Film Review: Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)

When Paul Verhoeven was tasked with adapting Robert A. Heinlein’s beloved literary classic of military science fiction, he seized the opportunity to craft a savage satire of US chauvinism and militarism. He could scarcely have imagined how prophetic his 1997 film Starship Troopers would become within mere years, as the Global War on Terror saw his most exaggerated satirical strokes play out in sobering reality. That satirical edge was all but lost in the 2002 direct-to-video sequel Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, a low-budget affair which utterly fails as fan service by abandoning social commentary for generic horror. However, it is not entirely absent from Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. Here, the brutal satire returns with a vengeance, resulting in a film which is deeply flawed, predictably inferior to Verhoeven’s masterpiece, but nevertheless very entertaining, frequently funny, and, once appreciated on its own modest terms, can be thoroughly enjoyed as a “guilty pleasure”.

The film is written and directed by Ed Neumeier, the screenwriter of the 1997 original, who thus attempts to steer the franchise back towards its satirical roots. The plot unfolds eleven years after the events of the first film. The protagonist, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien, the only original cast member to return), has advanced through the ranks of the Mobile Infantry to Colonel. As an experienced veteran, he and his unit are dispatched to the agricultural planet Roku San, where United Citizen Federation forces are successfully holding the Arachnids at bay. There he reunites with an old friend, Intelligence officer Dix Hauser (Boris Kodjoe), just as the immensely popular and charismatic Sky Marshall Omar Anoke (Stephen Hogan) arrives for a morale-boosting visit. Catastrophe strikes when the base’s defences inexplicably fail and the planet is overwhelmed by bugs. Rico manages to fight a desperate rearguard action, buying just enough time for a successful evacuation.

Anoke is evacuated aboard a spaceship commanded by Fleet Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock), who is both Dix’s fiancée and Rico’s former girlfriend. En route, the ship is apparently attacked by Arachnids, forcing Beck to abandon it. Anoke, Beck, and a handful of survivors end up stranded on the surface of the remote planet OM-1. Meanwhile, Rico is made the scapegoat for the disaster on Roku San. Admiral Enolo Phid (Amanda Donohue), worried about public morale after years of an unpopular war, suppresses the news of Anoke’s disappearance. Dix begins a clandestine investigation, while Rico, sentenced to death for dereliction of duty, is offered a chance to redeem himself—and save his life—by leading a top-secret mission. This mission involves piloting experimental exoskeleton power armour suits known as Marauders.

Made in South Africa with a decent budget for a direct-to-video sequel, Marauder is obviously inferior to the first film’s lavish production values. Yet, it plays as a more honest and decidedly better follow-up to Verhoeven’s vision than the second film. Where Phil Tippett used Heinlein’s universe merely as a backdrop for a generic action-horror story, as noted in a review of Hero of the Federation, Neumeier consciously tries to continue painting the Federation’s dystopian future as a funhouse mirror reflection of the post-9/11 and Iraq War era. Verhoeven had already constructed this world with brilliant efficiency, so Neumeier can concentrate on introducing new satirical innovations. The most notable of these is Christianity, represented by Beck’s fanatically devout flight attendant, Holly Little (Marnette Patterson). Initially frowned upon by the totalitarian Federation, this faith is later cynically co-opted for war propaganda, much as certain religious sentiments were harnessed for political purposes during the Bush years. This adds a layer of contemporary relevance that was sorely missing from the second instalment.

However, Ed Neumeier obviously lacks Verhoeven’s directorial panache and visual audacity. The film often feels rough around the edges, with pacing that sags in the middle and action sequences that lack the visceral punch of the original. At times, the satire becomes too broad and obvious, losing the delicious subtlety that made Verhoeven’s film so insidious. A prime example is the character of Elmo Gonif (John Vaz), a wheelchair-bound war veteran turned militant peace activist, who is so transparently modelled on real-life figure Ron Kovic that he feels less like a satirical creation and more like a clumsy caricature.

The cast, however, is more than solid. Casper Van Dien slips back into the role of Johnny Rico with ease, portraying a weary, disillusioned commander who has seen too much. Jolene Blalock, best known as T’Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise, brings a steely, no-nonsense authority to Captain Beck. Amanda Donohue is splendid as the ruthlessly pragmatic Admiral Phid, a military leader with a hidden—and probably very dark—agenda. Yet the show is utterly stolen by Irish actor Stephen Hogan as Sky Marshall Anoke. Hogan delivers a marvel of a performance, portraying a leader visibly slipping into messianic insanity while never losing an iota of his magnetic charisma. His rendition of the film’s propaganda song is a highlight, making Anoke the most memorable character in the entire film.

The special effects are decent for a mid-2000s direct-to-video production, but they inevitably give away the film’s inferiority to the 1997 work. The CGI bugs are serviceable but lack the tangible, repulsive physicality of the original’s blend of practical and digital effects. The Marauder suits themselves, while a welcome addition, have a slightly clunky, video-game aesthetic.

Klaus Badelt’s score is relatively unremarkable, but the film’s greatest auditory asset is undoubtedly “It’s a Good Day to Die”, the ultra-patriotic hymn performed diegetically by Sky Marshall Anoke. With lyrics that are deeply ironic in context, the song has taken on a life of its own. Through various YouTube tributes, it has been stripped of its satirical context and applied unironically to real-world militaries and conflicts—a bizarre and perfect example of life imitating art imitating life, and perhaps the ultimate testament to the film’s satirical point about the power of propaganda.

Marauder also pays direct homage to Verhoeven’s film with a scene where Johnny Rico and his soldiers, including female troopers, appear nude as they undergo neural linking procedures for their exoskeletons—a clear nod to the earlier film’s infamous co-ed shower scene. More significantly for fans of the source material, the film introduces the Mobile Infantry’s powered exoskeleton suits, which were conspicuously absent from the 1997 adaptation. These “Marauders” represent Neumeier’s attempt to make amends and offer an olive branch to purist fans of Heinlein’s novel, who had long lamented their omission.

Released straight to DVD in 2008, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder received generally mixed reviews from critics, who acknowledged its ambitions but bemoaned its execution. However, this did not prevent it from attaining a certain cult status among fans of the franchise who appreciated its return to political satire. Its relative success even paved the way for two further sequels, albeit in a different format: the 2012 CGI animated film Starship Troopers: Invasion and the 2017 follow-up Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder is a fascinating, flawed curio. It lacks the budget, directorial genius, and cultural impact of Verhoeven’s original, and its satire is often less scalpel and more bludgeon. Yet, by earnestly trying to resurrect the franchise’s critical spirit and by engaging directly with the geopolitics of its time—the cynical use of faith, the cult of personality around leaders, the endless war for dubious reasons—it stands as a far more worthy successor than the forgettable Hero of the Federation. Bolstered by a game cast, a few genuinely clever ideas, and the undeniable pleasure of seeing Rico back in action, it achieves its primary goal: it is entertaining. For those willing to meet it on its own B-movie terms, it offers a hearty, if slightly cheap, dose of satirical sci-fi action. It is, in every sense, a guilty pleasure—but one with just enough brains behind its brawn to make you feel slightly less guilty about enjoying it.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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