I know this is based on the book, but is this taken directly from the book?
i plan on reading the book, but i want to know if it is more accurate towards the movie, or this.
While not directly accurate to the book, this has more of the feel of the book than the movie ever did.
shareSPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
The book is told in pretty much the same style as this series. A first person account that is a mix between Rambo and All's Quiet on the Western Front.
There are marked differences between the plot lines tho. The book is told through Rico's perspective. In the book, the Terran Federation (SICON in the series) eventually pushed bugs back on Klendathu. And the book ends as Rico's Roughnecks are about to make the final invasion/landing on K. Rico's unit was never close to any higher up officers. (No Redwing, no Sanchez) They are just a bunch of regular troopers.
The characters also are different. In the book, Rico went through Officer Candidate School, Dizzy was a guy and was killed off early, Carmen was never close to Rico... etc etc. The _only_ character that is close among the movie, the book and this series is Zimm.
The book shares the style of the series, but not the content of the series.
This series' plot line follows the movie a whole lot more than the book.
If you read the book, you will believe that it's happening in the same universe as the series (as if it's happening to another unit.)
But if you watch the movie and read the book, you will go "whut?" because the movie is way different.
thank you for that info.
shareYeah I'd say that's about right except for a few small things. Their suits in the book where way cooler. And the theme is heavier, in this universe you were not a citizen-including voting rights, and the right to hold political office-unless you'd served your time in the millitary, which when you go to join up you were actually discouraged to do, they want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Also the book spends a lot of time in the classroom, both at the high school level and when Rico goes to OCS, in order for the author to expalin his philosphy, heavy handed yes but its still a good book.
Peace...I'm Out...
It been a while since I read the book but I vivdly remember the depictions of how effective and why people are given public lashings. They show it in the movie, but Heinlein goes into the reasons it is needed in society. I have not read enough about Heinlein himself to know whether he was advocating this or trying to get reactions from people.
share The book is certainly a classic, and I believe one of Heinlein's first to win a Hugo award (if not the first). The book is less about the bug war and more about Heinlein's musings on war and the role of the citizen/soldier after his own experiences in WWII. Heinlein had a fairly remarkable career and life in general. Very interesting for the time it was written is his assertion that classic western democracies will fail. Most of the book depicts the war actions (first against the Skinnies, then against the Bugs) as a backdrop for Heinlein's philosophy. He does not describe the Bugs in great detail, other than noting the basic conflicts (there are more of them than there are of us), and that they are obviously intelligent, since "any race which builds spacecraft is intelligent". Note that unlike the movie or the series, Bugs are tool users. Good things about the book: It's a pretty good read, typical of middle period Heinlein (after his juvies, before his senility). It is one of the first SF books to move beyond the space opera sci-fi mentality and into an exploration of socio-political issues (again, a trademark of Heinlein as a paradigm breaker of the genre). Bad things: Well, really, I can't think of any except that as written, it would not make a particularly good movie. The interesting kernel of speculation that Heinlein could have explored but did not was his central assertion that the Bugs are perforce intelligent. A far more interesting question is, what if the bugs *are not* intelligent? The movie and series really sets the stage for a much more fascinating answer to this question, in my opinion.
The movie is probably one of the better films in the SF action genre. Granted, the acting is merely adequate, and there are some conveniently ignored problems that plague all space epics (namely FTL drive; we have it, but do the bugs? Unclear). It's always nice to look at Denise Richards on screen, and the Dizzy character has a spectacular physique which Verhoeven is not shy about showing off (also typical of this director). What impressed me the most was the design of the Bugs, in fact, their entire culture, is non-tool using. The Bug "technology" is purely biological rather than machine/material oriented. This is explored in much greater detail (and stylistically obeying identical designs) in the series. The Bugs generate different kinds of "bugs" to fulfill different tasks. The series really expounds upon this in surprizingly sophisticated and inventive ways. On the other hand, Verhoeven has not quite as much success in translating Heinlein's philosphy of warfare and conflict onto the screen. It comes off as thinly veiled fascism. There is a somewhat humorous parodying of the role of mass media in such a society (c.f the propaganda shots), but this is less significant in the film in the final analysis. Kudos to the director for at least trying to express the feel of Heinlein's treatise, although I think it fails to convince to a degree. Oh, yes, they did make a Starship Troopers II movie, but I've read it was worse than horrible and I have not seen it.
The series is in some ways the most interesting of the three versions of Starship Troopers. The creators were truer than the film to the original novel. We have the reintroduction of the Skinnies as another alien race (but with a more interesting tie-in to the Bug War). We also have the reintroduction of the Power Suit as a semi-balistic drop suit, sort of a futuristic para-trooper tactic. Obviously scenes like this would be nearly impossible to film, so the film adaptation has troopers that more closely resemble real combat rigs of today. While the general timbre of the series is far more cartoonish than the film, it's nice that there is enough "adult" humor and ideas that raise it above the standard schlock of most anime. In particular, the further exploration of specialized bugs (transport bug, asteroid bug, flame bug, water bug, and finally the mimics) are really fascinating and consistent with the premise of the original film. Unfortunately, it *is* a cartoon, albeit a very well made one with (for its day) very good computer animation. I just picked up the complete DVD which includes some extra features that I haven't seen yet.
In summary, I do recommend this series to any fan of either the book, the film, or the genre in general. It is thought provoking while still being palatable to a younger crowd. It's not so campy that adults can't enjoy it either. It would be nice if the series was "completed" somehow, though. I hate to be left hanging.
The book was great. One of RAH's best, in my opinion (unless you've read all of the "Future History"). The combat suits were a problem for me in the movie, as they were one of the coolest parts of the story. Yes, the acting was only so-so, but it was great that the story got made, and RAH passed on to another generation.
RAH had some peculliar views on life, politics, sex, the media, and government, and the movie didn't get that across. I have not seen the series, and will buy the box set unseen; that's how much the book meant to me. RAH's writings have been a mainstay to me throughout my life, beginning with "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", and he is the most common author on my sailboat, giving my family hours of enjoyment as we cruise to the Caribbian, a guaranteed 3 week round trip from here.
If you like this book,movie, or the series, I suggest you read "Stranger in a Strange Land", an expository on sex and politics. The premise: a rich old man has his brain transplanted into the body of a young woman. That's all I'll say, except that RAH is a milestone in the genera of SF, and should be explored by any fan. The rewards are great, and the cost is only a small amount of time.
"I suggest you read "Stranger in a Strange Land", an expository on sex and politics. The premise: a rich old man has his brain transplanted into the body of a young woman."
The book your referring to is "I Will Fear No Evil" not Stranger In A Strange Land.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Will_Fear_No_Evil