Starship Troopers: 20th Anniversary [SteelBook] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [Only @ Best Buy] [1997]

I have always loved a good action filled sci-fi movie. Some of my favorite films have always been Alien, The Terminator, Predator, and The Thing (1984) just to name a few. But there was one movie that flew under my radar until I was in college (2010) and would become one of my all time favorites for the action sci-fi genre Starship Troopers. This movie has it all great battle scenes, a set of characters that we get to see grow, a cheesy love plot, and of course Michael Ironside being Michael Ironside. This movie was hated when it first came out but it has grown into a great cult film, and of course it can be analyzed for its political elements too. The 4k transfer for this film was a little weaker then I was expecting, I actually forgot that the movie was mastered in HDR most of the time, and when compared to other transfers of classic movies to 4k hdr this one does not offer as much as i was expecting. The Atmos soundtrack on the other hand is fantastic, especially when the arachnids are flying overhead and there is constant action on screen. So if ou are picking this up for the picture quality, i would get the regular blu ray but if are Atmos enabled then by all means prepare for a great time!

The seminal 1997 Sci-Fi classic that's about a lot more than meets the eye! Gore and Bug Splatter everywhere! For first time viewers, this film is definitely has the flair for being a "B" Sci-Fi film to kill an afternoon. IT is however a lot more than it, it is actually satire about right-wing militarism. The result is a film that, under the surface, is a shoot-em-up commentary about American Foreign Policy, the Military Industrial Complex, and a culture that is reactionary with violence, rather than reason. For the 4K: - Overall, awesome 4/5-ish for an older film brought to 4K looks great. - Blacks looks great in outer space shots - HDR enhanced colors pop off the screen - Close ups of actors show fine details in uniforms, skin tones, etc. - This release has a new improved Dolby Atmos soundtrack which has way improved the original sound quality

I liked the movie, but i almost returned it due to that fact it would not play on my Sony Bluray player. After researching the issue I discovered a reference to my problem. The solution: buy a memory unit. That’s right, my copy of “Starship Troopers” has a save file. I have a Sony BDP-350, the 200 dollar unit. It has a USB port in the back for memory expansion. In the product manual, it says extra memory will be required for special java games and extended functions of a Blu-Ray disc. Luckily, any USB device can be used as long as it fits in the recessed USB slot. Nowhere does it mention the extra memory would ever be required to play a movie. Short version: Sony’s software will not play on Sony’s hardware without an extra purchase. As it happens, this particular Blu-Ray disc was authored in such a way that it needs to save data to memory before it can launch its own menu. If the “Starship Troopers” disc fails to load, memory is the problem. WOW you just have to love Sony...

If you're a die-hard Heinlein fan, this movie doesn't have much to do with the book (which was a scathing social commentary on, among other things, democratic societies and the demonizing of enemies in war). A few of the basic plot elements are there, but the social commentary in the movie is ham-fisted and often (unintentionally) comical. But the movie is very entertaining if you can get past Denise Richards horrible acting and Casper Van Dien's fairly wooden performance. On the other hand, Jake Busey, Michael Ironside and Dina Meyer (Jason Priestly's older teacher girlfriend on 90210) do a pretty good job. The special effects are actually very good for 1997 and the actors are all nice to look at. Like any Paul Verhoeven movie, there's some gratuitous nudity, so it's not really a kid movie, although the fast-paced action, simple plot and slick special effects are extremely reminiscent of Transformers or one of the later Star Wars movies, so kids would certainly enjoy it. All-in-all, I've always had fun turning off my brain and watching this movie for what it is: entertaining trash.

Starship Troopers is one of those films that is so over the top, badly acted, filled with strong social commentary, has 'cult-film' written all over it, and so blood-squirting (not sure it this beats Kill Bill), that it's insanely fun to watch and get lost in. I can't seem to pass it up when I come across it on cable TV. I only owned the DVD version, so it's a huge upgrade in video quality over that, and (from what I've read) a jump up from the blu ray. It's got grain (hey, when you're killing bugs, things get messy), so don't expect this to look like a newer digitally filmed movie. But there's a lot to be seen with the extra detail and sharpness in PQ. There are varying colors and shading on the bugs I've never noticed before. This is well worth the cost of admission. If you want to be a Citizen, but this version!

It's cheesy and ridiculous, but by god it's fun. Starship Troopers is by no means a great movie, it won't be watched as an annual Christmas feature by any but the most unbalanced of families, but it is one of the most rewatchable movies of this ilk that has been produced since the 60's. These people are living in a time where bugs launch plasam into space which in turn knocks meteors toward earth which destroy cities, they can get tattoos by laser but still fight wars with guns that use bullets. In training they're told that they learn how to use knives because an enemy can't push a button to launch nuclear missles if you disable his hand, but they're not fighting an enemy with nuclear capabilites or hands. It's all that kind of cheesy fun and the over the top violence mixed with social satire that makes this movie work, and makes it's sequels so disappointing. Starship Troopers is on my short list of movies I can watch any time and still enjoy it, no matter what mood or what else is going on.

I was super excited when they released this movie in 4K. I won't really review the movie itself but rather the technical aspect of it. first off let me start by saying that for a movie being filmed in 1997 it still holds up to todays standards. HDR is what makes this movie a standout and main reason why I get 4k discs because thats what really going to set it apart from the 2k blu ray version. movie is presented in full screen so those with a 65" TV or bigger its gonna feel very immersive. there a bit of film grain in this but nothing to distracting. honestly I can watch this movie over and over its just a fun movie to watch. the Dolby Atmos track here is pretty good in some scenes you can really hear the air crafts fly right over your head assuming you have ceiling speakers. this is a must buy for sure :)

I was tempted to give it 5 stars just because this is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. But this is more a review of the 4k disc and not the the movie. The menus are generic and look grainy. The film it's self looks good but not great due to the age and lack of hi def cameras in the 90s. Special effects however look great, especially the bugs, ship exteriors and Want to Know More commercials. Extras are strong but limited with my favorite being the director and cast commentary. The cover art of the steelbook is excellent and it feels well made. Not 100% sure it's worth the extra 5 dollars but as a big fan, it's the best packaging of any format. If you don't already have a copy in BluRay, definitely worth the purchase.