Thursday, November 6, 1997
‘Starship Troopers’ battle bugs for the planet
FILM: Paul Verhoeven’s trademark violence showcased in movie
By Lonnie Harris
Daily Bruin Contributor
Director Paul Verhoeven never contents himself to make mere
action films. The films to his credit, including "Total Recall,"
"Robocop," "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls," generally spark as
much buzz as box office revenue.
Verhoeven’s newest film, "Starship Troopers," fits in well with
this profile, combining audience-pleasing effects, gritty war
action sequences and an often shocking sense of humor.
"Starship Troopers," based on a 1950s science-fiction novel by
Robert Heinlein, centers around a futuristic war between a united
mankind on Earth and a strange race of gargantuan insects from a
far-away planet. Once the bugs begin to fire comets at Earth, it’s
time for the human race to fight back by air and on land.
"A lot of the movies of the 1940s and the ’50s were used as a
basis for this film," Verhoeven says. "Obviously, this movie is
very modern, but at that same time it has the general feeling of a
movie of the 1940s, with the theme of going away to war. These
characters have their last meals at home, and they sit in the
trenches and talk about life. We really went for a second World War
feel to the whole film. The style of the elements such as the
spaceships is definitely inspired by the old war films."
In addition to the war-film style of "Starship Troopers,"
Verhoeven injects his traditional appreciation of violence and
eroticism. Already known as the director who created "Total
Recall," famed for having the highest film body-count of all time,
Verhoeven has again pushed the envelope of cinematic gore in his
newest project.
"The film, basically, is not a PG-13," Verhoeven says of
"Starship Troopers" which has an "R" rating. "I don’t know how that
will influence the audience or how much that is a problem. A lot of
kids who are 12 and 13 will want to see the film, so that is always
a concern. I’ve had terrible struggles with the MPAA (Motion
Picture Association of America) for all my other movies, but this
one was pretty mild. I think they really liked the movie. They felt
it wasn’t that violent and thought that I had restrained
myself."
The film’s violence quotient also affected the cast of "Starship
Troopers." Actor Michael Ironside, a veteran of Verhoeven films
such as "Total Recall," responds to charges of the film’s constant
gore by questioning the definition of violence.
"What is violence?" Ironside says. "Is throwing a piece of
hamburger against the wall violent? ‘Starship Troopers’ is
absolutely non-realistic, total fantasy."
The hardships of acting in a film with the immense scope of
"Starship Troopers" also proved trying for its mostly amateur cast,
which includes Denise Richards as pilot Carmen Ibanez and Dinay
Meyer as Mobile Infantry member Dizzy Flores.
Few actual bug models were available on the set since most of
the insect effects were completed computer-generated. This meant
that actors had to pretend bugs were present and active in scenes,
talking and reacting to empty space.
"We didn’t even have a green screen for the bugs, so we had no
idea where they were going to be," Richards says. "We just had an
open space. Sometimes they would bring these little tennis balls to
tell us where the bugs are and to give us an eyeline on where to
shoot. We would look at each other occasionally because we were all
shooting in random directions."
As if the film’s violence and advanced special-effects were not
enough to excite moviegoers, Verhoeven also insisted on a revealing
shower scene early in the film to introduce many major characters.
Despite the initial qualms about revealing their bodies to the
world, the cast generally adjusted easily to the requisite
nudity.
"We had a few minutes to take our clothes off and get acquainted
with each other so that we weren’t staring at each other’s breasts
during the scene," Meyer says. "It wasn’t a big deal. We didn’t say
things like, ‘Wow … look at the knockers on her.’"
The film that resulted from this work has the potential to shock
the audience as well as entertain, and this sums up Verhoeven’s
goal for his films.
"I have a feeling that the film is interesting and different
enough to be appreciated by people," Verhoeven says. "The range you
really cannot see. It would be weird if the movie didn’t open (to a
successful first weekend) at all. It should open reasonably well,
but it’s really all about what people say about the movie. Do they
call their friends and say things like ‘I can’t believe what I
saw’?"
FILM: "Starship Troopers" opens Friday.
Tippett Studios
Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) warns the infantry of an
approaching bug.