“Would you like to know more?”

The fun thing about Starship Troopers is that it functions on two levels. On the one hand, it’s a big, dumb action movie. On the other, it’s a satirical indictment of American fascism.

The subtext isn’t subtle, but it’s also not vital to the film. If you choose to ignore the themes, or you just happen to miss the point, you can still enjoy the movie at face value.

It’s tempting, in fact, to wonder who’s actually in on the deeper meaning of the film. It’s a war movie that criticizes and condemns the sort of ideas that drive and define war movies, and as such, it’s not even necessary for all of the actors to be in on the joke. It’s fun to try and guess who knows what the movie’s really about, and who’s just blowing up aliens.

Neil Patrick Harris? He gets it. Michael Ironside? Absolutely. Denise Richards? I’m not so sure.

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