Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation 2004
Directed by Phil Tippett · 92 mins · 2,073 views
Synopsis
Trailers
Reviews (106)
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K
This was okay considering it probably was filmed on one tenth the budget of the original. They tried to cover that up with a lot of smoke and a contained setting. It just felt like a really long sci-fi TV episode. Straight to DVD and it felt like it.
111 1 -
G
Phil Tippett directed this? Sheesh. No wonder the gore and practical effects looked pretty good. However, I miss the satirical nature of the original.
76 2 -
O
A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Starship poopers.
164 5 -
K
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A
Die Versjer über die Starship Troopers sind noch nicht vorbei, denn aufgepasst ihr Leut, jetzt kimmt Teil 2 Von viele Usern werd Teil 2 zurecht zerrisse 😆, de Rest wurd anscheinend von so em Bug gebisse 😉 Denn das was ich do bekam zu sehe 😳, dut mer noch heit in die Aache 👀 wehe. Werklich gar koon Vergleich 🙄 zum erste Teil, im Gegensatz zu dem war der nämlich geil 😛. Bleed Handlung 🤪 un a ganz schlecht Bild. Des hot jo gewackelt ganz schee wild 🤨. Der Kameramann 🎥 war nit besonders begabt, hot gezittert un bestimmt en Datterisch gehabt 🤣 Emol nooch rechts ➡️, dann nooch obbe ⬆️, dann widder links ⬅️, ich könnt en kloppe 🥊,…
53 27 -
P
if you ignore the merits of the first film and just judge it as a straight to DVD sci fi film, it still isn’t good
60 -
J
This was not good. It explores some interesting ideas involving bodily takeover similar to Alien with the facehugger but it’s not executed well at all. It also has such a low budget which makes it hard to enjoy especially when pretty much all of it takes place in tiny cheap sets compared to the expansive sets and location filming of the first one. With Phil Tippet as director I was hoping that meant they’d double down on his excellent VFX work but the budget clearly wasn’t there. Overall a major step back from the first film, this feels more like a fan film than a true successor.
44 -
📀
Cinematic Time Capsule 2004 Marathon – Film #33 ”What the hell kind of bug is that?” The devastation we are seeing is unparalleled. Judging from early estimates, millions have been disappointed and a fan base lies in ruins. This straight-to-video clunker was shot out of orbit by some studio money-grubbing bug plasma. Now, nothing of value remains in what was once called “A potential franchise goldmine.” Any hope of a successful series has been wiped off the Earth. The Cinephile Council met moments ago and voted unanimously to try and destroy all records of this horrific Arachnid dung pile. Want to know more? ”Men and women like you are signing up every day to serve the Federation and save the galaxy. Isn’t it time you did your part?” Cinematic Time Capsule – 2004 Ranked
84 6 -
M
I’ve seen so many amazing movies recently, but today I felt an uncontrollable urge to watch a festering pile of shit to bring back some balance and when I looked at the Netflix new arrivals and saw this, I knew I had met my match. Starship Troopers is a movie I could watch over and over and over again and never get bored of. It’s full of charm, glorious violence, comedy, cheesy characters and great satire – Starship Troopers 2 contains exactly none of this. It opens attempting to do one of those witty mobile infantry infomercials that the original did so well, only this time it isn’t witty or funny – it’s just boring and unimaginative. Then some random…
60 1 -
Z
Starship Troopers 2 is a solid low budget creature feature. A small group of surviving troopers are holed up in an abandoned outpost where a new type of parasitic bug that takes over the body is taking over the crew one by one. This one boasts some surprisingly solid practical effects work. Gross and gory as hell. The bugs looked great in all they’re slimy spidery glory. They were smaller and even more aggressive this time around. The tone of Starship Troopers 2 shifts to outright horror this time with some dark comedic moments sprinkled in. Definitely gonna revisit this one down the road!
