Starship Troopers (MA 15+) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM

Starship Troopers at The Revival House Perth

In a future where citizenship must be earned through military service, high school sweethearts Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards) enlist in the Armed Forces—she to become a starship pilot, he to impress her by joining the Mobile Infantry. Alongside psychic friend Carl Jenkins (Neil Patrick Harris) and tough-as-nails Dizzy Flores (Dina Meyer), who harbors unrequited love for Johnny, they undergo brutal training just as humanity goes to war with the Arachnids, giant insect-like aliens from the far reaches of space. When Buenos Aires is destroyed by an asteroid launched from the bug homeworld of Klendathu, the Federation launches a massive invasion that turns into a massacre. Johnny, now hardened by loss and rising through the ranks, leads his squad on increasingly desperate missions against an enemy that outnumbers humanity millions to one. But as the war escalates and propaganda intensifies, questions emerge about who really started this conflict.

Director Paul Verhoeven disguises one of science fiction's most subversive satires as a big-budget action spectacle. The 1997 film ruthlessly mocks fascism, militarism, and propaganda through fake news broadcasts, recruitment ads, and execution videos presented with cheery enthusiasm. Phil Tippett's creature effects create genuinely terrifying Arachnids—the brain bug, tanker bugs, and endless warrior bugs—while Verhoeven stages massive battle sequences with visceral brutality that shows war's true cost. The cast plays their roles with soap-opera earnestness, which perfectly serves the satire—these are attractive young people fed into a meat grinder. Basil Poledouris delivers a bombastic, militaristic score that could score either triumph or fascism. Verhoeven's genius is making a film that works as pure action entertainment while simultaneously critiquing everything it depicts. Would you like to know more?

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Sunday, April 19th at 7:00PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: MA 15+ (Medium level violence)

Verhoeven's brilliant satire hides devastating anti-fascist commentary inside a spectacular bug-hunting war movie—experience this misunderstood masterpiece in 35mm film.

Presented by: The Revival House Perth