STARSHIP TROOPERS 3
MARAUDER

"Today is a good day to die"

The Federation's PR sensation Sky Marshall Omar Anoke (Hogan) is visiting the frontlines in the war against the bugs but when insects overrun the fort, Colonel Johnny Rico (Van Dien) is blamed for the carnage. Sentenced to death, Rico is saved by Gen. Dix Hauser (Kodjoe) to mount a suicide mission to the distant Alien planet OM-1. Here he has find the downed escape ship of the Sky Marshall, who has started acting strange and claiming he has found God. Would you like to know more?

After becoming a cult success, Paul Verhoeven's 1997 'Starship Troopers' was a movie crying out for a sequel but while one came, it was a straight to DVD and didn't have the grandeur of the original. Can this second sequel bring the series back on track?

The lack of a cinematic, big budget sequel to Paul Verhoeven's 'Starship Troopers' has come as a disappointment to fans of the cult science fiction film. The decision to make the sequels as direct-to-DVD follow ups, didn't start off too well with the first movie 'Starship Troopers 2: Heroes of the Federation' but hopes were high for the third movie in the series because of one thing, the return of Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico.

Van Dien's career didn't exactly take off after starting in the original movie, so it was confusing to fans as to why he wasn't in the first sequel but his presence in this movie certainly makes this more watchable than 'Hero of the Federation' but the series still needs a little more work. The SFX budget and scope of the story have been increased but even with the advances in technology since 1997, the effects still don't reach the same level as the original movie. The story does advance the series however, introducing new bugs and pushing on the story of the Alien Brain found on Planet P at the end of the first movie into a whole new direction that has repercussions for the Federation.

As well as the return of Casper Van Dien to the series, the rest of the cast has also been upped ever so slightly. Star Trek's Jolene Blalock joins the franchise as pilot Captain Lola Beck. Stephen Hogan is suitably over the top as Sky Marshall Omar Anoke and knows how to belt out a song or two. Boris Kodjoe joins as Gen. Dix Hauser, the latest physic to take command of a unit and Amanda Donohoe plays Admiral Enolo Phid, who is positioning herself to become the new Sky Marshall.

'Starship Trooper 3: Marauder' is a vast improvement on the second movie but still not to the same scale as the first. The effects are still not as good as the original but the improvements in the story make this one that fans of the original should enjoy.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition widescreen 1:85 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound, the excellent HD picture does however show that the visual effects are not the best.

BONUS FEATURES

Filmmaker's Commentary
Writer/director Edward Neumeier, visual effects supervisor Robert Skotak and producer David Lancaster talk about continuing the story of 'Starship Troopers'. The trio talk about, continuing the franchise, bringing back Casper Van Dien and trying to create an expensive looking movie for a much smaller budget. This is an informative commentary that gives you an insight into making a direct-to-DVD sequel.

Director and Cast Commentary
Director Edward Neumeier is joined by cast members Casper Van Dien and Jolene Blalock to provide a chatty and informative commentary for the third movie in the franchise. Van Dien talks passionately about returning to the character that made him famous and the continual development of Johnny Rico. This is another good commentary track that is a little more fun that the technical one.

Marauder Mode
Watch the movie and unlock interviews, on-set footage and in-universe factoids that take you above and beyond the world of Starship Troopers

Put yourself in the film: Join the Fight
Go to BD Live and upload a picture to build your own trooper. When complete you will appear in selected scenes in the movie. This shows the real interactivity of Blu-Ray.

Featurettes (High Definition)
Entitled 'On the bounce: The Making of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder', 'Evolution: The Bugs of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder' and 'Enlist: Marauder's Mobile Infantry' and with contributions from Writer/director Edward Neumeier, visual effects supervisors Robert Skotak and Bill Black, producer David Lancaster, executive producer Claudio Fach and stars Casper Van Dien, Jolene Blalock, Boris Kodjoe, Cecile Breccia and Stelio Savante come together to talk about making the third movie, the new bugs that are attacking the troopers and the return of Johnny Rico.

Music Video: It's a good day to die (extended version)
Watch Stephen Hogan sing the Sky Marshall's hit song in full.

Preview
Watch the high definition trailer for 'Hancock'

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for 'Starship Troopers 3: Marauder' is extremely good. The featurettes and two commentaries are very good but it is the first fantastic use of BD Live that really makes this a great Blu-Ray and shows what the new technology can do.

BLU-RAY

---

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2008