37 2 -
R
As much as I love Starship Troopers, the prospect of a low-budget sequel never really appealed, but curiosity finally got the better of me. I went in expecting Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation to be a disaster, and the opening battle did little to reassure me—I actually came close to switching it off after the first 10 minutes, which is something I very rarely do. The action looks like it was cobbled together in someone’s garage with leftover camo netting, plastic rifles and a few buckets of green goo. There is little attempt to match the bombastic satire of Verhoeven’s original—it is just cheap, joyless and badly staged. But once Hero of the Federation quietly abandons any pretence…
40 -
S
This is the kind of direct to video sequel which gives direct to video sequels a bad name. And the part which makes this so sad is that it’s directed by legendary VFX supervisor Phil Tippett, and the screenplay is from the writer of the original film. What happened?!? Right off the bat, the film lacks the satire and commentary of the Verhoven film. The film plays everything almost entirely straight. This is particularly odd since it has the same writer. And it’s particularly foolish because humor is cheap. This film had a budget 1/20th of the original. It couldn’t possibly compete on a size or spectacle level. So why take away the satire? Second problem, the movies cost…
61 2 -
R
I really admire the attempt, even though they have nothing going for them.
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I
“No wonder we’re losing this war. Everyone’s fucking instead of fighting.”
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F
Guys, if you’re gonna make a sequel you should at least watch the original film. It’s good it you try to understand what it’s about, too.
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C
Technically a sequel to starship troopers
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T
A really great Sci-Fi movie for its era. Filled with lots of satire and humor whilst also keeping its serious tone. Had me on the edge of my seat at times on anticipation for the main protagonist.
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E
This movie is one of the few that immediatly comes to mind as TERRIBLE. I really like the original Starship Troopers movie personally (even though very campy), even the later movies have (some) redeeming qualities, this one certainly does not. One thing that is crazy is recycling shots from the first movie that arent even during the right time of day/night, absolute madness.
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C
c’était affreux ??
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C
I mean it’s not good, but it has some moments
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T
budget showed. way too damn dark!!!
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J
Really the worst film I’ve seen since starting Letterboxd. So bad I had to stop. The effects are terrible, the acting worse, difficult to make out any plot in the mess of visuals and dialogue.
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P
Shed no tears for me. My glory lives forever.
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C
This sequel is bad : acting bad gun are just flashing lights
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A
Ohne Sinn und Verstand ein pures Blutbad
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MMarc 8 月 18, 2026
Pedazo de película de horror y supervivencia claustrofóbica, hecha y derecha. La jugada es brillante. Si en la saga Alien aceptamos de buen grado pasar del terror espacial puro en la primera a la cinta bélica de acción en la segunda, aquí la fórmula se aplica exactamente al revés: pasamos de la gran guerra abierta a un espacio cerrado, tormenta de polvo fuera, pasillos oscuros y una paranoia constante entre los soldados. Es un homenaje brutal a La Cosa de…
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GGazzaGDog1968 8 月 17, 2026
Giving it no stars was not low enough – I struggled to watch it all the way through and only did so to see if it could get any worse and I was not let down.
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J
Apesar de ter falhas gigantescas, ainda é divertido. Se não fosse tanto gore, passaria muito na sessão da tarde.
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R
Je suis un grand fan de Starship Troopers premier du nom, mais là on est même pas réellement sur une suite, on utilise juste la licence. Mise à part l’utilisation très légère de spot me d’enrôlements en début et fin de film, et les insectoides comme monstres, on est pas dans Starship Troopers. Le film se contente d’être un simple film d’horreur en huis clos, vague copie d’Alien sans budget ni idées. C’est sans surprises, mal écrit, il y a…
1 -
M
Alien çakması konu işlenmiş gibi. Düşük bütçeli film olduğunu çok belli ediyor.
9 1 -
N
This was the last one remaining to complete the collection. A serious step down from the first movie. No character really stands out and it’s hard to give them any love. Lots of dark action makes it harder to follow at certain points.
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N
Well ain’t that some shit. I actullay really enjoyed this! Yet another movie where I got what I came for.
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E
An idea of a good film (though not be any means a particularly original film) lost within a not very good film
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P
Kelly Carlson and that is the only good thing about this.
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G
This movie feels like the makers wrote a movie set in the Alien franchise and when they were sued by the rights owners they changed it slightly and slapped Starship Troopers onto it.
