Bad on every level I can think. Bad war film, bad action film and far worse than stupid political commentary.
If this were simply a bad film, that would be fine, but the fact that it is based on a classic science fiction novel makes it a crying shame. I remember how excited fans of the book were that it was finally being made into a film, and how disappointed they still are that Verhoven did it.
I'm not surprised people will try to give the film credibility by talking about how "complex" it is. Um ... no. It's not, really. It doesn't come across as having a bad script and bad acting and a morally bankrupt point of view because it's making a statement, it comes across that way because has a bad script it's truly badly directed and yeah, most of the acting isn't great. On the other hand, the script's subtle-as-a-jackhammer political agenda and wooden dialogue would have been hard to rise above even if the director did have some sort of vision that was worth sharing. Why bother using Heinlein's book if you have so little respect for it? Why ruin the film adaptation of a book for your own purposes? How arrogant, self-serving and irresponsible is that? The combat sequences make no sense whatsoever, with the hi-tech Space Marines charging the Bugs in a way that would seem more appropriate in "Braveheart" being especially bad.
I can't remember being more disappointed by a film, ever. You won't just want your money back; you'll be regretting losing those two hours of your life.
If this were simply a bad film, that would be fine, but the fact that it is based on a classic science fiction novel makes it a crying shame. I remember how excited fans of the book were that it was finally being made into a film, and how disappointed they still are that Verhoven did it.
I'm not surprised people will try to give the film credibility by talking about how "complex" it is. Um ... no. It's not, really. It doesn't come across as having a bad script and bad acting and a morally bankrupt point of view because it's making a statement, it comes across that way because has a bad script it's truly badly directed and yeah, most of the acting isn't great. On the other hand, the script's subtle-as-a-jackhammer political agenda and wooden dialogue would have been hard to rise above even if the director did have some sort of vision that was worth sharing. Why bother using Heinlein's book if you have so little respect for it? Why ruin the film adaptation of a book for your own purposes? How arrogant, self-serving and irresponsible is that? The combat sequences make no sense whatsoever, with the hi-tech Space Marines charging the Bugs in a way that would seem more appropriate in "Braveheart" being especially bad.
I can't remember being more disappointed by a film, ever. You won't just want your money back; you'll be regretting losing those two hours of your life.