It doesn't seem to be so unbearable

Hugh 2021-10-20 17:32:17

This film has been one of the masterpieces of the destroyed original series since a long time ago. Indeed, compared with the classic novels of the old man Heinlein, this film is significantly simplified and even alienated a lot of things.
But when I revisited the film today, I found that the film does not seem to be as unbearable as previously thought, and it can even be described in a different way.
It's better to talk about some small details in the film.
It is estimated that everyone has discovered that the EFF in this film is actually the future version of the Nazi German army. Whether it's epaulettes, military ranks, military uniforms, or military caps, they all show strong characteristics of the Third Reich. And the military flag on the coffin is simply a repainted version of the flag of Nazi Germany.
Traces of elitism as one of the foundations of the Third Reich can be seen everywhere. The protagonist’s good friend, the blond Carl, is on the same footing with his high IQ and special abilities, while the protagonist’s other good friend, XX with an NPC face, is still a second-class soldier in the fight for a lifetime.
Such details are too numerous to list.
Although there are some differences in details, the federation in the film is the same as the original one, in fact it is a totalitarian or even militarist country. Conscription advertisements are broadcast day and night on the TV, and the military-dominated Congress is full of roars of "We must destroy the enemy." These are the most typical characteristics of a military state.
Some students will probably keep complaining about the movie, simplifying the complicated military strategy and tactics system in the original work into a ground push like a US soldier video game. However, I personally believe that the original interstellar paratroopers wearing complex and advanced tactical armor and capable of overturning tanks were reset to a mass of highly homogenized soldiers, precisely because they mocked the complete erasure of personal characteristics under the militaristic system. Consideration of purpose.
Think about the TV news that pops up every once in a while full of passion for nationalism. The sense of contradiction created by this contrast becomes stronger and more thought-provoking.

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Extended Reading
  • Kameron 2022-03-22 09:01:14

    I like this kind of movies, and this movie did not disappoint me

  • Okey 2021-10-20 19:02:52

    The trajectory of commentary on Van Hoeven’s films in the American period showed a surprising consistency: at the beginning, they were always accused of being empty and stupid. But given time, it can always be redeemed in the same name. "This is a pungent satire whose subversive nature cannot be immediately grasped by the film critics at the time because it is too clever and subtle." Even the "Starship Team" has been re-rated as one of Van Hoeven's most angry and thoughtful satires. The film uses ultra-conservative texts as the base material. After some reprocessing and deployment, the film suddenly becomes a slogan that lashes at the foundation of American foreign policy and the exploitation of military-industrial groups. But in 1997, the film was sneered at by film critics, and it was even completely misread as endorsing violence! Few directors can be so persistently misunderstood by the mainstream. "If you feel good about this film, you can call it predictive. But we never took it as a warning. Back then, we just saw something very military, very right-wing, and it felt a little fascist, so I felt able to Mock it with sarcasm or other meaning."

Starship Troopers quotes

  • [Ace is having difficulty with throwing knives]

    Ace Levy: Sir, I don't understand. Who needs a knife in a nuke fight anyway? All you gotta do is push a button, sir.

    Career Sergeant Zim: Cease fire. Put your hand on that wall trooper. PUT YOUR HAND ON THAT WALL!

    [Zim throws a knife and hits Ace's hand pinning it to the wall]

    Career Sergeant Zim: The enemy can not push a button... if you disable his hand. Medic!

  • Ace Levy: Don't worry, you still got me to kick around.