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W
trash sequel
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G
Well it’s nothing like the first one and just as an action movie is not as good if in honest so… idk 2 stars because the bugs where on it…
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B
Bit too dark as a sequel
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D
I don’t have much to say about this movie.
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B
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J
I wish I didn’t do my part on this one.
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J
Straight to DVD? I wonder why… while Starship Troopers is kind of a classic in terms of low budget 90s campy sci-fi, this feels weirdly self-contained and more like a stand-alone episode of Twilight Zone or something. The spin on the story is interesting but that only takes you so far.
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P
I like starship troopers, meh movie characters are ass, didn’t expect to see Brian Tee tho. Dax a chad
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W
“Eu preciso colocar o inseto dentro dela mas ela não está deixando. Todo esse tempo eles mentiram para nós, ele é como um deus” – Otter, Billie Tropas Estelares 2 é uma sequência que foi o resultado de quando você junta personagens sem o mínimo de carisma e o enredo mais liso que um peito de frango como se fosse algo inovador.
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E
dont look at me. im not gonna tell you its good. in fact there’s a lot that’s bad about this one even setting the general issues with starship troopers to one side for a moment – this film has the kinda obfuscation of space that comes with big ideas on a small set; characters teleport around and don’t really feel like they belong and the action often lacks substance in no small part due to the low budget early 2000s…
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H
– “No Wonder we are losing this War. Everybody is fucking instead of fighting.” – Scheitert auf allen Ebenen und aufgrund des Vorgängers, ist die Schlechtheit auch gar nicht mal so lustig… Abgesehen von den Bugs und dem satirischen Werbespot zum Start und zum Abschluss, hat der Film wenig bis gar nichts mit Teil eins zu tun – Man hatte ja nichts damals… Und um das zu kaschieren, ist man zu 90% viel zu nah dran mit der Kamera, hat…
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F
Well, that was shite. The low budget and no-name director really exposes everything you need to know about this one. It’s badly directed, the plot is a boring rip off from a Star Trek TNG episode, the video quality is abysmal at times and it has none of the charm or dry wit of the original. TLDR: save yourself the time and skip this.
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B
This was really bad, and really not good, or necessary and I didn’t really see the point, asides from re-using the costumes and shouldn’t have been allowed to be made…. But I enjoyed it
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J
En este fregao me he metio yo solo. Pero ví que la dirigía el experto en stop motion Phil Tippett y ¡yo qué sé!
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3
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M
It’s definitely a cheapo Sci-Fi Channel take on the franchise that downplays Verhoeven’s satire and spectacle, which will be an immediate turn-off for most. So, while it doesn’t make for a particularly good Starship Troopers film, it does make for a decent B-level The Thing rip-off, with some effectively goopy effects.
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D
A fun sequel that feels a lot more confined than the original but loses a lot of the deeper message of its original counterpart while having a lot less action spread through. Most of the battle scenes take place in the first 15 minutes or so after that were left trapped whit our caracters as something far more sinister threatens them. A classic in its owen right “Join the federation for guaranteed citizenship”
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B
Fun little move. Not sure why people hate on it so much. Bluray is expensive!!!
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S
Exercise Bike film #4 Total calories burned – 543 I always get jealous of people who can watch a ‘bad’ movie and enjoy it… it makes me feel like they’re seeing something I missed. So today, I proudly get to be that person. Starship Troopers 2 is waaaay better than the 1.9 rating suggests. Sure, it looks a bit ‘made for TV’ and has no star power but the combo of writing, directing and concept ;starship troopers but a self-co gained horror flick) overcomes the film’s shortcomings. I can’t believe I put off watching this for almost 30 years!
1 -
B
I’m from a small town here in the UK and we have a little-known colloquial phrase for a film like this: “fucking shit”.
