Starship-Troopers-2

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation

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By Todd Karella
June 1, 2004

~A Less Than Equal Sequel~

The third strike comes immediately in the opening scene with the bad acting, cliché dialogue and overly dark photography.
Purportedly, made on what Hollywood calls a shoestring budget this second film in the series is so dark that it's difficult to distinguish the characters until half of the movie is over..
The first movie ended with the capture of the brain bug that conducted the movements of the enemy, referred to as bugs by the

Federation. After retrieving the information from the brain bug, the humans have managed to turn the tide of the war and are now on the offensive.
Completely surrounded by the bugs on a desolate planet, a group of infantry make a last desperate attempt at survival seeking refuge in an abandoned outpost. Inside they find the sole survivor Capt. Dax (Richard Burgi) locked in the incinerator. And luckily, his personnel folder is lying right on the floor outside so they can find out he's locked up for killing his commanding officer.
With no time for contemplation they leave him locked up as the enemy is heading for the outpost. Having lost their general earlier, Lt. Pavlov Dill (Lawrence Monoson) is in command and argues with

Sgt. Dede Rake (Brenda Strong) over his defense strategy. The infantry is spread too thinly, and the bugs are winning.
The CGI bugs are done quite well, but it is obvious that they are not real because some of the soldiers are firing in the wrong direction and turn to have a conversation with their weapons still firing.
As the battle rages and the Lieutenant's incompetence becomes obvious, Pvt. Lei Sahara (Colleen Porch) releases Dax as she senses he is the only one who can help them.

The bugs watch the retreating infantry.

After using barrels of explosives to destroy the surrounding bugs, Dax takes two volunteers to help him restore power to the large blue bug zappers that encircle the perimeter. While away from the outpost they find the lost General (Ed Lauter) fleeing through the dark with three soldiers who helped him escape.
   This is a morale boost to those in the outpost as not only do they have their commander back, but now they have a medic and a mechanic to help make repairs.
   As the group waits for someone to arrive and pick them up, strange things begin to happen. The three new soldiers are not what they seem. Their bodies are beginning to rot and are acting suspicious.
   It seems that there is a new kind of bug and the infantry unit has been sent to the outpost for a reason. These new spider-like creatures are taking over human bodies to infiltrate the Federation, and it's important that they infest the General.
   Quickly the movie changes from science fiction to horror as the number of infected people out number those who are bug free. There are several scenes with bugs ripping out of bodies, heads being blasted open and a lovely meat-cutter scene that will make you cringe.
   In the end it's Dax to the rescue as he manages to save Pvt. Sahara so she can tell everyone about the bugs' new strategy.
   The ending is rather predictable and a lot of the storyline has been done before. With the exception of the special effects it's best to avoid the film and save yourself the $22 that the DVD costs.

When a movie is not only a sequel but released straight to video as well, it automatically has two strikes against it.

Pvt. Charlie Soda- Kelly Carlson