Based on a mostly inept script that never really takes flight, fans of the original movie will probably be let down once again by another sequel that promises the world but ends up being another retread of things we've seen in the other entries in this long winded series. While it does try to play it a little bit closer to the first film by Paul Verhoeven, the story is bland and ripe with thoughts of 'what could have been?'.
The use of jet packs might satiate a little bit of our desire for a more true version of the troopers, but the delivery of a movie that further fuels our desire for a return to form is like adding salt to the wound. This could have been great. It's not. Mixing common science fiction action tropes that play like a retelling of the first Starship Troopers mixed with Pitch Black, and the military might of Aliens that's been hijacked by a dose of Halo, Neumeier's writing is horrendously derivative and pandering.
Having Casper Van Dien back as Rico and Dina Meyer returning as a ghostly Dizz, this should have been a home run for long running fans of Starship Troopers. Yet, like all the other retreads and returns to this galaxy, the idea outweighs the actual product we're given. With plenty of hype behind this flick, we've been sold a false bill of goods. Much like the straight to video CGI Resident Evil chapters, the action is fun, the movements are realistic, and the team up between artificial characters is great for a few minutes. Then, the buzz wears off and we're left with a soulless sequel that begs us to accept another movie that's less than anything we've been given up to this point.
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| I know. I don't know what happened. Somehow it's 20 years later. I got more hair. And it's darker. And I got this awesome streak. Not sure. But it's weird. I feel like Stripe from Gremlins ....only cooler and more human. |
Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of reboots or retreads. But it's time to lay this one to rest. There are a few cool action sequences and some giant bugs that truly call back to what we got twenty years ago, but overall, Traitor of Mars makes me want to scream. How did it get this bad? And how did a studio waste their money on a feature that goes nowhere and leaves us in the lurch without a massive battle between the Starship Troopers and their nasty foes?
Time. Wasted.
Score
-CG