'Starship Troopers' is a Dutch-American 1997 military science fiction film, written by Edward Neumeier (screenplay), directed by Paul Verhoeven, with some names and details taken from Starship Troopers, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It was the first of three films released in the Starship Troopers franchise. The film had a budget estimated around 100 million US dollars and grossed over 120 million dollars 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 arachnoid species known as "the Bugs". Starship Troopers was nominated for an Academy Award in 1998. The film has attracted controversy and criticism for its social and political themes, which some critics claim promote militarism; and for its distortion and misrepresentation of the novel... more