How Critics Got Starship Troopers Wrong

Director Paul Verhoeven recounts how critics misunderstood StarshipTroopers (1997).

[p.s]

"The army made me the man I am today" scene in the movie should have made the directors goal clear from the start. 😂

[fitzcorraldo]

I used to think that humanity’s future was “Star Trek”.
Now I know it’s Starship Troopers.

[MajorMinor]

It was so tongue in cheek, how can anyone think it was serious? Brilliant and funny and some great Verhoeven moments just like RoboCop.

[DaveNarn]

Same critics would thing Mel Brooks 'Young Frankenstein' was a real monster movie.

[derekwagner]

I have learned over the years that film critics are not the be-all and end-all of insight to cinema

[westleystewart]

I saw this movie soon after its initial release when I was about 16 and immediately understood it was satire. Unbelievable that so many critics didn’t get it.

Addendum: It’s possible that some critics did know but thought it poorly executed and came across as supportive rather than critical.

[rmessenger]

Starship Troopers is one of my favorite comedies. I was lucky enough to realize it on my first watching

[josephmckee]

I rewatched this the other day, it's so over the top i don't see how people can take it at face value it's like the love child of rambo and space balls

[DanialAnthony-zc]

How can anyone lose the satire in this...let alone an entire continent?

[theothersparrow]

I was in high school and not terribly media savvy when the film released, but even then I could tell that the film wasn't entirely earnest in it's portrayal of the Federation.

I probably wouldn't have recognized it as satire but there was obvious mockery or comedy there.

[bobgower]

I love this movie. I was working for a weekly paper in Silicon Valley when it came out and got in a huge argument with our film critic who hated it and couldn’t see it as satire.

[JulesPerkins-eq]

That movie is awesome. Totally underrated. Me and my friends saw it as teenager in the theater .

[grimmriffer]

I just thought it was fun sci fi actioner set in a society we probably wouldn't want to copy. Just because something is portrayed in a movie/game/book doesn't mean it is condoned.

[grahamcliff]

When I saw this movie at 13 years old I remember thinking that it had more in common with South Park than Star Wars.

[djnofly]

I remember seeing this when it was first released. I probably didn’t even see any critic reviews or think to look for them. I was a teenager and not at all confused about what the film was about. It was genius to me. Absolutely genius and completely connected with my world view of mass idiocracy and how we were walking the lines of totalitarianism. Rush Limbaugh was big then. Grunge was out and conformity was in.

[NeoTechni]

I love how he learned nothing from being falsely accused of promoting fascist, and never apologized for doing the same thing to Heinlein

[Zooumberg]

The same people probably thought Iron Sky was a real documentary about the Nazis in the space race.

[MichaelMaritato-wm]

I caught it immediately I thought it was brilliant the way they fit a well-written dramatic story line into the satirical back setting I thought it was a brilliant work I've watched it a thousand times and always enjoy it

[Borgforce]

I’m an absolute dullard - I enjoy his films for the shear entertainment and whats right in my face… I never thought anything other than pure entertainment and action. Oh well. 😅

[taggartlawfirm]

No critic realized that the film had NOTHING to do with the book!!!! Nor did they realize that the director had not read the book or that the author’s wife had tried to stop the use of the chosen script!