ON THIS DAY IN HORROR - November 7th
"STARSHIP TROOPERS" released in 1998
Don't miss out on future blogs, trailers, and clips IHdb has coming up
by Following IHdb's Facebook page above
by Following IHdb's Facebook page above
While colonizing new planets in the early 23rd century, humans encounter an insectoid species known as Arachnids or "Bugs", with their home being the distant world Klendathu. The bugs appear to be little more than savage, unrelenting killing machines, though there are suggestions that they were provoked by the intrusion of humans into their habitats.
Above: Arachnids - or "Bugs" - attack the Mobile Infantry outpost!
John "Johnny" Rico (Casper Van Dien), his girlfriend Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), and best friends Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) and Isabel "Dizzy" Flores (Dina Meyer) - who is in love with Rico, but he does not reciprocate - all enlist in the Federal Service, where citizenship is a privilege earned by serving through such activities as military service, granting them opportunities prohibited to basic civilians. Carmen becomes a spaceship pilot - assigned to the battleship Rodger Young - while mentally gifted psychic Carl joins Military Intelligence. Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry expecting to be with Carmen, but is surprised to find Dizzy, who deliberately transferred to his squad to be near him. At Mobile Infantry training, Career Sgt. Zim (Clancy Brown) trains the recruits, and Rico is later promoted to squad leader after showing initiative and quick thinking during training exercises. Rico also befriends Ace Levy (Jake Busey). After receiving both a Dear John letter from carmen (as she desires a career with the fleet and now serves under Rico's high school sports rival, Zander Barcalow (Patrick Muldoon)), and a live-fire training incident that kills one of Rico's squad and causes another to quit out of guilt, Rico is demoted and flogged. Planning to return home, Rico is devastated to learn that the Arachnids have launched an attack on his home of Buenos Aires, killing his family and millions of others. Rico rescinds his resignation and remains with the Infantry as an invasion force is deployed to Klendathu.
During the first strike on Klendathu, the Mobile Infantry are all but descimated and Rico is severely wounded in the leg and mistakenly classified KIA - causing Carmen to believe he is dead. After his recovery, Rico, Ace and Dizzy are reassigned to the 'Roughnecks', an elite unit commanded by Lt. Jean Rasczak (Michael Ironside), Rico's former high school teacher. While responding to a distress call from Planet P, the Roughnecks are ambushed by a swarm of Bugs attacking the outpost formerly commanded by General Owen (Marshall Bell). . Rico, now Acting Sergeant, euthanizes a mortally wounded Rasczak after a buried Bug bites off his legs, and after a Bug stabs Dizzy in the torso she dies in Rico's arms as they are rescued by Carmen and Zander. Rico and Carmen reconnect and encounter Carl, now a high-ranking intelligence officer, at Dizzy's funeral. Carl reveals that there is a reason to believe an intelligent "brain bug" is directing the other Bugs and has been learning how to fight against humans. He field-promotes Rico to Lieutenant and gives him full command of the Roughnecks, ordering the infantry to return to "P" and capture the brain bug.
But as the fleet near P, Carmen's starship is destroyed, and she and Zander forced to escape in a pod, which crashes deep into the Bug tunnel system. Now realizing that Carmen is lost somewhere in the cave-system, Rico must now choose to continue the mission, and avenge Dizzy's and his family's deaths on the Arachnids, or to save the woman he still loves.
During the first strike on Klendathu, the Mobile Infantry are all but descimated and Rico is severely wounded in the leg and mistakenly classified KIA - causing Carmen to believe he is dead. After his recovery, Rico, Ace and Dizzy are reassigned to the 'Roughnecks', an elite unit commanded by Lt. Jean Rasczak (Michael Ironside), Rico's former high school teacher. While responding to a distress call from Planet P, the Roughnecks are ambushed by a swarm of Bugs attacking the outpost formerly commanded by General Owen (Marshall Bell). . Rico, now Acting Sergeant, euthanizes a mortally wounded Rasczak after a buried Bug bites off his legs, and after a Bug stabs Dizzy in the torso she dies in Rico's arms as they are rescued by Carmen and Zander. Rico and Carmen reconnect and encounter Carl, now a high-ranking intelligence officer, at Dizzy's funeral. Carl reveals that there is a reason to believe an intelligent "brain bug" is directing the other Bugs and has been learning how to fight against humans. He field-promotes Rico to Lieutenant and gives him full command of the Roughnecks, ordering the infantry to return to "P" and capture the brain bug.
But as the fleet near P, Carmen's starship is destroyed, and she and Zander forced to escape in a pod, which crashes deep into the Bug tunnel system. Now realizing that Carmen is lost somewhere in the cave-system, Rico must now choose to continue the mission, and avenge Dizzy's and his family's deaths on the Arachnids, or to save the woman he still loves.
