Best new 40k equivalent movie: Starship Troopers 4 - Invasion

[Threeshades]

Im sorry but its exactly the same - Commissars looking exactly like Nazi SS

Except that they do not at all look like Nazi SS. Have you ever seen an SS uniform? Or an Imperial Commissar model for that matter?

They come a lot closer to Gestapo greatcoats, but even there i would say its far from "exactly". Gestapo didnt wear their coats open and neither did they have these huge collars. Also the heavy decoration on IG Commissars (some of which rather resembles hussar decoration) is basically nonexistent in any Nazi Uniform, except maybe for high rank parade uniforms.

[El_Machinae]

The idea of IG Commisars is entirely borrowed from the Russian (and then later, Soviet) Commisar. It's an actual historical thing!

[Threeshades]

The idea of IG Commisars is entirely borrowed from the Russian (and then later, Soviet) Commisar. It's an actual historical thing!

Yep. Though, they also don't look like those guys. But yeah, the whole, "If you don't get yourself shot by the enemy, you will be shot by me" thing comes from soviet/russian commissars.

[smileyface]

I just watched Starship Troopers 4: Invasion,

But, but... how can this be? The first film was a terrible knock-off of the Heinlein novel, it really didn't merit a sequel, let alone multiple sequels.

Also, on the fascism thing. Fascism is literally a rule through fear. Now think about the imperium. Think about inquisitors. Think about space marines. Think about all those slogans about heretics fearing their wrath. Think about the line "an open mind is like a fortress unguarded..."

Yes, the imperium is fascist. It's a religious fascism, but still fascism.

[nedius]

FYI - you all need to see Hunter Prey. Blue skinned, bald noseless humanoids who either amalgamate other civilisations into their empire, or make war with them. My way or the highway, stylee. Must be the most blatant 40k rip-off ever. Not brilliant, but decent enough.

Forgot about Hunter Prey!

I remember watching it and first thinking 'Wow, Tau!', and then later laughing at the LotR goblin who shows up, and the reverence to the Enemy Mine when they talk about the Drac!

[Zenithfleet]

As for Starship Troopers; any movie where the director doesn't finish the source material because he was bored and depressed by it is a non-entity as far as I'm concerned. Also, I loved the book.

I read the book first, and enjoyed it, albeit with a moderate quantity of raised eyebrows while trying to figure out if Heinlein actually believed in the militaristic values it espoused, or whether he was just trying to show what the characters of that world believed in. Either way, he seemed to mean it to be taken straight - no satire. That's why the movie confused me so badly. "It can't... actually be... mocking its own source material... can it?!"

I sometimes have an allergic reaction to Heinlein's views, and I'm quite happy to see them skewered by another work (as The Forever War did to Starship-Troopers-the-book). But jeez, not in the movie bearing the name of the actual book. Show some respect, Mr Director!

On topic: Er... not 40K exactly, but Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior) is definitely in the genome of Necromunda and Gorkamorka somewhere.

[sprugly]

The best 40k feeling film for me has to be mutant chronicles.
Hard as nails guardsmen taking on the mutant spawn of a daemon engine with guns and swords and (for some) faith.

They don't pay me to believe, they pay me to ******* sh** up!

Awesome film and a definite recommendation for anyone who's not seen it.

Also, the 3rd matrix films battle for the dock scene has always been a fave of mine. The grim dark has Got the feel of the 40k universe even if the sides are a bit off (sentinels vs necron tomb spyders?)

Sprugly

[Still Standing]

Also, on the fascism thing. Fascism is literally a rule through fear. Now think about the imperium. Think about inquisitors. Think about space marines. Think about all those slogans about heretics fearing their wrath. Think about the line "an open mind is like a fortress unguarded..."

Yes, the imperium is fascist. It's a religious fascism, but still fascism.

Fascism is nothing to do with the rule through fear. Fascism is the common name for a system of government led by an authoritarian, totalitarian dictator. The majority of fascist dictators rule through fear, but that is more to do with being a dictator than being fascist.

The government in both Heinleins Starship Troopers and 40k are Stratocracies.

[Konovalev]

Yep. Though, they also don't look like those guys. But yeah, the whole, "If you don't get yourself shot by the enemy, you will be shot by me" thing comes from soviet/russian commissars.

Commissar comes from Russia, but the concept of attacking soldiers who retreat has been around since combat was invented. Roman officers often beat soldiers who attempted to retreat, sometimes to death. And then theres the decimation which would take place after a battle.

