Search - Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

It Is a Good Day to Die

AMP | Somewhere on Earth | 08/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My Rating: 3.75 out of 5

The Good Things
*Has a good amount of action and special effects.
*Very good photography.
*Better production quality than "Starship Troopers 2." Sets, props, and costumes are great. Introduces plenty of new gadgets and new alien bugs.
*Remains true to the original concepts and ideas presented in the last films.
*Storyline is good and easy to follow.
*Writing is generally good. The movie has a few good lines (some unintentionally funny).
*Greater insight on the political system (the Citizen's Federation). Much of the movie focuses on the inter-office transactions in the high-ranking sections, so it's more than just a bunch of guys with guns blowing stuff up.
*Interesting themes about religion and politics. Some interesting satire (but still not up to par with the first film).
*Good cast of characters. Acting is passable.
*Music is okay.

The Bad Things
*Probably not for the squeamish. Contains some bloody violence and nudity (but it's not quite as bad as the last two films).
*Despite the slick-looking production value, it's still not up to par with the first film, and can therefore be seen as inferior (I don't think it's too bad, though). Also, some special effects do look a little fake.

"Starship Troopers 2" was completely dull; I was pleased to see that number 3 returned to the basic fundamentals of the first original film. Aside from bringing back Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), they've also brought back the battles, the satire, the gung-ho attitude, and consequently, the fun. It expands the franchise a little better too, incorporating more interesting political issues and ideas, and presenting a religious element. It's still not quite up to par with the first movie, but it sure beats the crud out of the second.

The DVD has good video quality. The sound is okay, but seems overdriven and distorted in some parts. It includes a few featurettes. The Blu-Ray has great video quality and okay sound.

If this review has not been helpful, then you are in violation of the Federation's morale, and need to be executed (or rather, leave a comment and tell me how I can improve)."

Campy, Corny, and Fun

Karen Joan | Texas | 08/08/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER is a direct to DVD movie based loosely on a world and characters created by Robert A. Heinlein in his classic sci-fi adventure novel STARSHIP TROOPERS. While this movie is neither high budget nor high art, it is a very entertaining way to spend an evening at home. It is also a MUCH better follow on to the original STARSHIP TROOPERS movie than the simply dreadful second installment.

Casper Van Dien returns as our hero, Johnny Rico. His is joined by STAR TREK veteran Jolene Blalock as the rather well-formed, command pilot, damsel-in-distress. The performances by these two are very enjoyable, and it is good to see them both working again. They are joined by a very able supporting cast, all of whom add to the fun.

The special effects are a bit worn and corny, but overall, they work just fine for the comic book style of the movie. The Bugs are back, still trying to exterminate the humans, and we are trying just as hard to exterminate them back. Tons of explosions, lots of gore, and our hero saves the day. Pretty much what you want in a good, old fashioned "B" movie.

And the best part of all, we finally, finally get what we have been waiting for: the Mech Suits!! They were everything I had always imagined, and more. What took you guys so long??? The mechanized battle suits are what define the Mobile Infantry. Now, Johnny Rico will truly be the hero that Heinlein wrote. STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER is well worth seeing, especially for that reason. Recommended.
"

Terrible script

Kevin Burnett | 09/13/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The title of this review says it all.

I could overlook the less than good acting, the less than realistic special effects and the blatant Christian proselytizing if this movie had a script that contained believable dialog and situations.

The movie starts out in a fashion much like the original Starship Troopers from 1997, with the somewhat sarcastic faux television/webcast like commercials. There is an exception though, this time the Federation seems even more totalitarian than in 1997's Starship Troopers.

After the faux commericials, we take up action on a farming planet called Roku San, where the Mobile Infantry defends an ungratiful farming colony. Colonel Johnny Rico, reprised by Casper Van Dien, is the commander of the MI troopers at Roku San.

The poor acting and poor special effects start off right off the bat, and it doesn't get better. The bugs are so obviously blue screens, props and very bad computer effects. It really boggles the mind that in 2008 someone would actually put out something with special effects this poorly done.

Casper Van Dien tries only so-so to capture that feel of the original, and Jolene Blalock, as Captian Lola Beck a former friend/lover of Johnny Rico, seem to forget she's not a Vulcan on Enterprise. Her acting was downright emotionless. Then the other star of the movie (I use the term 'star' lightly.) is Boris Kodjoe, who plays General Dix Hauser, the current love interest of Capt. Beck.

The whole plot was illogical and predictable. All I have to do is start with the premise that Sky Marshal Anoke was somehow able to access the power generators on Roku San, thus shutting down the electric fence and letting the bugs into the base. We don't learn this until later in the movie, but it's just a small example of the pure idiocy of the plot, because this fence was critical to the very survival of the colony, so it seem quite illogical that there weren't multiple redundancies and safe guards against someone either accidentally or purposely shutting it down. After all, there was a near insurgent population of farmers on the base.