TRIVIA: Casper Van Dien (Johnny) broke a rib during a stunt involving jumping off a "tanker bug."
Top: "Johnny" Rico (Casper Van Dien) and "Dizzy" Flores (Dina Meyer) fight with the Mobile Infantry, while (Above) Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards) joins the Fleet as a starship pilot
The screenplay for Starship Troopers originally began as a spec script entitled, called Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine. But when multiple similarities were pointed out between the screenplay and the novel Starship Troopers, plans were made to license the rights to the book and tweak character names and circumstances to match. Director Paul Verhoeven - who was already attached to direct - then attempted to read the novel, but, by his own admission, stopped after the first two chapters, finding it both "boring and depressing". Verhoeven then got screenwriter Edward Neumeier (who had previously worked with Verhoeven on the Robocop movies) to recite the story to him verbally.
Because the movie originated from an unrelated script, with names and superficial details from the novel being added retroactively, there are many differences between the original book and the film. While the original novel has been accused of promoting militarism, fascism and military rule, Verhoeven's film satirizes these concepts by featuring news reports that are intensely fascist, xenophobic, and propagandistic. Other major plot changes included: the removal of Carl being killed in a bug raid on a research station; Rico's reunion with his father, after has just joined the M.I.; and including the subplot where Carmen and Rico are in a relationship (in the novel they are merely friends who first meet on a starship bound for combat). Perhaps the most glaring omission from the novel to the screenplay is the introduction of the Mobile Infantry's powered armor exoskeletons, giving the wearer increased firepower and strength. Instead, the characters use World War II-technology weapons and wear light combat gear little more advanced than that. In fact, nearly every military uniform has WW2 German military and SS paramilitary uniform references, with even the flag of the Federation has a symbol which closely resembles the Imperial Eagle from WWII Germany. According to Verhoeven, this — and the fascist tone of the book — reflected his own experience in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Verhoeven then approached veteran creature effects designers Phil Tippett and Craig Hayes to design the myriad of Arachnids for the film. These designs turned out to be slightly edited revisions of an unused Shrieker design from Tremors 2: Aftershocks, which Tippet also worked on. While most of the Arachnids appearing on film are CGI, a few life-sized, robotic models were built. However, during the battle scenes, the actors wound up looking at Verhoeven himself who would stand in front of them and jump and scream to elicit their reactions!
Because the movie originated from an unrelated script, with names and superficial details from the novel being added retroactively, there are many differences between the original book and the film. While the original novel has been accused of promoting militarism, fascism and military rule, Verhoeven's film satirizes these concepts by featuring news reports that are intensely fascist, xenophobic, and propagandistic. Other major plot changes included: the removal of Carl being killed in a bug raid on a research station; Rico's reunion with his father, after has just joined the M.I.; and including the subplot where Carmen and Rico are in a relationship (in the novel they are merely friends who first meet on a starship bound for combat). Perhaps the most glaring omission from the novel to the screenplay is the introduction of the Mobile Infantry's powered armor exoskeletons, giving the wearer increased firepower and strength. Instead, the characters use World War II-technology weapons and wear light combat gear little more advanced than that. In fact, nearly every military uniform has WW2 German military and SS paramilitary uniform references, with even the flag of the Federation has a symbol which closely resembles the Imperial Eagle from WWII Germany. According to Verhoeven, this — and the fascist tone of the book — reflected his own experience in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II.
Verhoeven then approached veteran creature effects designers Phil Tippett and Craig Hayes to design the myriad of Arachnids for the film. These designs turned out to be slightly edited revisions of an unused Shrieker design from Tremors 2: Aftershocks, which Tippet also worked on. While most of the Arachnids appearing on film are CGI, a few life-sized, robotic models were built. However, during the battle scenes, the actors wound up looking at Verhoeven himself who would stand in front of them and jump and scream to elicit their reactions!
Jean Rasczak: This is for all you new people. I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll kill you myself! Welcome to the Roughnecks!
Top: The Roughnecks commanding officer, Lt. Jean Rasczak (Michael Ironside);
Above: Raschzak "welcomes" Rico, Dizzy, and Ace Levy (Jake Busey) to the unit
Mark Wahlberg and James Marsden turned down the role of Johnny Rico, which ultimately went to Casper Van Dien, in his feature film debut. Dien was soon joined by Dina Meyer (as Pvt. Dizzy "Diz" Flores - whose character was actually a man in the novel), Denise Richards (as Lt./Capt. Carmen Ibanez), Jake Busey (as Pvt. Ace Levy), Neil Patrick Harris (as Col. Carl Jenkins), and Patrick Muldoon (as Lt. Zander Barcalow). Michael Ironside, who had worked with Verhoeven on the sci fi action film Total Recall, was also cast as Rico's teacher and then mentor, Lt. Jean Rasczak. Other veteran actors, Clancy Brown and Marshall Bell, briefly appeared in the film as Career Sgt./Pvt. Zim and General Owen respectively. Former U.S. Marine Dale Dye, whose company Warriors, Inc. provided technical military advice on the film, appearing as a high-ranking officer following the capture of the Brain Bug.
