Film Review: Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)
The saga of Starship Troopers, following the monumental 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, continued, albeit in a more fragmented manner, through two direct-to-DVD sequels that struggled to capture the original's satirical brilliance. Following these, the franchise was revitalised through two animated feature films produced by the Japanese studio Sola Digital Arts, a move that significantly altered the visual language and tonal approach of the series. The first of these, Starship Troopers: Invasion, produced in 2012 and directed by Shinji Aramaki, represents a bold, if somewhat polarising, entry into the timeline, trading the live-action grit for animation while attempting to bridge the gap between the original source material and its direct predecessors.
In terms of continuity, Invasion represents a very loose sequel, generally disregarding the events of the last two instalments in favour of forging its own path. The plot takes place a few years after the events depicted in Marauder, with the brutal war between the Terran Federation and the Arachnids still raging with no end in sight. The narrative kicks off at an asteroid outpost, Fort Casey, which is about to be overrun by the "bugs". An elite unit of Mobile Infantry is dropped in to assist with the evacuation, led by Captain Carmen Ibanez (voiced by Luci Christian). The mission appears to be a success, but Carmen encounters her old friend Carl Jenkins (voiced by Justin Doran), now Minister of Paranormal Activities. This reunion takes a sinister turn as Carl takes over her ship, the John A. Warden, and orders her to board the vessel Alesia.
Carmen is later contacted by her childhood friend Johnny Rico (voiced by David Matranga), now a General stationed at High Command. He informs her that contact with the John A. Warden has been lost and orders her to investigate. Carmen locates the ship, but finds no signal or sign of life. A Mobile Infantry unit, commanded by the highly respected Major Henry Varro, voiced by David Wald, is dispatched to help with the investigation and is accompanied by Carmen. They discover that the entire crew has been apparently butchered by the Arachnids, with Carl being the only survivor, and he is half-insane due to his traumatic experience. He warns them not to power up the ship, but it comes too late, and the troopers have to fight for their lives. To make matters worse, the ship inexplicably opens fire and destroys Alesia, stranding Carmen and the troopers on the Warden, whose systems have apparently been taken over by an Arachnid queen, causing the vessel to fly towards Earth.
The production side of the film is interesting, with Edward Neumeier, the original scriptwriter for the 1997 film, and Casper Van Dien, its main star, appearing as executive producers. However, their participation in the project was limited, leaving the creative reins largely in the hands of scriptwriter Flint Dille, who is best known for his work on video games. This shift in authorship allowed Dille to take this opportunity to change not only the medium by also partially a general tone of the franchise. The result is a film that brings the narrative closer to Heinlein’s original 1959 novel, which took the general premise seriously, rather than the brutal satire that characterised Verhoeven’s adaptation and Marauder. The dark, biting social commentary is gone, replaced with a straightforward military action adventure, with little hints of horror and obvious inspiration taken from Cameron’s Aliens. This tonal shift makes the film feel more like a "hard" sci-fi war story, stripping away the irony that defined the original cult classic.
Nevertheless, the concept works surprisingly well. The film reunited the three main characters from the 1997 film – Rico, Carmen, and Carl – albeit voiced by different actors. They are joined by a number of new characters which, in good tradition of all action films, are well-fleshed out and very different, ensuring that the audience has invested interest in seeing which of them, if any, would survive till the end credits.
Visually, the film is a triumph for Shinji Aramaki, who is widely regarded as one of the best 3D animation authors in Japan. Aramaki does very good job combining 3D animation with elements of motion capture, resulting in a visual style that is clean, sharp, and distinct from the practical effects of the past. The film is relatively well-edited and mostly exciting, with fluid battles that make the most of the animated medium’s ability to depict rapid, chaotic violence. The spectacular action near the end, when the bug-infested Warden threatens Paris, is particularly impressive, showcasing Sola Digital Arts' technical prowess. However, this climax seems to be a little bit of an overkill and the last-minute-rescue, obviously brought to maintain regular characters alive, is a little bit too convenient. The Arachnid queen's takeover of the ship, while entertaining, feels like a narrative shortcut to get the characters to the final set piece.
Invasion, on the other hand, tries to maintain some consistency with the rest of franchise, mainly through fan service in the form of nudity. Here, with animated characters who are only voiced and not portrayed by real actors, looking less problematic, the use of nudity feels less like a cynical attempt at fan gratification and more like a stylistic choice.
Despite its flaws and limitations, Starship Troopers: Invasion is a solid film that could be recommended both to the fans of Heinlein’s novel and Verhoeven’s adaptation. It may lack the biting wit of the original and the third instalment, but it offers a competent, exciting, and visually striking entry in the franchise that respects the source material enough to take it seriously, even if it occasionally stumbles in its execution.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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