Starship Troopers 3: Marauder - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/27/2009 Run time: 105 minutes Rating: R

Customer Reviews: Read 84 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Campy, Corny, and Fun August 8, 2008
25 out of 29 found this review helpful

STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER is a direct to DVD movie based loosely on a world and characters created by Robert A. Heinlein in his classic sci-fi adventure novel STARSHIP TROOPERS. While this movie is neither high budget nor high art, it is a very entertaining way to spend an evening at home. It is also a MUCH better follow on to the original STARSHIP TROOPERS movie than the simply dreadful second installment.

Casper Van Dien returns as our hero, Johnny Rico. His is joined by STAR TREK veteran Jolene Blalock as the rather well-formed, command pilot, damsel-in-distress. The performances by these two are very enjoyable, and it is good to see them both working again. They are joined by a very able supporting cast, all of whom add to the fun.

The special effects are a bit worn and corny, but overall, they work just fine for the comic book style of the movie. The Bugs are back, still trying to exterminate the humans, and we are trying just as hard to exterminate them back. Tons of explosions, lots of gore, and our hero saves the day. Pretty much what you want in a good, old fashioned "B" movie.

And the best part of all, we finally, finally get what we have been waiting for: the Mech Suits!! They were everything I had always imagined, and more. What took you guys so long??? The mechanized battle suits are what define the Mobile Infantry. Now, Johnny Rico will truly be the hero that Heinlein wrote. STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER is well worth seeing, especially for that reason. Recommended.

3 out of 5 stars

It's all about satire... July 20, 2008
17 out of 28 found this review helpful

There are some people who panned the movie for visual effects (which looked like they were done on a Commodore 128) or the acting (which was wooden in some spots and just silly in others, parroting lines made famous in the first movie) but the satire value was priceless. You can see the movie poking fun at current events of the last 5 years of war in Iraq. The Federation lowering it's enlistment age to 16, lowering standards of it's forces, the prosecution of those who speak out against the war, Hanging Supreme Court Judges. I loved it for it's satirical biting sarcasm at the current events that we face today. For everything else...eh!

4 out of 5 stars

It Is a Good Day to Die August 13, 2008
16 out of 20 found this review helpful

My Rating: 3.75 out of 5

The Good Things
*Has a good amount of action and special effects.
*Very good photography.
*Better production quality than "Starship Troopers 2." Sets, props, and costumes are great. Introduces plenty of new gadgets and new alien bugs.
*Remains true to the original concepts and ideas presented in the last films.
*Storyline is good and easy to follow.
*Writing is generally good. The movie has a few good lines (some unintentionally funny).
*Greater insight on the political system (the Citizen's Federation). Much of the movie focuses on the inter-office transactions in the high-ranking sections, so it's more than just a bunch of guys with guns blowing stuff up.
*Interesting themes about religion and politics. Some interesting satire (but still not up to par with the first film).
*Good cast of characters. Acting is passable.
*Music is okay.

The Bad Things
*Probably not for the squeamish. Contains some bloody violence and nudity (but it's not quite as bad as the last two films).
*Despite the slick-looking production value, it's still not up to par with the first film, and can therefore be seen as inferior (I don't think it's too bad, though). Also, some special effects do look a little fake.

"Starship Troopers 2" was completely dull; I was pleased to see that number 3 returned to the basic fundamentals of the first original film. Aside from bringing back Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), they've also brought back the battles, the satire, the gung-ho attitude, and consequently, the fun. It expands the franchise a little better too, incorporating more interesting political issues and ideas, and presenting a religious element. It's still not quite up to par with the first movie, but it sure beats the crud out of the second.

The DVD has good video quality. The sound is okay, but seems overdriven and distorted in some parts. It includes a few featurettes. The Blu-Ray has great video quality and okay sound.

If this review has not been helpful, then you are in violation of the Federation's morale, and need to be executed (or rather, leave a comment and tell me how I can improve).

1 out of 5 stars

Starship Troopers Meets Mighty Morph'n Power Rangers ... In A Bad Way July 17, 2008
15 out of 30 found this review helpful

There really isn't a better way to describe it ... it's as if you're watching the sequel to the first Starship Troopers movie, but this movie was written by a former intern for the old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kids TV show and the special effects were done by the worst special effects staff member for the same show.

