it's a cold, hard, fact that this mostly lifeless bug hunt is better than both live action sequels. let's break this down... the second starship troopers movie fails at being a starship troopers movie, and even while it surprisingly succeeds at being something else entirely (e.g. a gory, low budget, claustrophobic, horror movie.)- if you're itching for that "kill em all!" fix, it's not gonna scratch it. the third movie brings back captain charisma™ as johnny rico, but the undercooked attempted at satire ala verhoeven just come across as desperate mimicry. [insert spongebob meme here] starship troopers: invasion suffers from neither of the aforementioned problems. it's lean, carrying no excess whatsoever, and leaping right into the bloody action. the characters are all 2 dimensional, which is a shame since the cg animation was quite good for its time. so much effort put into rendering flat characters in all three dimensions. there's such a wonderful irony to that. unfortunately that irony doesn't make the movie any better. the troopers are as disposable as you'd imagine, and if not for the eyepatch, it'd be all to easy to get johnny rico confused with at least three other guys in the movie. the designers couldn't even be bothered to get too creative with the hair color for most characters. at least five of the guys in the movie are tall, dark, handsome, and sport practically the same hair- color and all. technical and aesthetic oversights aside, starship troopers: invasion succeeds in being exactly what it wants to be. it's just 90 minutes of troopers versus bugs, showing off the best and latest mech, power armor, and weaponry designs you'll see this side of the newest halo game. there's some boilerplate wit, some perfunctory t&a, and lots of wonderful gore. the medium is pushed to its outer limits in stunning fashion with eye-popping set pieces and a visual energy that is fairly unrivaled. director shinji aramaki seems to not just have a history with cg features, but a passion for it. freed entirely from the constraints of live action and traditional animation, starship troopers: invasion is a glorious demo reel, and little else. it's not hard to enjoy, provided you know exactly what you're getting into. if you're a fan of the medium, i suggest you watch the three appleseed movies first. in order. then this. then push forward onto the more technically stunning gantz:o. you'll thank me later.