My take: Starship Troopers (1997)

HD Goofnut

Title: Starship Troopers (1997)
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
Run time: 129 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rating: R
Region Coding: Region Free
Player used for review: LG BH200

Cast/Crew Info:
Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico
Dina Meyer as Dizzy Flores
Denise Richards as Carmen Ibanez
Jake Busey as Ace Levy
Neil Patrick Harris as Carl Jenkins
Clancy Brown as Sgt. Zim
Seth Gilliam as Sugar Watkins
Patrick Muldoon as Zander Barcalow
Michael Ironside as Jean Rasczak
Directed by Paul Verhoeven

My take: (the breakdown)

I have read several of Robert Heinlein's books over the years and he is one of my favorite authors, but I still think that Starship Troopers is his best work. Now, even though the movie was based on his book it is rather loosely based with quite a bit missing in the movie that was contained in the book. The story follows that of Johnny Rico and the end of his senior year in high school as he prepares to go into Federal Service simply because his girlfriend Carmen is doing the same thing. When the 'Bugs' obliterate the city of Buenos Aires, which is apparently an English speaking city in the future and Johnny's hometown, he decides to join the fight since his family was killed in the attack. The rest of the story follows Johnnyand his comrades as they complete various missions assigned by the Federal Service. It's not near as good as the book, but it's still one of better Verhoeven's films. It's worth owning or at least a rental if you've never seen it, but due to violence/gore and nudity this one is not for the kiddies.

Released onto Blu-ray in August of 2008 Starship Troopers looks good in the majority, but it does have a couple minor hiccups. Colors are well saturated from start to finish, but I did feel there were times when they were slightly muted. Flesh tones appear accurate though. Grain is moderate to heavy, but it does manage to stay consistent even during darker scenes and in backgrounds. Fine detail is well done most of time, but there are several wider shots that don't look much better than the DVD version. Still, this Blu-ray version vast exceeds any previous releases of this film onto home video.

We are supplied with a booming 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track that is on par with the video quality. Dialogue is clear, concise, and well prioritized during most of the run time. Surrounds are used frequently, but sometimes I felt they were overpowering with various effects. The musical score does fill the channels nicely though and it is not overbearing. Your sub will get some serious work during the film's numerous action scenes as well due to the various weapons being fired.

For any of you that own/owned the two disc DVD special edition will see all of the same supplemental features. The only major difference is that the commentary from Poledouris has is missing. There are plenty of making of features, more than enough actually, but they are all presented in 480.

Movie: 7/10
VQ: 8/10
AQ: 8/10
Supplements: 7/10
Final word: A Must Own

As always thanks for reading folks.

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