Of those four movies, which is the best Verhoeven movie and why? Please vote before reading the following so as not to influence your choice.
3 out of 4 of the movies he’s best known for are sci-fi. Starship troopers takes the piss at the military or at least a certain segment of the population and their relationship with the military.
Robocop also has a tone that suggests it should not be taken at face value. As evidence, I offer these two scenes: ED 209 Malfunctions - YouTube and this in the
What about Total Recall? Was it mocking/critiquing something in particular?
Robocop may have had some satirical elements, but it also had real characters and actual emotional substance, making it better than anything Verhoeven has made since.
I voted for Total Recall. I have never watched Starship Troopers. I did enjoy both Basic Instinct and Robocop; but I when I had cable, if I came upon Total Recall, I would watch it from what ever point in the movie. Now I have the DVD.
Soldier of Orange. Robocop was ok. everything else the man has done has been utter and complete garbage, sufficient to earn him his own circle in Hell.
Robocop hits all the notes a satire should, but gradually plays it straighter, such that by the time you reach the classic action-hero ending, it succeeds as both kinds of movie.
Soldiers of Orange was a decent movie. Nothing spectacular but a well-made war movie about the Netherlands under Nazi occupation. It’s probably Verhoeven’s most mainstream movie.
Turkish Delight was kind of strange - a combination of Last Tango in Paris and Love Story. Its sex scenes were probably the main reason for its success.
It takes the idea of a “who cares if it works or not” consumer-products company moving from traditional nonprofit stuff – like hospitals or prisons – to its logical conclusion of simply running a city’s police department outright. It then takes the idea of corporate boardroom politics to its logical conclusion as the executives just kill each other – while of course still spouting the usual company-man phrases, since that’s the whole point.
The game of BATTLESHIP gets exaggerated to its logical conclusion; gas-guzzlers get exaggerated to their logical conclusion; sitcoms, surgery, anything, everything, all in a funhouse mirror: twisted, but not beyond recogniton; not by a long shot. And into that world steps a man who, yes, granted, he’s explicitly a product, but we know there’s still something authentic and human in there, because, hey, he’s still doing his best to imitate a TV-show hero, right?
“Robocop” in a walk among those choices. “Total Recall” was fun but seems really dated now, and, weird though this sounds, having Arnold in it doesn’t help it (though it totally sold the movie at the time.) “Basic Instinct” is kind of stupid, really, and “Starship Troopers” is a swing and a miss though I appreciate he was, at least, swinging at something.
As poorly as “Total Recall” has aged, you sure do gain an appreciation for it if you watch the remake. Jesus H. Murphy what a steaming pile. We watched it for free and I still want a refund.