[Still Standing]

Just watched Hunter Prey after seeing it in here. It's very obviously a small Tau Fire Warrior team hunting down an Imperial Guard Veteran, the last survivor after the Tau invaded his home world.

[aim]

Its a terrible film. A terrible terrible film and I want that 1.5 hours of my life back. Apparently they are doing ANOTHER live action Starship Troopers?

But, but... how can this be? The first film was a terrible knock-off of the Heinlein novel, it really didn't merit a sequel, let alone multiple sequels.

The first film actually had nothing to do with the book until fairly late on. It was origionally meant to be a sci-fi film called "BUGS!" (or possibly "BUGZ!"), until someone noticed the similarities with the novel. Which is part of the reason it is so far from the source material.

Just watched Hunter Prey after seeing it in here. It's very obviously a small Tau Fire Warrior team hunting down an Imperial Guard Veteran, the last survivor after the Tau invaded his home world.

What is this of which you speak? I must go find this....

[Still Standing]

It's called Hunter Prey, somebody mentioned it earlier in the thread.

[aim]

It's called Hunter Prey, somebody mentioned it earlier in the thread.

Entirely worth a watch. Very retro feel to it, small and personal film which is a nice break from WOW-WTF-CGI-SFX-EYE-BLEEDING-3D-MANIA.

[Mikial]

Not seen 4 yet but the battle scenes in 1 are certainly about as 40k as you could grt in a film not about 40k.

Event Horizen is a classic too.

It's a wonderful irony that those two films capture the 40k universe more successfully than the 'ultramarines' movie...

Sadly, you are so correct. That was a truly unfortunate film. Th CG was ok, but it really missed the boat on Space Marines, both their petty attitudes and the paper armor that never seemed to stop anything.

Also see Serenity - the Reavers have more than a little 'Khorne cultists' about them, tied in with a bit of dark eldar. And I swear Lelith Hesperax makes an appearance

I'm a major Serenity fan. Excellent flick. The series (Firefly) isn't quite as good as the movie, but at least it fills in the blanks on how they all got to the point the movie is at. And I agree on the Khorne cultists flavor for the Reavers, although they were actually created by accident by the government.

[blackcherry]

Paul veederhoven was the Michael bay of his generation.

Unlike bay, he has a working grasp of satire and irony.

[aim]

Unlike bay, he has a working grasp of satire and irony.

Very true. To compare Verhoven to Bay is a bit of a crime actually. The entirety of Robocop is one huge exercise in irony, I'd suggest reading about the background of how he ended up directing it. Its pretty funny and it took some huge nuts to do what he did.

[Thomson]

Fascism is nothing to do with the rule through fear...
The government in both Heinleins Starship Troopers and 40k are Stratocracies.

Basically AFAIK fascism is mainly defined by being extremely authoritarian (which the 40k empire definitely is) and nationalist (which it is definitely, too).

Therefore we can deduce, that the Imperium is a fascist stratocracy. And the only thing that really scares me about 40k is that again and again people say that the Imperium of Mankind are the good guys...

[El_Machinae]

Well, Hunter Prey was okay. You can tell the director had an idea, and they did that idea reasonably well with a fairly small budget. What I liked is that they really didn't do anything poorly, even if they didn't have the manpower to do something vastly bigger.

I have SST2 on netflixs. I enjoyed 1, but I've heard that 2 sucks really really badly.

[MasterDecoy]

Having literary just watched 4 (on account of this thread), I can say without any sarcasm at all, that it is the best of all the sequels, and the fact that its better by such a large margin probably will mean that I will enjoyed it more and was able too look past any script or acting issues it may have.

its so much better in fact that if you cut out 2 and 3 and pretend they never existed, the franchise loses nothing, absolutely nothing.

That said:
Mutant Chronicles was abysmal (its one saving grace was that "they pay me to **** **** up" line)
Event horizon is like the start of the golden age of technology
Aliens is what made me get into space hulk (and in turn into tyranids)
Priest was a ghastly movie (but it was funny it had the guy from true blood in it)
Pandorum, Oh the humanity, is one of about 5 movies ive ever contemplated turning off half way through.
I say the reavers in serenity where more like dark eldar than khorne cultists
The space battle scenes from return of the jedi are probably the closest you will get (in movie form) to a battlefleet gothic feel.

I think ill stop there because that pretty much covers all the main bases......

[Beppo1234]

st2 is low budget. Good for what it is, a budget B movie. 3 is terrible.