3 -
S
The fact that this is from the Phil Tippett is mind boggling. But where to start because this broke me in the first 30minutes: Audio is a mess, everyone in the fist half hour is shouting at each other almost inaudibly because the score is dialled up to 11 and the budget sound effects are trying to reach 12 The budget drop off is evident from the rifles now being flash lights with laughable acting backing up the trigger pulls. And the script…pretty sure was written on a napkin. Avoid, don’t waste your time
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S
The more I think about Starship Troopers the better my opinion of it; it’s a fun sci-fi romp with a good cast, good CGI for its time and a great commentary on fascism, its aesthetics and the usage of propaganda, making it probably one of my favourite Verhoeven’s that I’ve seen. Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation is absolutely none of those things, and may go down as one of the worst films I’ve ever seen in my life.…
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E
I’ve always liked this one more than most people, but the thing that really unlocked this movie for me in my head was watching the 1988 anime adaptation, and seeing a completely different, less nuanced interpretation of the “enemy”. Taking the whole idea into a single location horror film worked far better for me this time, having just seen the anime a few days ago. There’s good stuff here, very much in the DTV, practical gore & prosthetics world, with CGI…
1 -
N
Not sure why this was made. I mean the first film had tonnes of cool action and “stuff”. This follow-up just didn’t have anything going for it… ok, even the boobs were just not enough to make up for the rest of the film. I really want to stick in some spoiler here, but nothing could really spoil this film, the makers did that all by themselves.
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Eemmaashtray 8 月 12, 2026
Expectations were very low. Thus Twas well received
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D
Pish as expected. Rated as mediocre as there was surprisingly more shots of the bugs than I would have thought on this budget which must have been about 50p. Straight to DVD fare and a massive drop off in quality, satire etc from Verhoeven’s original. I doubt whether I will watch anymore. Also strange to see Clarkson here as she is usually the lass on TV every Christmas singing her annoying song.
3 -
S
Nope. A cheap knock off of the original. Tried to emulate without understanding the source material. Bin it.
3 -
E
Teil 1 ist ein Klassiker. Brutal, zynisch. Das hier ist in seinen besten Momenten der misslungene Versuch einer klaustrophobischen Alien-1-Hommage. Schade, warum auch immer.
2 -
C
La recordaba mucho más interesante 🤣
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_
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M
Let’s take the success of Starship Troopers, give it a fraction of the budget, and try and make Alien/haunted house movie. Except let’s not try very hard… 20/100
1 -
H
A poor attempt of a sequel. Way too serious, almost no satirical elements at all. Very gory and violent. Someone must have thought, that trying to make an Alien movie, set in Starship Troopers was a good idea.
1 -
D
Its a sign of how impoverished this sequel is that they couldn’t get Denise Richards or, even, Casper Van Diem back for the sequel. Can you imagine presenting Casper’s agent a role and being told that regrettably Casper was going to have to pass. That Casper would be pursuing other projects. How embarrassing… and what other projects? A quick imdb-ing shows an episode of a tv show no ones ever heard of and some tv movies. Well, fuck, he probably…
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R
Worth watching for Kelly Carlson alone 😍 Joking aside this movie could’ve been so good if they actually gave it a proper budget. The acting is solid by most, some scenes are shot well & others like they’re shot with a Nokia. Still better than most of the glossed up “horrors” you see on Netflix these days.
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B
… don’t. Better movie if it wasn’t starship troopers and changed everything else about the movie
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J
Tan mala como una migraña
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D
Probably the worst sequel I’ve ever seen, just had nothing that made the original film so entertaining. it was also a who’s who of random television actors, the most fun I had was trying to remember which shows I’d watched them on.
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D
Those folk from Wisteria Lane don’t mess about
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S
Has a direct to Disney home video sequel quality. Not sure why he wasn’t allowed or at least try and get on the ship. There was plenty of time and room.
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K
– 1 part Starship Troopers – 1 part The Thing – 1 part Aliens – 1 part Pitch Black – 1 part Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 5 parts unfiltered sewage Gets much, much better in its second half, but that’s still not anywhere near good.
1 -
G
“Hurry up spud, we need fresh meet for the grinder” They just went nuts making this movie and I don’t complain. Perfect class B entertainment, nothing more, nothing less
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Z
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S
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G
Is it necessarily a good movie? Nnnnnno. The acting is pretty abysmal and unfortunately largely by the main characters. The effects are still pretty good but the CGI is a lot more noticeable in comparison to the live action elements. The practical effects are INCREDIBLE – The scenes with Peck are horrifying to look at. Honestly those scenes and the ending are basically carrying this to a 4 stars – In reality, it’s probably a 3/3.5. It’s also unfortunately just…
2 -
R
This film isn’t the best narratively or visually but damn was it epic I loved the characters and the body snatcher horror and it feels like an promotional video that over glorified one character who is clearly not a good person just someone who died to save others. Overall this film is simontaniously good and bad but I’d recommend it as for better or for worse it’s intriguing and fun.
