Starship Troopers (1997)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Written by Ed Neumeier, based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein
Starring Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards

My Advice: Don't Miss It.

Okay--I'll admit, it's the enormously bad Space: Above and Beyond with a larger budget and bugs, it's cheesy, it's a perfect example of how not to fight wars, it's the goriest thing to ever get an R rating--but you knew that going into the film.  This film delivered exactly what it said it would.  This film came up to you and said, "We're going to give you bugs and guns."  So no one should have been surprised when what you got was bugs and guns.  No one mentioned a great plot, so if you went looking for that you can only blame yourself.  Why the glowing recommendation above then?  Well, because it's a ride--that's all--just a nice ride through a barrage of aforementioned bugs and guns.  Sure you wonder why they brought glorified M-16's to fight locusts crossed with Hum-Vee's.  Sure you wonder why the ships all line to make easy targets for large beetles who fart plasma into space.  Sure you wonder why anyone would say dialogue like this--but hey, you should only think about that in the car on the way home.  Just enjoy the fun of watching Neil Patrick Harris in his audition for Apt Pupil and roll with it, baby.