Hi all,
I certainly would not try make a case for it's being the *best* war film -- and not to be compared with Thin Red Line -- but I really liked Starship Troopers as a parody/satire of American war films and approaches to war.
Though not intended to be subtle, it was subtle enough for loads of viewers to totally miss the point that it was criticizing rather than glorifying the fascist tendencies inherent in nationalistic approaches to war. I actually saw the film for the first time this summer, and was impressed by how well it works as a criticism of recent American military actions. The bugs are depicted in just the way our popular media tends to portray those belonging to "rogue" Arab nations (as largely vicious/unthinkingly destructive/incapable of being reasoned with), but there are several indications that they are only defending their homelands against a military whose interest in them is really only to provide an enemy that will keep the masses in check to the army through fear, etc. ... I've already used parts of it in a class on "Science Fiction, Film and Philosophy" and students picked up on these connections right away as well ... actually I think Robocop is another underrated film by Verhoeven that has the same wonderfully subversive feeling: make a film that seems to glorify the violence and other appetites that are associated with American politics and media, but that is in fact a harsh indictment of the same attitudes and values that make it into a popular piece of entertainment.
cheers,
Nate
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Nathan Andersen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Director, International Cinema at Eckerd College
Collegium of Letters
Eckerd College
4200 54th Ave. S. Phone: (727) 864-7551
St. Petersburg, FL 33712 Fax: (727) 864-8354
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