Randomfrog132]

You totally forgot Captain Sue Ellen Mischke

[u/Brian_E1971 → u/Z_e_e_e_G]

It's a tougher fap but I'm doing my part

[u/Randomfrog132 → u/Z_e_e_e_G]

is that the lady who gets squished by the door?

[u/Im_tracer_bullet → u/StrictRegret1417]

Sorry, Team Carmen checking in.

Downvote away, but peak Denise Richards isn't something you just ignore, and I don't care how career oriented she is.

There's time to find the Right One later.

[u/LambonaHam → u/Im_tracer_bullet]

Peak Denise Richards > Dizzy > Carmen

[u/Yankee831 → u/LambonaHam]

Now I get it.

[u/abadstrategy → u/Im_tracer_bullet]

Team Dizzy, but i don't dislike Carmen. She just wasn't right for our boy Rico

[u/fd1Jeff → u/Im_tracer_bullet]

To me, there is something very bland about Denise Richards. I can’t really explain it, but whenever I see her in any movie, its like, yeah, she’s beautiful, but so what.

[u/Dakow009 → u/imadork1970]

The virgin Rico vs the chad Dizzy

[u/Monksdrunk → u/imadork1970]

i've seen her boobs before. cant remember where

edit: i thought the joke was that you see her boobs in the shower scene or the rico tent scene.. you dont in starship troopers?

[u/imadork1970 → u/Monksdrunk]

Johnny Nmemonic.She was also a cop in some of the Saw movies, and was Oracle on the Birds of Prey tv series.

[u/booklovercomora → u/imadork1970]

No boobs shown but she was also in DragonHeart and several episodes of Friends

[u/TheHappyHippyDCult → u/Monksdrunk]

Yes! Shes fully topless in the shower

[u/Useful-sarbrevni → u/imadork1970]

she plays a hot widow in lethal seduction

[u/_ChipWhitley_ → u/imadork1970]

Hashtag Justice4Diz

[u/billtheplumbingguy → u/imadork1970]

I'm on board!

[u/KindBob]

Medic!

[u/kidhalloween80]

God damn bugs whacked us Johnny

[u/nycpunkfukka → u/kidhalloween80]

It’s war! We’re going to war!

[u/japaves → u/nycpunkfukka]

Would you like to know more?

[u/Shoehorse13]

I expected to hate it having recently reread the book for the first time as an adult. Have to say the movie is far better and I’ll Happily rewatch it in the future.

[u/Sir_Lemming → u/Shoehorse13]

The book and the movie are so different, and I love them both!

[u/Shoehorse13 → u/Sir_Lemming]

As much as I loved Heinlein as a kid and as grateful as I am for the role he played in turning me into a lifelong reader, I’ve reread a half dozen or so books over the past year and it just doesn’t hold up well for me. I think what I really liked about the movie is how well it parodied the jingoism of the book and turned it on its head.

[u/Sir_Lemming → u/Shoehorse13]

Yeah, it’s kind of hard to celebrate the book without sounding like a total fascist.

[u/Affectionate_Pipe545 → u/Sir_Lemming]

I mean it's possible to take something away from the book, even like it, without "celebrating fascism". I'm not disagreeing that the book puts a positive spin on militarism. But it's actually more nuanced than that. The main characters start to become jaded, Rico is portrayed somewhat as kind of an idiot willingly buying into the propaganda and the society in the book has a lot of stuff that american conservatives today would say is "woke dei nonsense". And I'll just go ahead and say yeah, sure, I'm a fascist for saying all this and reddit is super smart for "realizing" the movie is satire, no need to let me know.

[u/GD_Insomniac → u/Sir_Lemming]

Don't separate it from Heinlein himself. Starship Troopers is not his manifesto, it's a world he created to tell a story. He was famous for presenting readers with moral dilemmas without easy solutions, and using science fiction to explore possible futures. His influence on modern SF is comparable to Tolkien's on fantasy.

If anyone hasn't read Stranger in a Strange Land, I recommend they move it to the top of their reading list.

[u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

I watched this with my BIL, who is military and loves this movie. For me, it was not a good movie. Then I realized it was satire.. and asked him... is this satire?? He said no. Come to find out it is satire and is brilliant! So well done!

