Columbia Pictures is plotting a new Starship Troopers movie, setting District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp to write and direct an adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel story by Robert A. Heinlein.
Columbia Pictures is plotting a new Starship Troopers movie, setting District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp to write and direct an adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel story by Robert A. Heinlein.
I think “propaganda” is less accurate than “thought experiment”. Heinlein centered his books around a lot of different political backdrops. Pretty sure he wrote Starship Troopers in the middle of writing the free-love-hippie-commune “propaganda” Stranger in a Strange Land.
Still, probably best not to try to hide subtle critique in something that looks like propaganda.
You have gravely misunderstood the politics of Stranger
Nailed it. If Heinlein loved fascism because he wrote Starship Troopers, how the hell does one explain Stranger in a Strange Land?!
Maybe he was simply a fascist, tree-hugger, authoritarian, free love, socialist, commie, right-wing, left-wing nutcase? I grok a wrongness.
That was the same guy?!?
I always looked at it as a demonstration of a military facist utopia. I actually wrote an outline for a prequel to it as a writing exercise in highschool and it got really good marks.
I don’t think “fascist” or “utopia” are accurate descriptions. With Heinlein, his political settings are less “the world should be like this” than “hey what if the world was like this?”. Again, he wrote it in the middle of writing SiaSL, which demonstrates basically the polar opposite worldview. To interpret ST as fascist propaganda seems a bit myopic.
Wow I made an arse about of that comment. Posting while tired… sorry
Thats how I feel the movie presents Heinleins book, as a facist utopia, like yes it CAN look amazing on the surface but the cracks in the veneer arent hard to see and it still runs on the blood of people wanting to climb the ladder only instead of cash for capitalism its citizenship in their society.
Your teacher was terrible if she didn’t tell you
I read the book because I read books, not because it was assigned reading. The creative writing assignment was something about creating a plot outline around an existing book or film. So I picked both and wrote a story about what could simultaneously unite the world under one banner and push us towards a militaristic society. It was about 25 years ago so honestly I cant remember much.