In the end, this movie lost me with the entirely unbelievable plot and poor dialog. It was due to this that I wasn't able to overlook the bad acting and rotten special effects. Many time I am able to overlook these things with most "B" grade sci-fi, if the plot can suspend disbelief.

Just like the Alien franchise, I hate seeing a potentially good franshise ran into the ground like this."

After this movie, maybe the bugs deserve to win

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 08/27/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER, third in the series and released in 2008, should thank its lucky stars that the truly horrid HERO OF THE FEDERATION came before it, in effect NOT making MARAUDER the worse entry in the series. Like HERO OF THE FEDERATION, MARAUDER is a direct-to-video release. And while not as cringingly unbearable as HERO OF THE FEDERATION, it's a pretty bad movie. Still, this one tries to instill a sense of humor on the screen, so the satire and campiness earn it some style points.

A decade after the events of the first Starship Troopers movie, the future of humanity and the Federation is still very much up in the air. The alien bugs keep on pressing. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), now a grizzled veteran and a Colonel, is still doing his part. Except he still tends to go his own way, instead of playing party politics. This lands him in trouble with a former friend, now an officious General. Court martialed and about to be hanged, Rico is given a last-second reprieve when he's offered command of a covert mission, the objective of which is to rescue troopers stranded on OM-1, a quarantined bug planet which houses possibly the most dangerous bug of all.

Oh, man, STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER. So bad it's funny, and with enough cheese to get a decent wine tasting under your belt. Given, the budget is very meager. So right away you lose that epic scale shown in the first film. The special effects are, naturally, less than stellar. Explosions which won't wow anyone, cheap-looking shots of Federation vessels in space, gore which is more hokey than gory, and bugs which aren't convincing. The bugs here look like creatures on loan from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers or, perhaps more aptly, from the Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Complete Campaigns animated series. Not to knock the Roughnecks cartoon, because that was pretty awesome. But there's a difference between CG work in a cartoon and the CG in a live action flick. And, really, when the danger doesn't look real, how can you invest in the peril?

The film title "Marauder" refers to the code name given to Rico's seven-man crew tapped to undertake the secret ops to OM-1. They get to gear up in the latest line of mobile infantry armor. Thing is, these gynormous armor suits only show up the last few minutes of the film, and they end up being more anticlimactic than anything else.

And you can't blame the tiny budget on the dubious story and script. And the acting? Baaaad, brother, it's bad. Casper Van Dien, not about to ever win an acting award, is still the best actor here, which says something about the rest of the cast. But the film could've definitely used more of Johnny Rico in action and less of Jolene Blalock and her very exasperating group on the bug planet. I had some hopes for Jolene, she of the sexy Vulcan role in Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete First Season. But, it turns out, she wasn't good, either. By the way, after her years playing the stoic T'pol, it startles me to bits to see her crack a smile, let alone laugh. But whatever good will she'd accrued during the film evaporated with her ridiculous final 15 or so minutes on screen.

Other than bringing back Johnny Rico, the thing that comes close to (but not quite) making MARAUDER watchable are the satiric elements. The FedNet just keeps on churning out those optimistic, jingoistic wartime propaganda. There are even scheduled hangings of Federation traitors broadcasted on air. You don't have to be a deep thinker to get all the not-so-veiled references to certain topical issues. Politics, religion, nationalism, the war on Iraq. Check, check, check, and check. They're delivered hammily and heavy-handedly, yes, but, here and there, they are insidiously enjoyable.

To my shame, I also got a kick out of Sky Marshal Anoke, who is psychic and moonlights as a pop star. The Sky Marshal's hit "It's A Good Day to Die" can be seen in its extended version in the bonus features. Speaking of the bonus features, there are two audio commentaries, one by the writer/director Ed Neumeier and actors Casper Van Dien and Jolene Blalock, the other by Ed Neumeier again and also by the visual effects supervisor and the producer. That the cast and crew have the gall to be self-congratulatory in their comments boggles my mind a bit. But, in a weird way, props to them for being so audacious in turning a blind eye to what's really what. I guess, in their defense, what else could you expect them to say? That this movie is earth-shatteringly messed-up and you shouldn't see it? There are two featurettes: "Evolution: The Bugs of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder," focusing on the bug special effects, and "Enlist! Marauder' Mobile Infantry," the Making Of segment, spotlighting the cast.

STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER isn't quite HENRY V. Not when the motivational speeches here go along the lines of "You know what to do. Get in there and kill them all!" or that old chestnut "C'mon, you apes! Do you wanna live forever?" I read the Heinlein novel (Starship Troopers) and really liked it. And I thought that the first STARSHIP TROOPERS was just great, never mind that the critics panned it or that it never made huge box office duckets. Going in, I suspected MARAUDER was going to be weak, and it is. It doesn't even qualify as a guilty pleasure.

And yet it's not as stinky as HERO OF THE FEDERATION, so that badge, at least, this film could wear very proudly.

Irregardless, Johnny Rico rocks!"