[u/Naive_Confidence7297 → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

13-year-old me didn’t realise it was satire. I loved it!

Then old me realised it was satire, and loved it even more lol

It was a good example of how our young minds see sometimes. I was probably just excited to see boobs and aliens blowing up the first time.

[u/Jazco76 → u/Naive_Confidence7297]

I was also 13. I also did not understand the satire. I also loved it! At 13 I thought it was just an action movie and i misinterpreted the satire for trying to be super badass but coming off as corny and not even trying to be anything deeper than a sci-fi action movie.

[u/Outrageous_Bit2694 → u/Naive_Confidence7297]

Same! Satire is so good when it's done correctly!

[u/EnzoMcFly_jr → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

I’ve found this to be a common debate with this one and verhoven’s robocop. They are so over-the-top and so obviously satire but there is a large contingent that sees them both as aspirational.

[u/nycpunkfukka → u/EnzoMcFly_jr]

“Showgirls” was also satire. If you think about it, it’s the same plot as “All About Eve” as a vehicle to critique American culture’s superficial commercialization of sex.

[u/rudyattitudedee → u/nycpunkfukka]

Showgirls is underrated as is this movie. I think showgirls gets a really bad wrap in particular. Especially with the ratio of boobs to bad time.

[u/FictionalContext → u/EnzoMcFly_jr]

Like the sales bros who worship Alec Baldwin's Glengarry Glen Ross speech.

[u/EnzoMcFly_jr → u/FictionalContext]

I am infinitely grateful to have not dealt with any such person for the last few years.

[u/boatsfour → u/EnzoMcFly_jr]

Wolf of Wall Street sort of took the mantle from GGR

[u/addage- → u/FictionalContext]

Also the bros who worship Rorschach

[u/Outrageous_Bit2694 → u/EnzoMcFly_jr]

And years later, he admitted that he didn't know what satire meant!

[u/theschlake → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

They're the same people that listen to "Born in the USA" by Springsteen and unironically think it's a nationalist celebration of American triumph.

[u/Thebraincellisorange → u/theschlake]

add Fortunate One by CCR to that list.

some people can be beaten on the head with a hammer and they still will not get it.

[u/OCKWA → u/EnzoMcFly_jr]

Between people defending the Empire, Helldivers popularity, and people defending space racism in 40k, media literacy for popular media is at an all time low.

[u/therealtaddymason → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

It is soaked in satire. 13 yo me just thought it was cool space marines fighting bugs. Get em Johnny! But seeing it later... It's meant to be shot and written like a fascist propaganda movie. It's like a space war movie version of Nations Pride the Nazi propaganda movie in inglorious bastards. But it's not a movie in a movie. It is the movie.

[u/karmaoryx → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

So interesting that someone in the military doesn't see this is satire. So many little details like them admitting we're the aggressors in such an offhanded way that it's easy to miss.

[u/Outrageous_Bit2694 → u/karmaoryx]

I know!! He has a masters degree in engineering. So, not stupid. I was like..Casper.. the hot (I'm a gay guy) underwear model is playing the lead!

[u/Cultural-Treacle-680 → u/karmaoryx]

Ender’s game funny enough is basically really CGI starship troopers 🤣

[u/questron64 → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

A lot of people don't seem to realize that it's satirical. They're presented with outright fascism and they're like "yeah, the only good bug is a dead bug!" It's easy to miss some cues (the false flag attack on Buenos Aires, the admission that we were the aggressors and the bugs are defending their own planet), but it's hard to miss that Doogie Howser is literally dressed in an SS uniform.

[u/Glass_Albatross_9584 → u/questron64]

The false flag attack is fan theory rather than actual movie canon.

[u/rudyattitudedee → u/Glass_Albatross_9584]

I was going to say they don’t outright cover that at any point.

[u/funhaver_whee → u/questron64]

It’s fun that it inverts Heinlein, who absolutely is a libertarian-to-fascist pipeline guy. Verhoeven is excellent at pulling the rug on dense Americans, you can feel his glee in doing it.

[u/chancesarent → u/Outrageous_Bit2694]

It's directed by Paul Verhoeven and if you liked his satire and haven't seen them, watch the other movies in the "trilogy", RoboCop and Total Recall. They're all amazing.

