The film adaptation of Starship Troopers wasn't well received by critics in 1997, but twenty years later we can safely say it's a work admired by millions of fans worldwide. The first film had two live-action sequels, however, there was another line of development that followed the animation route. Sony Pictures has just released the teaser for Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars, which will place General Johnny Rico in the middle of a new crisis on Martian territory, and will mark the return of Casper Van Dien to the character, lending his voice.
A Look Back at the Original Film
I was barely 16 years old when I read Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and a few months later its adaptation hit the big screen. Determined not to fight such a coincidence, I went to the cinema very excited, and came out wondering where the book was. The only things I rescued at that time were the scenes of soldiers dismembered, melted, pierced or sliced, and a crush on Dina Meyer that lasted me several months. Over time I came to appreciate much better the details that Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier introduced to their adaptation. The constant satire, the mockery of the ultra-militarization of the human species and its lack of efficiency in trying to do everything with brute force are evident, derived from the style that both had used in RoboCop ten years earlier, and the general rejection that Verhoeven had for the original material (he hated the book). The box office of Starship Troopers was a fiasco, but it was a universe too rich to abandon easily. Technically it had two sequels, although in 2012 Starship Troopers: Invasion appeared, which gave it an animated continuation. In the last hours, Sony presented what will be the sequel to Invasion...
Plot and Release of Traitor of Mars
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars gives us once again General Johnny Rico, reassigned to a base on Mars. Apparently, the Federation insists on the idea of attacking the Bugs' home world (which didn't go very well in the first film), but the Bugs have proven to be much smarter than they appear, and take the fight to Martian soil. The federal fleet is too far away to offer support, therefore, Rico is going to have to do all the dirty work. The funny thing is that he will be accompanied by 'someone' named Isabelle 'Dizzy' Flores. In the past, Rico had Dizzy as a friend and later lover, but unfortunately she ended up with some extra holes. Twin sister? Clone? Was she never dead? Want to know more?
If the answer is yes, Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars will have a limited one-night theatrical release on August 21 across the pond, and will probably follow the direct-to-video route. Edward Neumeier wrote this story, and both Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer (asdafafsfff) will lend their voices.
