Plantiana
Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
bkoganbing
None of the characters who survived in the original Starship Troopers got into this sequel. By accident or design. Good thing Casper Van Dien didn't get into this dreadful and cheap mess.Hero Of The Federation has a group of Troopers separated from the army that captured the brain bug where the original film ended. They take shelter in an abandoned fortress surrounded by the infamous arachnids. Left in that shelter locked in a cold furnace is Richard Burgi, a most unorthodox trooper who was to be disciplined. Turns out he's the one with the best survival instincts.But the supersized arachnids have hatched a plan which I will not reveal but it all ends in a bloody mess with most of the cast killed.This one was done on the cheap and a lot of it in darkness and shadow like those old noir films. But back in the day that was done because those old poverty row studios had minuscule budgets. This was probably done for the same reason. I have no doubt footage from the original was recycled and outtakes as well.Done on the super cheap Heroes Of The Federation ain't a patch on the original.
David Roggenkamp
It goes without saying that the original "Aliens 2" was probably the definitive humans versus animal killer; especially when that animal killer is predatory in nature and exists solely to infest, devour and conquer. The insects, or Arachnids as they are called in this movie series, are no exception. They exist solely to exterminate mankind, multiply and move on – they are here to vanquish anything that gets in their way and propagate their species. That said, this movie makes an interesting twist in the grand scheme of things. The original movie was a bit tongue in cheek, used humor plenty, and gore was often thrown around for comedy relief. Simple 'oops' moments happened when someone's home country was blown up for example. In this movie, the scenery has drastically changed and is closer to the computer generated special that aired around 2003. The genre seems to be a combination of many popular movie genres; but namely, you should see something that is familiar if you are a fan of Jurrasic Park, Alien vs. Predator and Aliens 2; there seems to be a little bit of humor thrown into here as well. However, unlike other movies of this type, there is also some hoard style themes going on – namely people are infected with insects and slowly become ravenous zombies out to infect their fellow officers and ultimately bring everything to the Earth homefront. If anything, this manages to accomplish what the original Star Trek's Borg where meant to be, before they were changed from insectoid to more humanoid cyborgs. Better still are the psychic references thrown throughout the movie.So if you are looking for a survival horror sci-fi flick that spans multiple genres, pays homages to things past, this is the movie for you. If you are looking for something strictly Starship Troopers, you may want to look towards the original movie or the computer generated sequels – this movie will NOT satisfy any Starship Trooper fan unless you want different story modes throughout.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/? p=2507)
Fluke_Skywalker
Director Paul Verhoeven's 1997 loose (and I do mean loose) adaptation of Robert Heinlein's controversial sci-fi novel 'Starship Troopers' threatens to collapse in on itself at times thanks to it's over the top, and frankly not very clever, satire. But like Verhoven's other sci-fi satire, 'RoboCop', it manages to entertain and often beat the more serious sci-fi popcorn actioners at their own game.Unfortunately, Star Wars legend Phil Tippett's cheap and poorly made direct-to-video sequel is a total lost cause. It starts off with a half-hearted nod to Verhoven's satirical spin, but it quickly shifts gears and becomes an uninspired sci-fi horror slog.There isn't a day rainy enough for me to recommend this utter waste of 90 minutes.
aforandromeda
The sequel to Paul Verhoeven's gloriously OTT sci-fi satire Starship Troopers begins with a squadron of the Federation's mobile infantry fighting off wave after wave of attacks from the enemy 'bugs'. Under relentless assault, they make a break for an abandoned outpost. When they reach it, they discover the incarcerated Captain V.J. Dax (Richard Burgi). While trying to secure extraction, can the troopers trust Dax, stay alive and even trust each other?What should be noted immediately about Starship Troopers 2, is that it's budget of $7,000,000 is not even anywhere close to the first instalment's, so anyone expecting the same kind of movie are going to be sorely disappointed. This is a sequel that has to be judged on it's own merits, while making little in the way of comparison to it's mega-budget predecessor.The movie wastes no time in getting to the action, opening with firefights and wasted bugs. Once inside the outpost and things settle down, things take a different hue. The claustrophobic confines of the outpost gives things more of the feel of a slightly camp horror movie, replete with nervous tension, dimly lit corridors and the psychics' terrifying but confused premonitions.Things are helped considerably by the engaging performances of the cast, particularly from Burgi, Brenda Strong and the ever dependable Ed Lauter. The script is certainly full of hammy lines and is quite predictable, but as proceedings rumble on, the schlock horror, bonkers story line and enjoyable performances provide quite an irresistible mix. Some of the satire of the first film makes it in there too, as well as a healthy sprinkling of irony.The main thing to remember with Starship Troopers 2 is that it's not meant to be taken too seriously. Certainly, it's cheesy fare at times, but it's competently made within the confines of it's budget and the enthusiasm of the cast and crew are evident. Although the sets are slightly repetitive and the cinematography is sometimes unimaginative, there's a satisfying blend of CGI effects and old school gore that makes up for that.A snappy, schlocky and enjoyably daft movie, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation is well worth a look for B-movie enthusiasts and fans of the first instalment alike.
