Starship Troopers 3 - Marauder - Review

Starship Troopers 3 - Marauder

There was a lot of talk going on about this movie before it even came out. It's almost unheard of for movies that go straight to DVD would get any ink. It's even more unheard of that any movie that is a sequel to the abomination that "Starship Troopers 2 - Hero Of The Federation" was. That movie was so bad it almost didn't make it into my collection of bad movies it was so bad. The biggest theory I heard about this installment was that it would follow the book, written by Robert A. Heinlein, and that it might just start all over again - another re-imagination movie. The other rumor was Casper Van Dien would come back to reprise his role as Johnny Rico. Only one of these rumors came true. As you can tell from the movie cover, Johnny Rico is back!

The one good thing that can be said about this installment of the series is at least this sequel has a semblance of a plot (unlike two). The never ending war with the bugs is still ongoing. Both sides have made advances and suffered setbacks. Colonel Johnny Rico is in command of a battle with the bugs on a farmer's planet. The site is overrun and it just so happens that a beloved singing Sky Marshall, Omar Anoke (played by Stephen Hogan) must flee from the planet causing the Sky Marshall and his crew to crash lands on a bug controlled planet OM-1. Johnny Rico is blamed for the loss of the planet and the Sky Marshall's MIA status is kept under wraps. The Sky Marshall is accompanied by his ship's pilot, Captain Lola Beck (played by Jolene Blalock who you might know for playing Sub-Commander T'Pol in "Star Trek - Enterprise"); cook, Jingo Ryan (played by Cokey Falkow); flight attendant, Holly Little (played by Marnette Patterson); and another marine, Chief Bull Brittles (played by Stelio Savante). The planet seems a little too quiet and the Sky Marshall seems to be loosing it. Although it appears that this crew didn't just happen upon this planet. Maybe God or bug, chose them to crash land on OM-1. Meanwhile, Johnny Ricco is saved from the noose by his friend General Dix Hauser (played by Boris Kodjoe) and is recited to the super secret Marauder program to go and rescue the Sky Marshall.

Grade - C+

First off let me say that this movie is NOT "Starship Troopers 2". In fact, it is on par with the cheese factor that the original movie had going for it. However, I do not understand why we cannot have another big battle with man and bug rather than an outcropping of people being forced to try to get off another planet where the bugs seem to have more in store than just to kill them all. The fake commercials show up a lot more in this one and add to the storyline. They are a lot cheesier which make them kind of more fun to watch than the actual movie. The main story is a bit too far fetched to me but comparing to movie two this is Casablanca with bugs! I have to say the biggest disappointment is the relatively few scenes with Johnny Rico and his character feels more like a cameo appearance than a real character. Jolene Blalock is not hard on the eyes and she turned me into putty holding various weapons and wearing a flight suit. Don't worry either, there is a scene dedicated to naked people that has no purpose to the movie; this is a constant staple that runs throughout all the movies.

With the animated version of this series it should come to no surprise what the Marauder program is. The Marauder program is the typical progression of the technology in these movies. They're mechs; clear and simple.

A little light on Rico and action, a decent subplot involving religion, more use of cheesy fake commercials that actually moves the story along make this installment an average movie. At least this one isn't number two. When the question was asked in that movie if I "want to live forever?", I would have taken my own life rather than watch that movie. With number three, I wouldn't mind watching more installments with Jolene Blalock, Marnette Patterson, and Cécile Breccia in it. That is, as long as I don't have to watch them in "Starship Troopers 2" director's "enhanced" cut.