If there is a movie that defines the term “misunderstood cult classic,” then Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers is right up there at the top of the list for many fans of the genre. For anyone who hasn’t seen the film, or just wants to revisit it, then 
Netflix subscribers in particular have only a short time to do so before the movie drops off the platform on October 31.
The 1997 bloody and satirical “bug” movie came with all the things Verhoeven’s work is known for, but it also ended up being massively dismissed by those who just didn’t see the film for what it is: an incredible satire of fascism and damning take on military might. Some believed the film promoted the very thing it was scathingly taking down, and others just couldn’t handle a movie that delivered an over-the-top, dumb, camp action movie but beneath the mask was hiding a serious message.
Starship Troopers was released in November 1997, starring Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Dina Meyer, Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Ironside, and Patrick Muldoon. Despite an initial wave of success, reviews depicting the movie as a fascist’s dream, lackluster marketing, and an inability to connect with audiences saw it quickly decline. The movie came with a mega budget of $100 million thanks to its extensive CGI and practical effect use, so its worldwide box office of just $120 million couldn’t be seen as anything but a major disappointment.
The film, which still managed to be Verhoeven’s fourth highest-grossing release behind Basic Instinct, Total Recall and Hollow Man, still has many mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It holds a 72% and 70% critic and audience score, respectively, but many of the worst reviews go back to the initial release of the film. Since then, Starship Troopers has been called “engrossing and gruesome,” “slyly intelligent,” “bitingly satirical,” and just plain “awesome.” As a movie that proves being a box office smash is not always the most important thing to being remembered, Starship Troopers has more than made up for its theatrical disappointment.
‘Starship Troopers’ Developed an Unexpected Franchise
When a movie doesn’t make waves at the box office, the likelihood of it being given a sequel diminishes very quickly. Despite the reaction to Starship Troopers, the franchise inexplicably continued seven years later with Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008), both of which were direct-to-video releases made without Verhoeven’s involvement, although the latter did see Van Dien reprising his role as Rico. These were followed by two CGI movies, Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012) and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017), and the franchise earlier spawned the forgotten 1999 animated television series.
For almost 15 years there have been rumors of a remake being on the cards, with some reports suggesting the new take would be more faithful to the Robert A. Heinlein novel the franchise was based on. However, with Verhoeven reportedly being unhappy with anything offered to him, and delays from the Covid pandemic, neither the movie or a possible TV show moved forward. Recently, it was announced that a remake will finally be going ahead, with Neill Blomkamp taking the helm. Reported back in March, Blomkamp will write and direct the new version of the film, and will be taking its lead from the original source novel rather than Verheoven’s movie. No production or release date has been set so far.
- Release Date
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November 7, 1997
- Runtime
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129 minutes
- Franchise(s)
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Starship Troopers