So bad its good: Starship Troopers

Criminally underrated by the high-minded and misunderstood by idiots. THIS is the opening scene fer crissake.
If that doesn't intrigue/horrify you, check your pulse.

Basic Plot:

The 1997 film tells the tale of Johnny Rico, Dizzy Ibanez, Doogie Howser, Denise Richards and Gary Busey's son -- among others -- as they travel across space to train for and fight the inevitable giant insect war of the 23rd century.

Also don't forget Michael Ironside as the mechanical-armed ethics teacher/mobile infantry lieutenant.

After our heroes graduate from high school, they get shipped off to their various military gigs.
The bugs somehow launch an an asteroid at earth, destroying Buenos Aires -- which also happens to be this gang of soap opera wannabes' hometown.

So after some corporal punishment for Rico, the army ships off to some planet to kill the bugs, where they (including Rico) are promptly annilhated by 9-foot-tall "soldier bugs" in excessively gory ways. Fortunately son of Busey escapes.

"We thought we were smarter than the bugs."



Later, after Rico is magically still alive (Somehow saved by Ironside?) and Denise Richards becomes a high-ranking spaceship captain, they go to "Planet P" to capture a brain bug, and psychic Doogie Howser knows IT'S AFRAID.
Problem Solved.


The film is really saved/made better by the propaganda interspersed that features the audiences' favorite bug-hating douchebag actors.



Key Scenes

Rico stars in a futuristic version of high school arena football(that's something that exists, right?), beating his eventual rival for Denise Richards' affections.

Any scene while they are in training, take your pick. Off the top of my head I'll throw out the coed shower scene and the part where Zed Zim the drill sergeant throws a knife through somebodys hand.

The numerous multitude of ridiculous quotes, which I think reaches its pinnacle when Richards' copilot/Rico's rival asks her:
"Three weeks on a starship and you think you can lick my naps?"

Rico takes out a giant fire-spitting beetle by jumping on its back, shooting a hole in its shell, and throwing a live grenade in the hole. When asked by Ironside how he learned to do that, he responds by telling him "Don't you remember, back in high school I was on the team." He refrains from saying that they won states.

For an example of the glorious satire, check this clip, which has about 10 parallels with modern media and politics. Think a nerdy Bill O'Reilly denying the evidence of evolution and denigrating muslims AT THE SAME TIME.


Rico and Dizzy finally get it on, while son of Busey plays some sort of futuristic fiddle outside. The coupling is interrupted by Ironside, who informs them that they are shipping out immediately. When he sees a naked Dizzy, he gives them an extra 15 minutes.

The only black guy in the crew gets maimed in a cave but proves his worth by staying behind and detonating an explosion, ensuring our heroes escape. Also, he repeatedly screams "You're dead!" at the bugs before blowing them, and himself, up.

Finally this clip has soldiers giving bullets to children, and shows the true danger of being a mormon extremist.
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