Inquiring Minds: Verhoeven Double Feature: ROBOCOP & STARSHIP TROOPERS

This is the column that digs into the science fiction lover’s world, tackling some of the most complex and perplexing that content allows. Is it weird? Most likely. Do we love it? Yes! It’ll likely be thought-provoking, and potentially illuminating. Intriguing minds unite for the weirdest Film Inquiry Column yet.

One of the beautiful things about science fiction is that it is born from realistic concepts. They can often be found even within the most impossible of settings. 

For this edition of the column, I decided to dive into two of Paul Verhoeven’s interesting and unique filmography. A proprietor of excess, he’s a director who has made a career of doing what he wants.

Made ten years apart, Robocop (1987) and Starship Troopers (1997) are both staples in the realm of sci-fi and provide ample action and fun. There’s also an undeniable intelligence within the campy exterior. Oh, and many severed limbs.

Both are in futures riddled with dangers and underlying themes that play scarily familiar tunes to our modern woes (even if they are dressed up in costumes meant to misdirect). Hold onto your seats, this Verhoeven double feature is a bloody outing.

Paul Verhoeven, you cheeky, genius you.

Robocop (1987)

Robocop drops us in a futuristic Detroit where the police force works with a technology mega-company to help stave the crime wave. But, where there is crime outside, there is certainly corruption within. It’s a place on the verge of destruction and the city allows Omni Consumer Products (OCP) authority over the Police Department. 

Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) and his partner Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) are among the more honest officers. When pursuing a known gang they are unexpectedly overtaken, leading to the brutal torture and murder of Murphy.

This offers up an opportunity to create a new kind of weaponry, one made of man and machine. 

Directives: serve the public trust, protect the innocent, and uphold the law. A fourth is classified.

It’s a rugged world where violence begins to be tempered by Robocop, but at what cost? Eventually, he’s going to see his makers for who they are which delivers the taste of vengeance that we expect. 

Lewis begins to suspect that Robocop might be her partner, noticing details in his movements. Our two leads each bring something valuable to the picture, keeping that balance of humanity and machine. 

With Verhoeven’s direction, there is a complexity brought to an otherwise fixed character, drawing emotion and anguish from underneath the suit.

“You have twenty seconds to comply.”

Robocop doesn’t shy away from bloody carnage and it wears its identity on its metal sleeve. There are thought-provoking, overarching plots that speak of nefarious intent, and cultural significance. 

Robocop is an amalgamation of genres and intelligent writing with b movie flair that relishes in its satirical presence. With fabulous one-liners and plenty of gory tidbits, it’s also just damn entertaining. 

The synthesized score by Basil Poledouris contributes to an already mindful film, and there’s meaning to the madness. There are many themes prevalent in the film that touch on identity, greed, and humanity. With the use of media and the still concurrent discussion of its effect on culture, Robocop packs a lot in its steel punches. 

Bloody carnage, malfunctioning robots, dark humor, and an existential crisis (maybe?) this is Robocop.

Make of it what you will. What you want. It’s got a molding sort of quality for the viewer. Is it laughing at us? Perhaps. Maybe it’s a sneer at the “man.” Maybe it’s an opportunity for further conversation or just a great rewatch.

Regardless, Robocop is timeless. It’s a brutal classic that is consistently provocative and timely.

Starship Troopers (1997)

In a future that seems grim for the human race, our remaining society is at war with giant alien bugs that are set on our destruction. 

The newest class of “heroes” follows a group of friends who all test into different areas of the military. To become a citizen, you have to do your part, and these four friends are excited to make their mark.

Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), and Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) are anxious to make a difference in their specific sectors. As school comes to an end they test their strengths and travel to fight the war in the sky, in the lab, and on the ground.

While the film follows the journey of various characters, the main stage is set on the infantry where Johnny and Dizzy are.

The practical effects surprisingly still stand with giant bugs and dissected innards seeming believable within this overly stimulated context. It’s flashy, and borderline obnoxious in its delivery, but that’s okay – it doesn’t detract from the overall diverting nature.

Where Robocop is more coy with its humor, Starship Troopers is brazen.

There’s no subtlety here. 

“Would you like to know more?”

The casting isn’t the strong part of the film and while the acting is often regarded as being stiff, it actually works into the sensibility of the film. This society displayed is one that’s deconstructed and run by a fascist military, in many ways it is cold and detached. An occasional melodramatic turn fits within the comedic segways, propped up on its violent spindly legs. Our characters and their stoic sort of demeanor aren’t distracting as as it is fitting. 

From over-the-top ads full of gore and warnings of the alien Arachnids, we learn about aspects through boisterous bulletins. Media plays another crucial role in this film as a lot of narrative pieces are delivered in these giant ads of smirking cues. 

While juvenile in its vibe, unlike the previous film I discussed, it makes work of the tonal representation. The film is shaded with a messy crayon of humorous intent. 

It is occasionally a crude arrangement, not pretty to look at or take seriously at times, but Starship Troopers aims to dismantle expectations. By its end, it’s got you. With cheesy romantic side plots and a rah-rah macho mentality, this grandiose sci-fi is unapologetic.

Satirical and witty while seemingly bizarre, Starship Troopers flips its source material on its head and creates a memorable science fiction flick. It’s camouflaged by the misdirection that it’s a dumb bug movie when it’s actually quite intelligent.

Conclusion

This is a dynamite double feature that should satisfy any science fiction lover or Verhoeven completist. I saw both when I was quite young and upon rewatches found myself loving them every bit as much. Are they excessive? Yes. But, sometimes, imagination can run wild and… occasionally, absurd.