But how do people see this movie and still feel confused about whether or not Martin is a sympathetic character? He abandoned the guy who freed him and tried to stangle to death a woman who had just saved his life. It's not just that he was a murderer and a rapist, but that he had zero sense of honor or gratitude. Verhoeven was obviously taking the piss on the romanticizing of brigands, mercenaries and pirates, he wasn't making anything "morally ambiguous"
>>218230195Pretty sure the only parts I enjoyed about this movie was the Poledouris score and the beautiful spanish countryside sceneryMaybe I should watch it again
>>218230261I liked the rape. Rape is sexy.
agreed, i dont care for what paul floofendorf meant to do because he also 'meant' for starship troopers to be a sendup.the proof is in the pudding and i was honestly disgusted by all the main cast by the end, had no love or desire to see them succeed. they felt doomed and unable to overcome their base impulse and got their just desserts.however JJLs rack in this was utterly, utterly 10/10 and im currently opening my bluray just to put it on screen
>>218230313Starship Troops was in a very different way though because it was intended to be a perfect fascist utopia, not to show fascism as different from how fascists imagine. An attempt to confront it as it's actually presented The kid and the girl were not particularly bad characters. They both seemed more capable of heroism than regular people are and the idea that they are also "morally ambiguous" is triggered in the audience brain to justify Martin, but they aren't really morally ambiguous, the kid even hates the betrayal his dad pulls on Martin
>>218230285The rape in the movie is probably the least arousing rape in film next to the Baby of Macôn. Even the prolific nudity was not really erotic, more just felt like the ride Pirates of the Caribbean uncut
>>218230195He can be both a complete bastard and sympathetic at the same time you know
>>218230682Yes however there was nothing sympathetic about him except for his musical cues and the cinematic tropes. There is nothing to like. Even the character Cugel is more synpathetic
>>218230758He's sympathetic because he's been wronged and wants revenge. That is something any human being should be able to sympathize with. His lack of redeemable character traits doesn't matter
>>218230862He's wronged but so is everyone else in his band and he has no compulsion about serving himself at their expense and demanding their loyalty while having no loyalty himself. It's clear he would have done them as Hawkwood did if offered a lucrative deal
>>218231036*Compunction
