DVD Review | Starship Troopers 2
Written by: Kage Alan

The first “Starship Troopers” represented the first film by Director Paul Verhoeven that I just didn’t like or “get.” The military wants to wipe out some bugs on a planet because they sent an asteroid hurtling towards our planet, a declaration of war.  Right.  How did the bugs know about us?  They don’t even have technology that allows them to leave their planet, yet they seem to be able to shoot blue plasma blasts out of their asses into space.  I wanted an explanation for this and it never came.  Would “Starship Trooper 2” offer any insight?  One could hope, but one would be disappointed.

It’s been five years since events of the first film, but that doesn’t stop the director and producers from borrowing some of the more exciting footage from that movie.  It’s also, oddly enough, the only footage that has anything to do with being in outer space.  Everything here is planet bound.  The military hasn’t learned how to simply nuke the planet from orbit yet, so they continue to send our soldiers down to get torn up by the bugs.  One such unit led by General Shepherd (the talented Ed Lauter) is left battle weary and without an evacuation vehicle.  Fortunately, there’s an abandoned outpost within run-like-hell distance where the group holds out.

The bugs surround the outpost, the soldiers fight them off as best they can and begin to explore their new home.  Who do they happen to come across?  Captain Dax (Richard Burgi), who was thrown in a makeshift cell for killing a superior officer.  That’s a no-no in the Federation and a hanging offense.  Fortunately for those around, Dax is exactly the kind of soldier you want around when the crap hits the fan and hit the fan it does.  As if the bugs weren’t bad enough, there’s a new threat stalking them and it comes from within.  Think “blonde chick from the god-awful ‘Battlestar Galactica’ remake” and you’ll have it figured out in no time.  Heck, if you’ve ever watched “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “The Hidden” or “Jason Goes to Hell,” you’ll have it figured out.

Okay, what works here?  Despite being a no-budget b-movie sequel, “Starship Troopers 2” does boast some decent visual effects and creates a mood that belies its meager resources.  There’s some action, violence and gore.  While the cable TV showings will probably edit much of the red stuff out, it can be found here.  As for the characters, the less you know about them, the better.  This is one of those rare times that not having development actually helps the film along, especially since you won’t recognize most of the actors here.

That was the good…so here’s what I learned from the school of bad b-movies while watching this film.  The cute Asian guy has to die first since he’s the most intelligent person there and will figure out what’s going on long before the psychics will.  Apparently, two cables that are strung underneath a power door run the entire installation because whey they get severed, the electricity goes out.  You don’t really need to show bullets or casings when your Hollywood guns use flashbulbs instead.  That way, they’ll look really fake.  Bugs on radar look like the frogs in “Frogger.” Not advancing the story or giving any coherent reasons about how the bugs knew about earth or started the war will hopefully leave you wanting to watch another direct-to-video sequel…which will inevitably explain (gasp!)…nothing.

Sony has released “Starship Troopers 2” in its original Widescreen format.  Video quality wavers back and forth.  Some scenes look crisp and clear while others contain so much grain that it’s distracting.  Very uneven here.  Audio fares a little better, though listening to guns fire rounds and watching the little lights makes it sound like a bad dubbing job.  As for extras, we have an engaging and conversational audio commentary with Director Phil Tippett, Producer Jon Davison and Writer Ed Neumeier, a Photo Gallery, trailers and two featurettes; “Inside the Federation” (30 min) and “From Green Screen to Silver Screen” (9 min).

The cast and crew honestly look like they had a ball making this film, even going so far as to acknowledge that this is indeed a b-movie.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that it translated well to the screen.  Yes, a lot of hard work went into this and it was obviously a labor of love for the director and producer, so hopefully they’ll take what they learned from this film and use it to make a better one in the future.  “Starship Troopers 2” is a sequel that, seven years after the first film hit the screens, ultimately hasn’t made it worth the wait.

Film Rating: C
DVD Special Features: B