Starship Troopers has gained something of a cult status among fans. If you watched the first film then you might have thought it had a few redeeming qualities. It was corny, it was cheesy, and it had a number of plot holes you could have driven an ocean liner through, but the point of the movie wasn’t meant to be complicated. Mankind was at war with an alien race of bugs that were seriously aggressive and bred in the hundreds of thousands it would seem. Any more than that and you were asking too much for a B movie that was meant to be a flash in the pan. If you can’t remember the sequels then you’re all the better for it.
So how would a Starship Troopers reboot be met by viewers? Well, if the plot was a little more serious and the characters less like comic strip characters it might actually stand a chance in the box office once again. That being said, here’s another take on it.
The Plot
Okay, we get that mankind is at war. But considering that there’s a bunch of monstrous ‘brain bugs’ that guide the horde, it would make sense that the bugs would find a way to bring one of their breeders to earth inside those humongous asteroids they were seen to fling at the earth from their home planet. Why play an intergalactic game of Pong when you can land a few hundred of your best warriors and begin the annihilation of your enemy? That small plot point alone would help to drive the film forward.
The Director
John Woo seems like an obvious choice from an action standpoint, but then so does Michael Bay. However, those two would likely take the movie down a road that might detract from the scifi aspect and instead focus on something that would take away from original feeling. So let’s say that James Cameron, the master of scifi, would be the best choice. After Avatar and Aliens it’s safe to say he knows how to bring the mayhem.
The Actors
First of all with the direction that the producers and writers seem to want the original cast would be out of the question. So if there is a Johnny Rico it certainly won’t be Casper Van Diem.
Juan Rico
It has to be someone brash, young, and ready to commit to a cause. The character also has to have a severe rebellious streak, so why not Lucas Till? He’s been seen as a brash and likable character and would fit the mold easily.
Lt. Carmen Ibanez
It would have to be someone with the classic good looks like Zendaya, who has the acting ability and the physical qualities necessary. She could fill out the role quite nicely.
Dizzy Flores
Chloe Grace Moretz, oh yes I said it. She’s good looking but still presents the girl next door presence that Dizzy was known for, and she’s already well inured to the action movie genre.
Carl Jenkins
Rico’s best friend and confidante, but also his superior at one point. While he might be getting a little old to play a teenager, Andrew Garfield could flesh out this role quite nicely.
The other roles could be fit just as easily by watching the original film, but more likely than not they’d be given to those with obvious talent that didn’t mind acting as background characters. When push comes to shove though a darker, more nihilistic film would be perfect for a Starship Troopers reboot. Let’s see it crawl.
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