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Paul Verhoeven's misunderstood sci-fi masterpiece Starship Troopers is still as sharp as ever

Polygon.com·Brian VanHooker·27 days ago
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Published May 6, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT The anti-war movie is now on Netflix Image: Tristar Pictures/Everett Collection When Starship Troopers arrived in theaters 29 years ago, a lot of people didn’t get it . While the original 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein had a militaristic right-wing viewpoint, director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Edward Neumeier sought to lampoon those themes when they adapted it for the screen in 1997. Unfortunately, a number of critics mistook the movie’s satire for sincerity. The Washington Post , for example, called Starship Troopers “Nazi to the core.” Over the years, Starship Troopers has been reevaluated as a sharp piece of commentary, not dissimilar to Verhoeven’s other film, RoboCop . Nearly three decades later, Starship Troopers ’s themes remain sharp. Additionally, its exciting fight scenes and uniquely-designed aliens make it fun to watch even without the political commentary, which is why it's worth a revisit now that the movie is on Netflix.…

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