Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004) (V)

Director:

Phil Tippett

Writer (WGA):

Edward Neumeier (written by)

Release Date:

4 May 2004 (Hungary)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They're coming back to wipe us out!

Plot:

In the sequel to Paul Verhoeven's loved/reviled sci-fi film, a group of troopers taking refuge in an abandoned outpost after fighting alien bugs, failing to realize that more danger lays in wait.

Plot Keywords:

Bug | Starship | Outpost | Sequel | Private

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Billy Brown	...	Pvt. Ottis Brick
Richard Burgi	...	Capt. V.J. Dax
Kelly Carlson	...	Pvt. Charlie Soda
Cy Carter	...	Pvt. Billie Otter
Sandrine Holt	...	Pvt. Jill Sandee
Ed Lauter	...	Gen. Jack Gordon Shepherd
J.P. Manoux	...	TSgt. Ari Peck
Lawrence Monoson	...	Lt. Pavlov Dill
Colleen Porch	...	Pvt. Lei Sahara
Drew Powell	...	Pvt. Kipper Tor
Ed Quinn	...	Pvt. Joe Griff
Jason-Shane Scott	...	Pvt. Duff Horton
Brenda Strong	...	Sgt. Dede Rake
Brian Tee	...	Cpl. Thom Kobe
David Wells	...	Recruiting Sergeant

Also Known As:

Starship Troopers 2 (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexual content and brief language.

Runtime:

USA:88 min | 92 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios - 1600 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California, USA

Company:

Startroop Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

Richard Burgi took the large banner featured in the end sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: Countless bugs are destroyed by the perimeter burn, yet in later scenes there are none.

Quotes:

[first lines]
FedNet: Our war's going better than ever, but we need heroes! We need you!
Smiling Lieutenant: Come on, you apes... You wanna live forever?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside the Federation (2004) (V)

Not Bad For A Straight To DVD Release

Obviously some people will absolutely detest STARSHIP TROOPERS 2 . You can just imagine fans of the original rubbing their hands in anticipation as Paul Verhoeven is given a budget of $150 million dollars to shoot the sequel where it'll break even at the box office . Step forward director Phil Tippet who has been given seven million dollars and listen to the sighs and gasps as the fans realise this film will be going straight to DVD

As it stands ST2:HERO OF THE FEDERATION is nowhere as bad as it could have been and at least it's recognisable as a sequel unlike American Psycho 2:All American Girl which had absolutely nothing in common with the original . In fact that particular sequel contradicted the original film unlike here . You can argue that the monsters outside could be from PREDATOR , ALIENS or any other film franchise and you'd be correct . Likewise you could also argue that much of the character interaction could have come straight from one of those Erroll Flynn or John Wayne auctioneers where the grunts are expecting a mass attack of Germans or Japanese . But if we're honest was STARSHIP TROOPERS a masterwork of cinema ? Does this sequel deserve scorn because of what it's not ?

Considering things like budget this is an easy film to forgive . It's obvious Tippet hasn't been given much money to work with . The initial battle scenes with the bugs lack establishing or wide shots . Instead we're shown an over reliance of reaction shots as the grunts take on the arachnids . After that much of the action takes place in a dark gloomy bunker where the plot becomes very similar to THE THING . There's obligatory gore and as stated it's still a recognisible sequel to another film . It's hardly surprising it wasn't Oscar nominated but it remains surprisingly watchable