Review of Starship Troopers

Video

The picture is great, it has to be said. As one of the earliest "must have" DVD releases (hell I bought myself a player just to get this movie on DVD) you would be forgiven for thinking that it might be mediocre, after all studios need time to get the most from a format right? Well, if that`s the case I can`t wait to see what the future has in store for.

Admittedly the subject matter lends itself more to a great picture, explosions and special effects always tend to look kinda sexy but on this disc they look plain hot. But not only are the special effects looking special, the flesh tones on the actors is just right (and boy do we have some gorgeous looking flesh, but enough of my sexist outpourings).

There is no evidence of any graining or artifacts at all, this really is a superb transfer, it`s no surprise that this DVD is still one of the best sellers even after over a year on release.

Audio

What the f*** was the behind my chair? Something scurrying around, the clicking of insect mandibles threatening to bite me when I least expect it. Boooom, Bang !!!!!!! s***, incoming !!!!!!!!!! Sorry, flashbacks already :)

You get the idea though, this is one great soundtrack, very clear and excellent all round. Rear channels are used to bowel-loosening effect as bugs scurry around, pausing occasionally to let out an unholy roar. The bass content is just about right, not overdone as some movies tend to be. When you expect a bassy thump you definitely get it and make no mistake. Stepping out of the action scenes there is good use of background sounds, soldiers shouting out orders far in the distance adding that little touch of detail that is nice to hear.

The inescapable observation is that this is an action movie with lots of special effects and that is the soundtrack you get. Expect it . . . live it . . . love it !

Features

As one of the earlier releases you might expect little or no extras right? Wrong. The extras on this disc put many of today`s releases to shame quite frankly.

I gotta say that I am a sucker for deleted scenes, I love seeing what deleted scenes would have added to a movie and the ones on this disc are great. They give some nice insight into more of the relationship side of things and it surprises me that most of them were left out. I found all the behind the scenes footage very interesting indeed however this disc has one feature that, as far as I know, is unique . . . screentests. That`s right, some of the actors original screentests. Why do I find these interesting,? Call me sad, I just enjoyed seeing how an actor wins a roll, it lends further insight into the vision of the directors (how can you tell when you get the right actors after all? Visionary as I said).

Finally we have the directors commentary. I would love to say how great the commentary is but I started listening to it but ended up watching the film normally yet again. Again I love the insight these provide as well so a big thumbs up for the extras . . . even if I had to get up to flip the disc to see them.

Conclusion

A BIG winner. The movie itself scores on so many levels. A huge risk was taken with stars that were, quite frankly, unknown. This allows you to get to know the characters without any preconception at all and helps you to reach a point where you are genuinely interested in what happens to them. The build up to the action is not overdone either, showing you just enough about each character for you to get hooked before they come into mortal danger.

This film is really about action, it`s about guns, it`s about spaceships and it`s about bugs . . . lots of bugs. They are quite awesome and bloody handy to have around if you don`t have a tin opener I would imagine. The effects people really earned their pay with this beauty.

One special note must go to one of the actors who, for me, makes the film . . . Michael Ironside. I dunno what it is about this guy but he simply commands respect and you know that he is gonna kick some serious bug ass.

So what do we have? Great picture, excellent sound, healthy does of extras, superb effects, great characterisations, brilliant story and Michael Ironside (oooooo, did I mention Denise Richards looking hot and Dina Meyer looking topless :) ).

Should you buy this disc? Well I want to know why you don`t already own it!