Production on Starship Troopers began on April 29th, 1997, with the "bug planet" scenes being filmed in the badlands of Hell's Half Acre in Natrona County, Wyoming. It was during the scene where Ironside's character falls into the hole and gets his legs bitten off, that Dina Meyer actually hit her head, and was knocked unconscious (later suffering a concussion). One of Starship Troopers more controversial scenes - the co-ed shower scene - had Verhoeven and cinematographer Jost Vacano shooting the scene naked as well, on a dare from Meyer to do so. Nudity aside, Veohoeven also included visual allusions to propaganda films such as Why We Fight, Triumph of the Will and wartime newsreels, and the symbols, and certain clothing styles, of the Federation are modeled on those of the Nazis (e.g., windbreaker, suits, cap, etc.; moreover, the military intelligence officers' uniforms bear a striking similarity to those of the Allgemeine-SS). Verhoeven stated his intentions clearly with the imagery: the film's message is that "War makes fascists of us all". He evoked Nazi Germany's fashion, iconography and propaganda because he saw it as a natural evolution of the post-World War II United States. "I've heard this film nicknamed All Quiet On the Final Frontier," he says, "which is actually not far from the truth."
Production on Starship Troopers began on April 29th, 1997, with the "bug planet" scenes being filmed in the badlands of Hell's Half Acre in Natrona County, Wyoming. It was during the scene where Ironside's character falls into the hole and gets his legs bitten off, that Dina Meyer actually hit her head, and was knocked unconscious (later suffering a concussion). One of Starship Troopers more controversial scenes - the co-ed shower scene - had Verhoeven and cinematographer Jost Vacano shooting the scene naked as well, on a dare from Meyer to do so. Nudity aside, Veohoeven also included visual allusions to propaganda films such as Why We Fight, Triumph of the Will and wartime newsreels, and the symbols, and certain clothing styles, of the Federation are modeled on those of the Nazis (e.g., windbreaker, suits, cap, etc.; moreover, the military intelligence officers' uniforms bear a striking similarity to those of the Allgemeine-SS). Verhoeven stated his intentions clearly with the imagery: the film's message is that "War makes fascists of us all". He evoked Nazi Germany's fashion, iconography and propaganda because he saw it as a natural evolution of the post-World War II United States. "I've heard this film nicknamed All Quiet On the Final Frontier," he says, "which is actually not far from the truth."
[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.
[Zim pulls out the knife]
Career Sergeant Zim: Medic!
Top: Carmen and Zander (Patrick Muldoon) inadvertently find themselves in the Brain Bugs nest!
Above: Military Intelligence officer (and psychic) Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) attempts to "communicate" with the captured Brain Bug
Several scenes were filmed following Carmen coming to grips with the supposed death of Johnny Rico, while starting a relationship with Zander, but were later cut from the movie after test audiences reacted badly to her character hooking up with another man so soon after the death of her former lover, and were very vocal about it - some test audience comments went as far to suggest that Carmen should have been the one to die instead of Dizzy! Although the scenes were cut, a relationship between Carmen and Zander is still implied in the rest of the movie. As was a scene where after Zander's death, Carmen and Rico kiss, which the audience believed made the previous betrayal even more immoral.
On release, Starship Troopers received mostly mixed reviews from American critics, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times panning the film (although Ebert had previously praised the satire in Verhoeven's Robocop). Calum Marsh of The Atlantic however called Starship Troopers a "...satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism...[that] critiques the military-industrial complex, the jingoism of American foreign policy, and a culture that privileges reactionary violence over sensitivity and reason." The film won Saturn Awards for Best Costumes and Best Special Effects at the 1998 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (but lost to Titanic).
On release, Starship Troopers received mostly mixed reviews from American critics, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times panning the film (although Ebert had previously praised the satire in Verhoeven's Robocop). Calum Marsh of The Atlantic however called Starship Troopers a "...satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism...[that] critiques the military-industrial complex, the jingoism of American foreign policy, and a culture that privileges reactionary violence over sensitivity and reason." The film won Saturn Awards for Best Costumes and Best Special Effects at the 1998 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (but lost to Titanic).
[running to fight the bugs at the outpost]
Jean Rasczak: Come on you apes! You want to live forever?!
Top: Filming on location in Wyoming's Hell's Half Acre;
Above: Director Paul Verhoeven on set with Michael Ironside
ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 63%
_____________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment