MOVIE COMPANY: TriStar and Touchstone Pictures
DVD reviewed by Dennis A. Amith
CAST: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon and Michael Ironside
DIRECTED BY:Â Paul Verhoeven
PRODUCED BY:Â Alan Marshall and Jon Davison
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120201
TYPE OF MOVIE: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi and War
DURATION:Â 130 minutes
From the bridge of the Fleet Battlestation Ticonderoga, with it’s sweeping galactic views, to the desolate terrain of planet Klendathu, teeming with shrieking, fire-spitting, brain-sucking special effects creatures, acclaimed director Paul Verhoeven crafts a dazzling epic based on Robert A. Heinlen’s classic sci-fi adventure. Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon and Michael Ironside star as the courageous soldiers who travel to the distant and desolate Klendathu system for the ultimate showdown between the species. “Sensationally exciting! Like Star Wars, it’s ground zero for a new generation of thrill seekers!”-Own Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, Digital Sound
• Commentary by director Paul Verhoeven and writer Ed Neumeier
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Five additional scenes
• Behind-the-scenes documentary
• Three screen tests (2 actors, 1 bug)
• Two special effects sequences, narrated by Paul Verhoeven
• Widescreen anamorphic format
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S):
Hidden preview:
Insert side B of the disc and enter the “Extra Scenes/Behind The Scenes screen. Select the “More” option at the bottom of the screen. Move the pointer to the top right corner of the screen to highlight “Ed’s Surprise Party”. Press Enter to view another preview of the movie.
DVD REVIEW:
When I saw the movie trailer, part of me wanted to see it because it was a Sci-Fi movie, it reminded me of Aliens and the X-Men Brood wars. But what prevented me from watching it on the big screen was the actors. I asked myself, if this movie has stunning effects, why would they hire actors who aren’t so popular?
So, I didn’t watch the movie and I awaited for it come out on DVD.
Now that I have seen the movie, I must agree that this movie is visually stunning. The fact that they hired non-major name actors at the time was OK for me because these people were supposed to be cadets. I felt that Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris and others did a very good job with their characters.
It was interesting to see umm…tossed around body parts and blood. I’m kind of glad the movie wasn’t a horror movie or else I would really be grossed out.
Of course, it’s a fun action, sci-fi movie that you don’t want to analyze because there are many ways they could of killed those critters.
The movie is good. I was glued to the screen and it kept me interested. I know they left the ending the way they did for a possible second movie. On the extra’s you notice that they removed certain scenes. Mainly the scenes of romance which I assumed they eliminated to keep the movie fast pace. A director’s comment of why he removed those extra scenes would have been nice.
As for the DVD, video quality was good. The sound was very well done as well but this movie doesn’t rank up there to the reference DVD of the “Fifth Element” for audio and video.
As for extra’s, the movie does have quite a bit. Additional scenes not included, a short documentary, behind-the-scenes footage, screen tests and more. So, after the movie is done, you will be glued to your set for another hour watching how they pulled off some of the cool effects.
All-in-all, “Starship Troopers” is intriguing and different. It’s not the greatest and it’s not the worst. It’s simply a slightly above average sci-fi movie.
THE MOVIE:Â B-
THE DVD EXTRAS:Â B+
THE DVD OVERALL:Â B