Reply #59: Just me "bugging" you again... [View All]

[Touchdown]

You mentioned...

"As for the corporal punishment and death penalty, I disagree with him on the death penalty, but I do see validity in his arguments for it. I'm still torn on the issue of corporal punishment, however, as what we're doing now is apparently not working a bit. I'm open to discussion, although I do think it's a bit barbarous."

I have found, on this board, and quite a few others over the last 5 or so years, that this movie, whether deserved or not, gets an awful lot of attention, and causes quite a bit of debate. One thing I have observed from people who "get it" (the underlying satire...not the mindless teeny gore fest), and hate it, have read the book, and somehow came away sympathetic to Heinlein's polemics in it. They ( I presume I can include you as well) felt a bit (or moreso) insulted that Verhoeven had a vastly different interpretation of Heinlein's point of view than they had, and thus trash the movie because he wasn't "faithful" to the original message, not for once pondering whether that "message" deserved to be faithful to in the first place, or resent being challenged as to why they agree with Heinlein's politics, even in part, and don't wish to re-evaluate their previous approval of the author, and give credence to the man who made "Showgirls". Something to ponder.

Keep in mind, this is entirely a vision of the film makers. This is the story they wanted to tell. It in no way "ruins the book" as many aspersions have been cast on other works. Heinlein's Starship Troopers is still sitting there, on the shelf, with the same words, story, and punditry in it that it had since 1958.