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  • Widescreen 2.35:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
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  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
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  • Featurette
  • Behind the scenes footage

Starship Troopers : Special Edition

Touchstone/Buena Vista . R4 . COLOR . 130 mins . MA15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Hands up those of you with the old region 4 copy of Starship Troopers. Alright, one... two... ok so there is a few out there. I have here for you a bunch of clay pots, glass plates and other breakable items. Feel free to come up here and destroy whatever you want. OK, are any of you now feeling the slightest bit consoled for the amount of times you had to flip that disc over right in the middle of the movie? No, I didn't think so. Not only did the previous region 4 release of Starship Troopers suffer from this -hopefully extinct- flipper technology, but there was also a complete lack of extras in any form whatsoever. This was certainly an objectionable treatment for a film of its nature.

So, hurrah and hooray for Buena Vista's champion return in distributing their own product, which finds the re-issue of many titles that had previously been available in a less than desirable form. One of these titles is of course Starship Troopers, and whilst I feel sorry for those of you who may feel the need to buy it all over again, all I can say is thank god that this film has finally been given a decent treatment.

With films like Robocop and Basinc Instinct under his belt, it could certainly be said that subtlety was never really Paul Verhoeven's strong point, and Starship Troopers is no different. In this vivid future, humanity is seemingly healthy and thriving, 90210 style. There is very little crime or pollution and even racism and sexism are nowhere to be seen. Just how was this seemingly perfect world achieved you ask? The answer, is good-old reliable fascism. Anything that stands in their way will be, and obviously in the past has been, completely annihilated.

Loosely based on the book of the same name, Paul Verhoeven has constructed Starship Troopers as something of a satire of the propaganda films of World War II, and indeed the state of America after this period. It is an exaggerated and viciously humorous commentary of what our future may hold for us, that is for sure. However, when all the pieces are put together, it could be seen as not altogether far from truth.

After the film's opening propaganda broadcast, we are thrown into a televised conflict involving the Earth's defence forces on what is described as "an ugly planet, a bug planet". After people are killed and the broadcast is cut off, we go back one year to the lives of several students on the eve of graduation.

Upon the completion of their studies, each character is looking towards their futures, the most common and beneficial path being that of military service. The military guarantees citizenship, and one must first become a citizen before they can follow their dreams. Aside from Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), all of the other characters are certain about their enlisting, quite simply because they have to, or have a passion for the service. Johnny is not so sure. Coming from a wealthy family, he doesn't really have to enlist to achieve citizenship, and in fact his parents are completely adverse to the idea. It is his romantic involvement with Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards) that coerces him to join. She is joining, so he will too. Soon enough, the earth is attacked and military forces are sent out to strike back against the deadly alien bug forces responsible. Love triangles, macho comaraderie and gore-filled conflicts ensue.

  Video
Contract

One of the only things the previous release of Starship Troopers had going for it was the transfer quality, and while it is debatable as to wether this re-release has improved on that quality, it is certainly a stunning transfer nonetheless.

The picture quality in this re-release is consistently sharp and detailed, complementing the film's pristine imagery perfectly. For the majority of the first half of the program the colour palette is very wide, consisting of plenty of bright clothing and colourful scenery, all of which looks absolutely sumptuous here. Of particular note were the bright school buildings and backgrounds, which against the baby blue skyline look wonderful.

Ironically, the more colourful first half of the film almost pales in comparison to the second half, where in the bland desert and blackness of space, this transfer shines its very brightest. The black levels in the star-fields are very solid and produced no artifacting at all, even when pitted against the vivid whites displayed by many of the star-ships. Detail in these space sections is also excellent, complementing the mixture of miniatures and digital imagery to the point that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. When the film moves to the harsh planet surface, we are again presented with some magnificently vivid and detailed imagery. The sand-covered floor and desert canyons are all reproduced to astonishing accuracy. Sure, there is not much to look at in terms of scenery, but in this case the nothingness of this harsh landscape has never looked so good.

When Starship Troopers first came out, the digital imagery was some of the most amazing the world had yet seen. Considering the age of the film, there have certainly been many advancements in the area of CGI. But one thing that floored me whilst watching this transfer, was how good the effects in this film still look. This transfer has been very good to the work that went into CGI for this film. The bugs look incredibly life-like, providing very few moments where the line between digital and real can be accurately drawn. As an example, while you are watching a swarm of bugs charging across the landscape in front of you, keep in mind Mr. Lucas and the offensive waste of money that was Jar-Jar Binks.

