Starship Troopers 3: Marauder is a science fiction action movie released in 2008, directed by Edward Neumeier, and starring Casper Van Dien, Jolene Blalock, Stephen Hogan, Boris Kodjoe, and Amanda Donohoe. This is the third installment in the Starship Troopers franchise, and it continues the story of the war between humans and Bugs. In this movie, the war has been going on for 11 years, and the humans are still fighting to protect the planet from the invasion of the Bugs.
Synopsis:
The movie starts with the Citizens of United Federation continuing their war with the Bugs, who are continuously developing new Arachnid variants to fight the humans. The Citizens of United Federation are developing new weapons and tactics to fight against the Bugs, and they are also launching propaganda campaigns to recruit more soldiers.
However, not everyone is in favor of the war. There are protests against the war, and there is a fanatical religious group that is against people joining the military. Johnny Rico, who has been promoted to Colonel, is stationed at the human base on the planet Roku San, which is constantly under attack by Bugs. He is tasked with restoring the morale of the soldiers.
Roku San is also a place where humans are developing agriculture, and a farmer protests against the war. General Dix Hauser, who is also one of Rico’s recruits, nearly kills the farmer, but Rico manages to prevent him. Meanwhile, the Bugs attack the base, and Rico leads his team against them. They are defeated by scorpion-like Bugs, and Hauser is injured.
Rico is blamed for the loss of the base and is sentenced to death by hanging. Anoke and Lola manage to escape with the crew and head towards Sanctuary, a secret human base. In the journey, they are attacked by Bugs, and the crew is killed. Anoke and Lola manage to send a message to Earth, and Hauser receives it. He goes to Sanctuary and gives Rico the authority to run the Marauder Program.
The Marauder Program is a unit of seven advanced robots that are controlled by military pilots. The pilots have to remove their suits to allow their abilities to be analyzed. While waiting for the pilots, they discuss the plans in case the war ends. One of the pilots, Link Marion, asks Rico if the war will ever end, to which Rico replies that it will never end.
Enolo Phid replaces Hauser and takes him to meet the Brain Bug, who reveals that Anoke spent a lot of time with the Bugs and was indoctrinated by the God Bug. The God Bug can communicate with Bugs through the corpses of Bugs and take the abilities of the humans it kills. Can the God Bug be defeated?
Review:
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder is a movie that tries to include satire into its plot about anti-war messages and fanatical religious groups. The movie portrays that humans are tired of the government’s decision to continue the war. The plot also includes the persecution of religious groups and demonstrators, and there are scenes that are repressive towards these groups. The movie also focuses on the issue of religion, where some humans begin to take their religion seriously, praying during the war.
The plot of the movie also tries to address the issue of fascism and propaganda. It tries to show how the Citizens of United Federation are trying to create a good image for themselves through the media. This plot point is effective in portraying how the government is trying to maintain the morale of the soldiers and the people.
The acting in the movie is decent, with Casper Van Dien reprising his role from the first movie. The visual effects in the film are good, and the action scenes are intense, but the plot is not as impressive. The movie lacks the elements that made the first movie a success, and the second movie’s focus on action also influences this installment.
Conclusion:
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder is a movie that tries to bring back the satire that made the first movie successful. However, it is not as impressive compared to the previous films in the franchise. The plot tries to include anti-war messages and fanatical religious groups, but it lacks the intensity and depth that the first movie had. The movie is worth watching for fans of the franchise, but it may not be as entertaining for those who haven’t watched the previous movies.
