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t's been years since the inhabitants of Earth declared war on the giant buglike creatures of Klendathu, but the battle continues unabated. On a remote world known as Planet Zulu, a squad of soldiers find themselves surrounded by enemy bugs. Recognizing that his troops are outnumbered and vulnerable, Gen. J.G. Shepherd (Lauter) orders his men and women to fall back and seek cover at an abandoned outpost nearby. Their only chance of survival is to lie low inside its protected walls and wait until reinforcements arrive.
The soldiers plan make use of the facility's sleeping quarters and rations, but they soon discover they are not alone. Trapped inside the out-of-commission incinerator they find Capt. Dax (Burgi), who has been locked away for murdering his commanding officer. Acting officer in charge Lt. Pavlov Dill (Lawrence Monoson) intends to leave the jaded and war-weary Dax just where they found him, but he is later freed by Pvt. Lei Sahara, a borderline psychic who senses a gathering doom and believes he may be of help.
The real trouble begins when Gen. Shepherd arrives at the outpost with two officers and an unconscious female soldier. The general tells everyone how the men saved his life and discovered the wounded private on the battlefield. In truth, the three newcomers are not who they claim to be. Shortly after their arrival, some of the soldiers begin to exhibit strange changes in behavior, and some are discovered dead. Though Dax is the prime suspect for the murders, Pvt. Sahara suspects that within the walls of their supposed safe haven lurks a threat even more dangerous than the bugs waiting for them outside.
This bug's got less bite
In 1997, director Paul Verhoeven created a controversy with his ambitious adaptation of Robert Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers. That film was saluted by some as a brilliant satire of war and fascism and decried by others as a mindless and violent example of everything that's wrong with Hollywood; it seemed that there was little middle ground. Its sequel, on the other hand, is unlikely to inspire any such debate.
Perhaps it's an unfair comparison, as the two films have little in common beyond the same background setting. Had this been a generic man-versus-alien film without the Starship Troopers pedigree, it might been a more successful endeavor. But with that title come certain expectations, and this film falls just short of them. Though there is a weak attempt at social commentary (the idea that the common soldier is just "meat for the grinder"), it feels unnaturally wedged into the story's context. The return of original screenwriter Ed Neumeier only proves that Verhoeven was the true auteur of the first film.
First-time director Phil Tippett, whose previous work as a visual-effects designer includes the original Star Wars trilogy and the first Starship Troopers, delivers a mildly enjoyable creature feature with production values befitting a direct-to-DVD budget. The exception, naturally, is the impressive digital effects, particularly the giant, menacing bugs, which look even better than they did in the original.
The actual story is interesting once it gets going, though the conceit is rather derivative and reminiscent of better films, such as Alien and Pitch Black. Most of the cast members are little-known actors, anonymous and interchangeable. The only standout is the always likable Richard Burgi, who, for the record, deserves more recognition in Hollywood and better material than this.
It's a shame that this sequel didn't expand on the themes presented in the original film, which has never been more resonant than it is right now. I'd recommend giving that film a second look (along with Verhoeven's DVD commentary) before giving this one a first. — Cindy
Also in this issue: The Day After Tomorrow and Samurai Jack Season One DVD
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