STARSHIP TROOPERS 3 - REVIEW


Still feeling the aftershock from Starship Troopers 2's assness, I finally decided to end the suffering and complete the trilogy.

Presented by Paul Verhoeven, starring Casper Van Dien, boasting big robots on the cover (I know, I'm easily led): Starship Troopers 3: Marauder promised to offer something resembling a decent film or at least something better than the preceding train wreck.

The result?

I'm happy to say that it is, indeed, better than Hero Of The Federation. Like a hundred times better. No more shall we roam around dark corridors aimlessly, no more shall we endure some of the dullest dialogs and characters in movie history and no more shall we have to sit through the most repetitive display of bug attacks you'll ever see. Man these guys were stealthy: patiently waiting around the corner for humans to pass by innocently...

Bullshit! These are mean-ass killer bugs goddamnit! They don't stop for shit!

This is partly why Marauder works: it understands the creatures from the first movie and gets why they were a threat in the first place. The film doesn't feel the need to reduce itself to cheap B movie horror scares, instead it opts for a new story involving a character we've met in a world we're familiar with fighting an enemy we know and actually want to see again. Yes the budget is a tenth of Starship Trooper's and yes the acting all-around is hardly mind-blowing but it boasts something the second film just didn't have:

EFFORT.

They tried to make a fun movie and, for the most part, they did Ok. I definitely enjoyed parts of this movie: the propaganda bits are very funny, the main human villain is entertaining, the action throughout is mostly fun and the whole religion thing at the end is adequately tongue-in-cheek and irresistibly silly. The ending of that film is the closest the sequels have ever come to capturing the scale and joy of the first instalment. The very sight of these (cheekily built-up) huge automatons looming over a sea of giant bugs as some characters desperately prey for help is so absurd it's great. That's what I'm talking about. If you're going to make a Starship Troopers film: go all out. Why restrict yourself to an unlit basement?!

Overall, I should probably point out that Starship Troopers 3 isn't a masterpiece. It really is average at best and not comparable to the original film. Starship Troopers proved too stylish, too much fun, too creative, too good to match. That said, Marauder has a ball with it and does well to erase any memory of the dire first sequel. It's not always well made (it has its share of flubs) and you won't always be on the edge of your seat but it tries its hardest with a very small budget. It only cost $2M more than Hero Of The Federation but man did it make use of that. Like I said: if you're gonna do it, go all out.

Not essential viewing but a fair attempt. It has its moments.

Oh, and you actually SEE a f***ing starship this time!!!

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