There is a little bit of background grain evident in a few of the scenes, and whilst I did not find it distracting in the slightest, if you are really looking for something to fault this transfer over then this is about the only thing you will find. The only other thing I noticed were a few tiny flecks in the first 10 minutes, however these were seemingly absent from the rest of the picture, or at least so small that I did not notice them.

The layer change occurs at around 1.19:50, and is one of the smoothest transitions that I have yet witnessed. In fact I had to rewind it to make sure that it happened. I suppose this will differ depending on your player, but I was very impressed.

  Audio
Contract

Oh my, where would a Paul Verhoven sci-fi spectacular be without a decent 5.1 surround track? Well, wherever it would be, it is certainly not here.

First off the bat is the soundtrack. The composer is Basil Poledouris, who has also worked with Verhoeven on Robocop. His score is grand and complements the film very well, especially the military fanfare-esq moments. The score makes great use of all available channels, however it is often almost overdone, tending to slightly drown out some of the other material.

Besides the very opening of the film the action does not really present itself until just before half way through. Despite this section being relatively lacking in dynamics, it is still very full and atmospheric, particularly the boot camp and star-ship sections, both of which provide some nice surrounding crowd and ship rumbling effects respectively. Dialogue is mostly very clean with only a few instances of slight distortion.

When battle commences however, then you will be damn proud of the investment you have made. The almost constant gunfire is put to great use as differing fire rates and bouncing shells pretty much fill the whole spectrum, and just as you thought those charging Warrior Bugs were giving you the ride of your life, then a Tanker Bug emerges from the ground and puts your sub-woofer into overdrive.

Admittedly, as with the soundtrack, things here can also tend to get a little overwhelming. It is not really an issue of clarity, everything can be heard just fine, just that it is occasionally too loud for its own good. As mentioned previously though, Paul Verhoeven's films are anything but subtle, and this is purely a result of his vision rather than a problem with the DVD itself.

  Extras
Contract

Hey there Starship Troopers: Special Edition, come on in. I see you have brought some things with you, how lovely. Your twin brother was here earlier, but he certainly did not bring anything with him. So let us forget about him then, shall we?

Audio Commentary: Anyone who has listened to Paul Verhoeven's commentary track on Hollow Man would know he is unashamedly hyperactive. This track recorded with screenwriter Ed Neumeier is no different. From the go, Verhoeven is off and racing, only giving pause with the help of Neumeier. By far the most interesting sections of this commentary are Verhoeven and Neumeier's discussions of scenes that the public found objectionable and scenes that the critics misinterpreted.

"Making Of" Featurette: Too short to really explain much, but it does feature some short interviews with the cast members as well as some decent footage of the production floor. Definitely worth checking out to witness Paul Verhoeven acting like a bug and lunging at Denise Richards while screaming his head off.

Scene Developments: Mostly just a collection of animatics sequences. Interesting enough with Verhoeven's commentary to check out a few times. The third sequence, entitled Don't Look is a short sequence of a bug chasing a soldier which I assume was used to sell the film. Humorous introduction by Paul Verhoeven is intact.

Deleted Scenes: Six scenes, still in a presentable condition, that involve Denise Richards' character Carmen and her romantic involvements. It is glaringly obvious as to why these were cut from the film, but it might not be the reason that you initially think. Listen to the commentary track and you will understand why they were really cut. Two of the scenes are also notably raunchy for anyone who cares.

Screen Tests: Two screen tests from Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards reading for their respective roles. From this footage, you can definitely see why they were cast. There is a definite chemistry going on.

Theatrical Trailer: The description as it being 'Teaser' in the menu is a little inaccurate. It is presented in widescreen, but is quite dirty. If I was not aware of the film's satirical tone in the first place, then this trailer could be a little misleading.

  Overall  
Contract

For those who 'get' it, Starship Troopers is huge fun no matter what format it is seen on. Those who have not seen it yet, then I would advise hiring it first, as Paul Verhoeven's particular brand of socio-political satire can tend to leave a bad taste in some people's mouths. For those of you in the know however, then I can honestly tell you that the wait for this special edition was not in vein. It looks and sounds absolutely brilliant, with a healthy set of extras to boot. Anyone who got shafted with the previous region 4 copy of the film, prepare to be amazed, as the film plays right through without you ever having to leave your chair.

So I ask you good citizen, do you want to live forever? Well stand for your country and go forth to purchase one of the best science-fiction films of the last ten years.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1045
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      And I quote...
    "Would you like to know more?"
    - Ben Pollock
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Omni SL-P2000KD
    • TV:
          Palsonic 71cm
    • Speakers:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Centre Speaker:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Surrounds:
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    • Audio Cables:
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    • Video Cables:
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