On the surface, Starship Troopers is a cult classic sci-fi action movie about soldiers killing space bugs, but its secret meaning is much more than that. Not only is the film a harsh criticism of the United States, but it also has a lot to say about society, propaganda, and government. All in all, it's an action movie with an agenda behind it.
When Starship Troopers was released in 1997, critics gave it mostly negative reviews, which was due, in part, to the film's gratuitous violence and wooden acting. However, it has since become a cult classic, and even critics now look on Starship Troopers more favorably, calling it one of the top 100 best movies of the 1990s. This is because people have discovered what director Paul Verhoeven was trying to tell audiences, masking a dystopian future - a warning, really - as an otherwise mindless action film.
The original story for Starship Troopers came from a script called Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine that was later adapted to work with the characters from Robert A. Heinlein's classic 1959 sci-fi novel, Starship Troopers. For this reason, the movie is quite different from the book. For starters, Heinlein's novel has been accused of promoting fascism and military rule, while the movie, although perhaps not obvious to all who've seen it, has a far different message.
Starship Troopers Has Been Misunderstood Over The Years
Upon its release, Starship Troopers was written off as an action movie with little need for further analysis. It mostly appealed to adolescents who just wanted to see as much blood and guts as possible. Because of this, and perhaps other factors as well, it earned only $121 million worldwide against its $105 million budget. Although the acting is cheesy, the entire concept of the film is supposed to be that way. It's bombastic, larger than life. It is a military satire film commenting on the issues of nationalism and xenophobia. It's not a film that glorifies violence, but one that condemns it, although this idea has been widely misunderstood.
Like Verhoeven's previous films, such as Robocop, he's making a statement about authoritarianism. Starship Troopers is satire, and keenly aware of its message against right-wing militarism and fascism. Although many scenes in the movie seem to glorify violence, they only do so because they were designed to condemn it. In reality, Starship Troopers is funny, a dark comedy that shows the dangers of a violent mindset. The fact that critics failed to identify this aspect of the story over the years is a testament to how well it works. When taken at face value, Starship Troopers is a vapid space romp, but look a little deeper and it's so much more.
Starship Troopers Was A Reflection Of Society & Rising Fascism
In a 2014 interview with The Adam Carolla Show, Michael Ironside (Scanners), who played a militant officer in Starship Troopers, said that he asked Verhoeven why he was making a "right-wing fascist movie?" To that, Verhoeven told him, "If I tell the world that a right-wing, fascist way of doing things doesn't work, no one will listen to me. So I'm going to make a perfect fascist world: everyone is beautiful, everything is shiny, everything has big guns and fancy ships, but it's only good for killing f****** Bugs!"
It's unfortunate that statements such as this were not more widely circulated in the 1990s. If they had been, it's possible Starship Troopers would have been taken more seriously. The propaganda film that opens the movie sets the pace and mood for what's to come. In it, violence is celebrated with images adapted directly from Nazi propaganda films, especially one scene in particular that showcases a rally eerily similar to those that were conducted for the Reich Labor Service in Nazi Germany. It is an advertisement encouraging young people to sign up for the mobile infantry, to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of violence. This over-the-top and overly-optimistic attitude spills over into the "real world" of the film, which is reflected in its cheesy acting and the attitudes of the young cadets as they rise through the ranks of the future United States military.
The fact that Verhoeven chose to use Starship Troopers as a way to portray this message is not surprising. After all, he grew up in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, so he had first-hand experience with authoritarianism, militarism, and rising fascism. He took Heinlein's material and turned it on its head, satirizing these concepts. Instead of making a mindless action movie about soldiers killing space bugs, that glorifies violence, and promotes military ideas, he made a movie that condemns them - from the inside-out. Showing these concepts from the eyes of those who participated in it, Starship Troopers addresses the point-of-view of the "enemy". Starship Troopers is a reflection of society and rising fascism - the only problem is, not everyone understands this fact.
Nazi Uniforms & Imagery Was Used To Illustrate The US' Future
In Starship Troopers, Nazi uniforms and imagery are used to illustrate the future United States, which was done as a way to highlight the possible problems society faces and where the US may be headed. Verhoeven sees the possible evolution of capitalism into a culture of violence and military rule. At one point in the movie, a propagandized statement is used that says it all: "Violence is the supreme authority!"
Much of the imagery in the film is also reminiscent of Nazi Germany. As previously mentioned, Verhoeven took Starship Troopers' first scene, an advertisement for the Mobile Infantry, shot for shot from Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will (1935). In addition, the military uniforms are inspired by those used by the Nazi's, especially the insignia of the field grade officers (worn by both characters Rico and Dizzy in the film, among others). Some of the uniforms are also similar to Mussolini's Blackshirts.
On top of the Gestapo-like uniforms, the entire world that is portrayed in Starship Troopers is filled with Nazi imagery. The architecture that is seen is inspired by Albert Speer, who was one of Hitler's close allies. What's more, Starship Troopers' cast could be out of an Aryan propaganda production. They are perfectly cheek-boned, young, and unknown (at the time) actors. Verhoeven wanted to play with Nazi imagery as much as possible and it's all throughout the film, painting the picture of a future United States with a military structure and a societal focus on violence.
Did Starship Troopers Successfully Explain Its Real Meaning?
Taking away the guns, violence, sex, and flying bug guts, Starship Troopers clearly condemns fascism and military rule. Nevertheless, does this come across to viewers? One of the big problems with Starship Troopers is that it appeals to a younger, action-oriented audience that may not be looking for deeper meaning. Because of this, it was pushed aside by critics and judged for its bad acting and gratuitous violence, when that's the entire point of the film. Over the years, however, it has come to be appreciated for the satire that it is.
Starship Troopers plays with fascism and military imagery to point out certain aspects of American society. In many ways, it's too well-made, throwing off audiences and critics alike. It's meant to unseat audiences, and is even designed to be misunderstood, to an extent. Nonetheless, seeing the United States slipping into fascism, Verhoeven has clearly stated what he set out to do, making a movie that is highly critical of war and militant rule. Starship Troopers may, in fact, be one of the greatest anti-fascism films of all time.
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Starship Troopers' Secret Meaning Explained: What It Was Really About - Screen Rant
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