"Starship Troopers: Invasion" - - A Movie Made For Me

If nothing in that fan-made trailer looked interesting to you, then this movie is not for you. I know some fans of the movie may say that none of the quiet moments are shown and those are some of the best parts, but here's the thing: you're either into these CGI movies or you're not.

Here's the funny thing though. I generally don't like them.

It's not that I have a thing against CGI it's just they are not entertaining or they are entertaining but age really, really badly.

I am a huge Starship Troopers fan, which is what got me to watch it in the first place. But I've had this movie sitting on my shelf since it came out last year and just decided to watch it today so that should show how uninterested I was in watching it. In comparison, I saw the original movie the day it came out at theaters and the DVDs of the sequels within a week of them being released.

So as a huge Starship Troopers fan, including the animated series which was also CGI, I loved this movie. Loved it. It was everything you wanted in a fourth film: action, sex, bugs, intrigue . . .the only thing missing was the social commentary the last three had. That's regrettable because I've always thought that was a strong part of the franchise. That aside, I would recommend this movie if you are either a ST fan or a fan of CGI films.

If you're not, well . . .

This movie does have some great ideas: In the beginning they introduce a cast of about 20, and then maybe another 20 of background grunts. A good 20 minutes of the film is getting to know these characters. By the end there's six people left. You assume the grunts are always going to die but when the people who you really like die in an instant with no hero's death? That's war.

One great small scene in that section is of a young trooper who had his arm bit off in the first battle. He asks the doctor to not report the injury but the doctor, who is also the same age if not younger, says that he has to. The trooper then asks if he could at least minimize the report so his parents wouldn't know how bad it was. That small bit of dialogue sets up these men and women as real people. They have families who worry about them and who they worry about. Very good stuff for a cartoon movie.

We get elements of horror as the Mobile Infantry troops investigate an abandoned starship. Without gravity control, the lifeless bodies of the crew float down the darkened halls. Body parts, both human and bug, move silently as the only sound is the clicking of magnetized boots.

We get action scenes right out of blockbuster video games with troopers shooting down wave after wave of vicious bugs, a boss battle with an evolved Queen, and starship on starship combat.

But again, if the above video is as exciting to you as watching someone else play a video game, this movie is not for you. To me, scenes like that are made for people like me and they get my blood pumping just as much as a live action fight scene. Some people don't find it exciting. To each their own.

As for me, I am glad to welcome this film into my library and to the Starship Troopers franchise. Now I just have to spend the next few years worrying about the reboot . . .