Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier, originally from an unrelated script called Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine, but eventually licensing the name Starship Troopers, from a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is the only theatrically released film in the Starship Troopers franchise. The film had a budget estimated around $105 million and grossed over $121 million worldwide.
The story follows a young soldier named Johnny Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military unit. Rico's military career progresses from recruit to non-commissioned officer and finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an insectoid species known as "Arachnids".
Starship Troopers was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 70th Academy Awards in 1998. Director Verhoeven says his satirical use of irony and hyperbole is "playing with fascism or fascist imagery to point out certain aspects of American society... of course, the movie is about 'Let's all go to war and let's all die.'
In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked the film #20 on its list of the 100 Best Films of the 1990s.
Hero of the Federation was a sequel to the theatrical film released direct-to-video in 2004, directed by Phil Tippett. A second sequel, Marauder, was released directly to DVD in August 2008. A trailer video was released in March 2012. Starship Troopers: Invasion was released in Japan on July 21, 2012, and in North America on August 28, 2012 as a direct-to-DVD title.