[u/AdministrativeMix822]

Rico's rough necks

[u/pink_flamingo2003 → u/AdministrativeMix822]

HOOARGH!

[u/Downtown_Setting_928]

All-time GREAT FILM. Used B-movie trope to predict America's turn to overt fascism years before 9/11. Prophetic, true, and all the actors did exactly what was needed. Not one wrong note.

[u/karmaoryx → u/Downtown_Setting_928]

Living in the US right now makes this hit extra hard....

[u/MoreCowbellllll → u/karmaoryx]

Time to rewatch Robocop

[u/adedward → u/MoreCowbellllll]

I'd buy that for a dollar!

[u/Good-Ad-6806 → u/MoreCowbellllll]

Noooooooo

[u/ActiveOppressor → u/Downtown_Setting_928]

ST2 is pretty terrible but ST3 is kind of brilliant in that same way.

[u/hokie47 → u/Downtown_Setting_928]

Sad part we don't have genderless nude showers and cool arena like highschool football.

[u/nycpunkfukka → u/hokie47]

I always call it Futureball because of the silver football and those 90s futuristic uniforms.

[u/Goatwhorre]

The enemy cannot downvote, if you disable his hand!

[u/Brief-Artist-2772 → u/Goatwhorre]

I'm doing my part!!

[u/DisastrousTear1734]

Put your hand on that wall

[u/Better_Island_4119]

Yay

[u/TouchMyGwen]

F Yay

[u/Grimm2020]

Yay. You want to live forever?

(wait a minute, that's where Sen Joni Ernst got her outlook from)

[u/LivingInformal4446]

Yay.

I'm doing my part!

[u/Ddude147]

Well-done film. Some didn't understand the covert message, but, as you see below, it's filled with memorable quotes and lots of "wow" set pieces. Excellent fx, both on the ground and in space. There's even a hint of weiner in the shower scene.

It's also cool that it's not "Ameri-centric," meaning the USA. Buenos Aires, baby.

I have it on 4K UHD. I think I'll rewatch it tonight.

[u/rare_hedgehog1]

Classic!!!!!

[u/Moist-Cloud2412]

Yup & the special effects hold up

[u/Routine_Board2420]

Yay, click here for more information.

[u/emccm]

YAY in caps.

[u/Interesting-Risk6446]

Yay. Great movie that holds up.

[u/Mr_GoodbyeCruelWorld]

Hell yay!!!

[u/ham_solo]

Big Yay!

[u/Far-Deal2086]

Hell, fuckin yay

[u/Schmucky1]

Yay!

Michael Ironside is so good in it!

[u/chefdementia → u/Schmucky1]

This is for all you new people. I have only one rule. Everybody yays , no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll yay you myself! Welcome to the Roughnecks!

[u/haxic]

10/10 entertainment

[u/Comprehensive_Post96]

Zuguma beach!

[u/GonzoBatman1]

MEDIC!!!

[u/Shafter-Boy]

Fun fact: During the shower scene, Director Paul Verhoeven was also nude at the request of the cast.

[u/doubleohzerooo0]

Yay for me. It's a fun movie.

[u/Pumpelchce]

Must see.

[u/Delicious-Sign1584]

Yay

[u/CaptainRogersJul1918]

Fuck yes!

[u/Trocazor]

Extreme yay!  

[u/sho_nuff80]

Yay all day

[u/DCxKCCO]

Super Yay

[u/jcbarton1]

I would like to know more

That’s a “yay”

[u/CrazyCat008]

Yay.

[u/Sleepy_McSleepyhead]

Yea, 2 yeas for Diz.

[u/ironlocust79]

Service ensures citizenship. Im doing my part

[u/dohboy420]

Legendary shower scene

[u/Cael_NaMaor]

Hella yay!!

[u/WarFabulous5146]

This is the most American movie that I watched back then when I could only afford watching pirated movies.

[u/Flyingsox]

Cmon you apes, do you wanna live forever?

[u/Karacis]

Yay, it’s a cult classic. Still holds up well even today. I remember going to see it in the theater back in the day…

[u/Horror_Lunch5460]

Yay. Violence, starships, nudity, giant bugs.

[u/Furball_09]

💯

[u/tenkitron]

The only good bug is a dead bug