I watched Starship Troopers again this week. This is about the third or fourth time I've seen it, and the depth of the satire becomes more apparent with every viewing. Let me briefly summarize the storyline:

Two cultures, both of which do not really understand the other, stand opposed. Then an act of terrorism by one side, launching a large object from the sky to cause much death and destruction causes the other side to launch into a permanent state of war. A drastically right wing, pro-military goverment is in power, and will not rest until the other side is completely annihiliated. They launch an all-out attack on the on the homeland of the other culture, a mostly barren-looking desert wasteland. However, they underestimate the determination and size of the enemies army, and are beaten back despite posessing superior weaponry and technology. The climax of the film is an attack on the base of the enemy leader in an attempt to capture him, through the maze of underground tunnels in which the warriors are hiding.

What's particularly noticeable about this film is that by the end, Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, and he's never going to escape that tag) is essentially dressed as a gestapo officer, and the uniforms of other characters are pretty much those of nazi stormtroopers. The message of director Paul Verhoven couldn't really be much clearer. Yet still there are people who don't get what this film is about. But then, there are people who think that the Matrix is a deep and insightful film raising significant philosophical issues, so what can you do?