Unlike the original Starship Troopers movie, there is nothing about the special effects for the bugs that looks remotely realistic. The props looks childish and fake, the script is trash, and the actors ... well most of the cast probably doesn't even deserve to be called "actors."

The only two actors that did a remotely good job were Casper Van Dien and Jolene Blalock. I actually felt bad for both these actors because they have SO much more potential and talent than the rest of the cast of this film ... if you want to call this trash a film. I hope Van Dien and Blalock made a ton of money from this movie because that's the only reason I can imagine either of them would be willing to attach their names to this wreck.

I know those two actors are good because the writing in this film was horrible and you couldn't believe anything the characters said ... except when Van Dien and Blalock were speaking/performing. When an actor can make a worthless script acceptable you know they have talent. The rest of the "actors" were completely unbelievable.

I liked the first Starship Troopers movie (though I wouldn't call myself a fan) and I even watched Starship Troopers 2 and found it reasonably entertaining. This movie was just plain horrible. I'm not a religious freak and as a matter of fact I enjoy movies that make fun of religion, but the scenes in which the characters make fun of religion are just poorly written and lame.

The scene where the Marauder team gets naked and prepares to get into their Marauders is almost exactly like the scene where the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers get into their giant robots ... only this time their naked. LAME.

More importantly, I never understood what the point of this film was ... other than an opportunity for a bad CGI team to make bad CGI alien bugs, starships, and robots. Don't waste your time watching this.

5 out of 5 stars

The Great Sequel!!! August 2, 2008
15 out of 25 found this review helpful

It was a Herculean task to make STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER - both technically and artistically. This film is a direct follow up to the best Paul Verhoeven's movie - the classic science fiction/political satire from 1997. Verhoeven's masterpiece, hugely misunderstand at first (especially in the US), now is a cult classic loved and praised by the science fiction fans and the most famous critics all around the world. The film was a breakthrough in a visual effects evolution and the successful attempt to mix high octane sci-fi action with some deeper thoughts and social commentary.

Eight years after that movie the sequel was made. It was a decent low budget flick, but the reactions from fans were mixed. Some of them loved it, some of them felt cheated because it was totally different in tone and scope than the original. STARSHIP TROOPERS 2: HERO OF THE FEDERATION was a one-location-100%-shot-at-night film. It's an interesting allegory about "the bug" who get's "inside" every soldier after he/she spends too much time in a warzone. It had cool scares and tip top CGI effects. On the downside the show was "a prisoner" of its no money budget. Also it was done in a clever, but - at the same time - a bit preservative manner. I mean your work as a filmmaker is a lot easier when you've "designed" your movie to take place entirely in one location (=soundstage).

The STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER makers decided to take a huge risk and go for the bigger - multi layer, grand scale film again. Many shooting locations, space sequences, various storylines, here we go. You can see how high the risk was when you learn that TROOPERS 3 was made for a tiny fraction of what the first film's budget was. There's a trap on the artistic side too: Wasn't the first STARSHIP TROOPERS a whole and complete story about a naive boy who becomes "fresh meat for the grinder" and ends up as mindless piece in a war machine? "They'll keep fighting... and they'll win." - the closing caption of ST looked like a joke on the sequel that's not supposed to happen...Think about it...How can you continue it in a worthy and creative way? Sir, it's a tough mission, sir...All in all STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER was a dangerous and risky project to make.

Having said that I'm even more happy to report that the team led by writer/director Ed Neumeier succeeded in both artistic and technical areas!

Right from the start of the film we know that we are really back in the universe from the first ST. No one else can write ST-verse like Neumeier. It's a shiny but a rotten world, with many tongue-in-cheek moments. You'll have to see MARAUDER a few good times to catch it all (for instance look at the titles in FedNets). Again Neumeier goes back to the social satire and a commentary on the "here and now" situations (War in Iraq, Bushism and anti-Bushism). The huge surprise here is...this movie is much more positive and strong on belief in the human race than the original one. Yes, at the first sight everything looks bad. The world of the future is insane and religion movements disturbingly fit like a glove to it. Activists are converted by propaganda to terrorists. Everyone who doesn't agree with the "Federation" is as bad as The Bug! But there's still a hope: many people - like Johnny or Lt. Lam can't be break by The Global Brain-Washing Machine. Thanks to people like them, humanity has a chance of not becoming a swarm of bugs after all.

