Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the cult favorite 1997 Horror film 'Starship Troopers,' starring Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards, directed by Paul Verhoeven, to the UHD format. This is the film's second UHD release, following the 2017 edition. This release adds Dolby Vision color grading and a new supplement on the UHD disc. The legacy Blu-ray is also included. At time of writing, this release is only available in SteelBook packaging. See the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below for more on the SteelBook's look and feel.

Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Starship Troopers released in 1997, was shot on film, and has been sourced from the previous 4K restoration found on the 2017 disc. The movie has always been a highlight on home formats, offering very impressive picture quality upon its release on DVD and again in the early days of Blu-ray. This new 2160p UHD is no different, offering a substantial boost in stability, definition, and color alike. The image more than impresses in every shot; even visual effects hold up rather well. Grain retention is largely consistent and generally complimentary with only a few scenes, such as in the classroom near film's start, appearing a bit denser and snowier. The image gains significant improvements in clarity and sharpness. Fine details are much more revealing across the board. Faces reveal fine hairs, pores, and scars with depth and detail that's comparatively absent on the Blu-ray. Uniforms, berets, helmets, armor, terrain on bug planets, manmade structures at the training camp and on Planet P, practical bug effects, and torn human bodies all find significantly more clarity and attention to fine detail, even at distance and even considering more insignificant background elements.

The New Dolby Vision color grading looks spectacular, offering a more brilliant, bolder, deeper, and tonally exact presentation beyond even the previous HDR-only issue. Look at the Federal Network logo at the very beginning of the movie. It's breathtakingly bold, particularly the gold color behind, which leaps off the screen for a first of many dynamic, impactful moments. The white text has a hint of natural gray to it, but the letters are brilliant, as is the blue globe center screen. The rest of the film is just as impressive. Few UHDs enjoy this level of natural color output. This is evident in all scenes and scenarios, especially in bright exteriors and well-lit interiors in the first act where clothing hues leap off the screen with majestic accuracy and vividness. Yet even in dark battle scenes, black level depth holds strikingly authentic and true. Skin tones are healthy and full. This Dolby Vision grading is well worth the upgrade cost.

Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD release of Starship Troopers repurposes the Dolby Atmos soundtrack from the 2017 UHD. Please click here for a full review.

Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony's SteelBook is glossy and will show some handling fingerprints. The front panel features brilliant and colorfully bold artwork with various metallic, mildly reflective hints. The image features, prominently, a pile of decapitated skulls still wearing the Mobile Infantry helmets. This fills up the full bottom and right sides. Top left is a red bug. Golden and red streaks emanate from the bottom left, and two Federal starships appear overhead. The rear panel features identical style but a picture of a fire-breathing bug, right, on top of terrain, blue, blowing orange fire on a trooper; only a skull and a bone remain. An orange sky appears behind. The spine is black with the film's title center. A Sony logo appears at the bottom.

Inside, the digital copy code is tucked underneath the left-hand-side tabs. The two discs, one UHD and one Blu-ray, are situated on the right in staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features nothing other than a solid metallic teal color.

Sony's 2022 UHD release of Starship Troopers contains two new supplements on the UHD disc. The bundled Blu-ray includes all of the legacy supplements. Note that this UHD does away with the "cast and crew" and "moments" extras from the previous UHD disc. The menu is also more traditional and streamlined here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. Below is a basic listing of the supplemental material available on the included 1080p Blu-ray, which is identical to the previous release. For complete supplemental reviews, please click here.

UHD:

• NEW! 25th Anniversary Virtual Reunion (1080p, 21:09): A virtual roundtable discussion featuring Screenwriter Ed Neumeier and Actors Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Clancy Brown, Michael Ironside, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, and Seth Gilliam remembering their roles and their experiences in making the film.
• NEW! Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:53).

• FedNet Mode
• Recruitment Test
• Put Yourself in the Movie
• Director and Cast Commentary
• Commentary with Paul Verhoeven and Ed Neumeier
• Blu-Wizard
• Death From Above
• Featurettes: The Making of Starship Troopers
• Featurettes: The Spaceships of Starship Troopers
• Featurettes: Bug Test Film: Don't Look Now
• Know Your Foe
• FX Comparisons
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Scene Deconstruction with Paul Verhoeven
• Deleted Scenes
• Screen Tests
• Previews

Starship Troopers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Starship Troopers is a wonderful film, full of pointed satire, large-scale action, cranked-up Verhoeven violence, a hot young cast, terrific production design, and great special effects. It's right up there with the best the Dutch director has ever released, and the movie remains an ever-relevant and highly entertaining cautionary tale across many fronts. Sony's UHD is nearly as much a masterpiece as the movie. The 4K restoration, which is the same as the 2017 UHD, remain outstanding, and the new Dolby Vision color grading is nothing short of spectacular. The Atmos soundtrack, which also carries over from the previous UHD, is just about as good. Two new extras are included, headlined by a wonderful virtual cast and crew retrospective roundtable. The bundled Blu-ray's supplemental package covers plenty of ground. The new SteelBook packaging looks marvelous as well. This new UHD release of Starship Troopers is wonderful and earns my highest recommendation.