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C
I do love Phil Tippett, and you can really see his impact on the practical effects, but apart from that, this is unfortunately a disappointment!
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H
Gotta give some points for the forced bug impregnations
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B
Yeah nah not even 5 minutes
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T
Pure 90s b movie half assed Schlock that somehow made to the 00s. Great for braincells killing (non derogatory)
1 -
T
Shit ass sequel
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F
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M
Got halfway through and stopped. The first one was ELITE – good God this was horrendous
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D
More like Starshit Poopers
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T
Stu told me this shi was good, but holy moly this actually stunk like shit in a kettle. Like Actual poo. I genuinely find it hard to believe anyone could like this. This wasn’t just done bad, the story is just straight dingleberry. Strong 2
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S
What in the every-loving Species wannabe is this movie? Misses the mark in pretty much every aspect, especially the meaning of the first film.
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V
Il sequel del cult di Verhoeven viene sottoposto alla “cura Aliens”. Solo che il nuovo regista non è James Cameron, ma comunque un esperto degli effetti speciali. Così, con pochi soldi, scenografie povere, e luci al minimo indispensabili, chiude i suoi marines spaziali in un luogo chiuso a combattere un’evoluzione degli Aracnidi che ricorda La Cosa. La dichiarazione d’intenti finale degli extraterrestri, mai messa davvero in atto, vuole conferire al film quella pretesa grandezza che vorrebbe salvarlo dall’essere uno spin-off…
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J
What the hell kind of steaming pile of dog shit is that??.. they really dropped the ball on this one. Words cannot explain the disappointment that I feel.
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A
Amogus ass movie
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B
I had plans to meet people for lunch. I needed to be at my local train station by 12.00pm, meaning I need to leave by around 11.35am, it’s a Sunday so no need to rush, 25 minutes would be plenty of time. I always get ready for things too early. By 10am I was up, breakfasted (a bagel with marmite and some orange juice), showered and dressed. I have time to watch a film, a short film, as long as…
1 1 -
D
I’ll die on this hill, this is a good film, the only thing holding it back is the budget.
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K
Needed to watch some Big Bugs today
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A
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Even worse than Aliens 3!
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F
It was supposed to be this bad, wasn’t it?
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G
Dear oh dear.
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A
No wonder we’re loosing this war, everyone’s fucking instead of fightin’. More of a secluded space horror then the satirical action of the original. It did work on that level. The practical effects were great and the CG wasn’t too shabby for the budget. Makes sense considering this was directed by hall of fame special effects man Phil Tippet.
1 -
R
Our war’s going better than ever, but we need heroes! We need you! A good movie that with just a bit more satire and budget could have even been great. Features a particularly awesome chase sequence at the beginning of the movie
1 -
M
장점 찾는게 더 빠를듯 😅😅
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K
Really just those bugs even more terrifying. Loved the Captain who is now a fucking poster boy for the Federation. The man is probably cursing at them for his face being up there. Original did have more plot and filled the characters in more than this but I suppose in an active war personality is on the back burner.
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S
What was that?
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E
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K
I think there was some interesting ideas and some pretty good execution in this for its significantly smaller budget, I just think it fell into a lot of writing cliches that are just so very annoying.
- Synopsis
- A group of troopers take refuge in an abandoned outpost after fighting alien bugs, failing to realize that more danger lays in wait.
- Director
- Phil Tippett
- Writer
- Edward Neumeier
- Studio
- Startroop Pictures Inc., Tippett Studio, TriStar Pictures
- Country
- USA
- Language
- English
- Year
- 2004
- Runtime
- 92 mins
- Netherlands19 May 2004
- Brazil26 May 2004
- Hungary04 May 2004
- Germany25 May 2004
- Japan12 Jun 2004
- Poland29 Jun 2004
- South Korea27 Jul 2004
- USA24 Apr 2004
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