The story goes two ways. The main storylines are that of Johnny Rico/Dix Hauser and the tale of the people lost on a distant planet, with Lola Beck/Sky Marshall Anoke being the leads. Both of these tales are interesting and surprising ones. They are the settings for the larger issues - especially religion and various takes on it. This is always a great subject for the characters to explore. First of all we find out that Johnny Rico somehow kept his sanity in the long years of war and developed a lot of heart. Last time we saw him, he was "a part of the grinder". Now he's a soldier with soul, a soldier who can't obey orders if they are not right or just. When I did the interview with Casper he said "Johnny is now a true warrior ." CVD skillfully shows that aspect in the movie. Van Dien is Johnny Rico and he owns the film. This performance alone makes the movie a must see. Dix Hauser (Boris Kodjoe) is by the book guy who learns that the mind is like a parachute and works well only if it's open. Good piece of acting by Kodjoe.

Now on to the actors of the second story. Jolene Blalock creates a very feminine, sexy and strong character of Lola Beck. Lola Beck rules! She's cool, she has commanding skills, she's every troopers wet dream. This role is yet another example of the fact that Blalock is a "acting-chameleon" and can play totally different roles (BTW I really recommend her roles in "Slow Burn" and "Shadow Puppets" ). She is an actress with a very wide range of acting skill. When you see Jolene you can be so blinded by her beauty that you may not notice how talented an actress she is. Luckily in TROOPERS 3 Jolene has a chance to play some really dramatic scenes. She has great chemistry with her partners especially with Dr. Wiggs (solid Danny Keogh) Bull (Stelio Savante in a top form), and Holly (the lovely Marnette Patterson).

The little older, wiser generation is represent by two talented people: Amanda Donohoe and Stephen Hogan. I personally remember Donahoe for her role in "The Lair of the White Worm". It still is one of my fav movies. I'm sorry I couldn't get an interview with Miss Donahoe for our site, because her role in ST3 is a pure gold! Maybe next time... Very talented English actor Stephen Hogan has a giant screen charisma and watching him on the screen is an absolute delight. He steals every scene he's in. All other actors make their characters memorable... from Cecile Breccia (Hi Cecile! You made Link Mannion both super sexy and tough, and the French accent was such a turn on ;-) , Jon Falkow (a funny guy) to Joe Vaz as "Peace Terrorist" Elmo Goniff. The casting is tip top.

The thing that was brought up on a lot of discussions are the effects in the movie. The question was always the same: With the a lot lower budget how can you compete with still state of the art/ageless visuals from Tippett Studio? It's a mission impossible, isn't it? Well, the answer is yes and no. I have to say these effects are very good especially if you think they are in the movie with a budget of 1/8 of the typical big summer blockbuster. There are more than 400 visual and special effects in this movie, they are wonderfully diverse and not a repetition by any means of the "movie magic" from the previous films. Generally speaking visual effects are often very trashy/plastic/unrealistic these days. Just look at INDIANA JONES 4' chase in the jungle sequence which looks totally fake (and I've heard this scene alone cost about 25 million - more than the whole budget of TROOPERS 3!). Excuse me, but is it a movie or PS3 game?

In STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER there is the ambitious amalgamation of wonderful miniature effects (The Scorpion Bug is amazing), CGIs and practical on-set effects. Sometimes it works remarkably, sometimes a bit less remarkably, but there are some amazing "instant classic" scenes (battle on Roku San, space sequences, Le Grande Finale, new Fed Nets etc...). Great work from the team lead by Robert Skotak. He did the impossible! Also the thing I need to mention is that many visuals were improved since the early versions/trailer like The Bombardier Bug, The Sanctuary Station etc. It's totally uncommon in a land of dtv sequels.

Mr Skotak, I salute you!

Speaking as big fan of the original film I can honestly say that STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER is a worthy sequel to the Paul Verhoeven's masterpiece. It has everything you've been counting for and more. Of course it's not a 100 million dollars follow up that some of us have dreamed of, but it's great anyway. The budget limitations didn't break the magic of ST.

But the most important thing is: By this film Ed Neumeier proved that there is still a lot of life in the STARSHIP TROOPERS universe, that this world is still as fascinating as eleven years ago and still can be a great allegory to the current political situation. There is a lot more to explore in ST-verse. Let's hope for more TROOPERS stories (the fourth movie, the tv series) in the future! Of course with Ed, Casper, Jolene and the rest of the gang on board!

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