46: "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein | * * * |
Despite a youth in which I absorbed sci-fi like water, somehow I never read this classic. I did, of course, see the 1997 movie, which – let's be honest – probably had more to do with the presence of Dina Meyer and Denise Richards than any real interest in the plot, especially to an 18-year-old college student.
I can now confirm that, though certainly entertaining in the moronically campy way so many movies of the late 90s were, the movie was a terrible adaptation of the book. Perhaps this is because director Paul Vanderhoeven never even finished reading the book, and perhaps that is because he completely misunderstood or failed to really engage intellectually with its message.
There's certainly much to discuss, if not criticize, in the book. A futuristic society which is prosperous, yet only allows veterans to vote, is worth at least a couple of discussions in a government class. Mr. Dubois, the protagonists's teacher, makes several points in his lectures that are worthy of consideration, even if the reader rejects them after chewing on them a bit. And, of course, there's always plenty to consider when we think about national defense (or global defense, in this case), the impact of imperialism for good or ill, the rights of the individual vs the needs of the group, and more.
I just wish the movie had actually engaged faithfully with the book, rather than piggybacking off its name recognition to completely ignore Heinlein's point.
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