Bristol Film Festival: Starship Troopers in Redcliffe Caves on Saturday 30th March 2019
Posted on: 27 Mar 2019Enjoy Paul Verhoeven's classic 1997 action-comedy-horror-bug extermination epic, Starship Troopers, at the suitably subterranean locale of Bristol's Redcliffe Caves on Saturday 30th March 2019.
Playing as part of Bristol Film Festival, which has a canny knack of screening films in some of the city's more offbeat locations, Verhoeven's action-packed tour-de-force is an absolutely hoot from start to finish.
It follows the story of 23rd century citizen Johnny Rico, who enlists in the Mobile Infantry to battle against a massive outer space army of giant bug invaders called Arachnids, culminating in the ultimate battle for survival and a character arc that shifts from inexperienced rookie to kick (bug)-arse veteran soldier.
Never mind all that though, this is one of Verhoeven's finest films, a fantastical classic, exploring similar themes he did in his previous classic sci-fi thriller Robocop: knowing satire, pokes at fascism, moments of dark comedy, bucket loads of extreme gore.Based on the novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, Verhoeven fills the screen with jaw-dropping action set pieces, eye-popping spectacle and, being Verhoeven, geysers of blood and a gleeful cinematic symphony of severed limbs, decapitated heads and punctured torsos. And in the atmospheric, dank underground environs of Redcliffe Caves, you could even imagine a big bug or two scuttling out from beneath the outcroppings of rock. Keep your eyes peeled, just in case.
It's actually a great way to watch a movie, whether it's one you've never seen before, a missed genre classic, a forgotten gem or an old favourite you just want to rediscover in a more-unusual-than-most setting. You can even grab a supremely quaffable pint or two of beer courtesy of the festival's partner Wickwar Wessex Brewing.
Entry to the cave (and whoever thought you'd read those words when talking about watching a movie?) is at 6pm for a 6.15pm start, and the film will finish around 8.20pm. Tickets cost between £15 and £18 and can be purchased here.
Redcliffe Caves is located at Phoenix Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6SR. Tel. 01179 466 833
Article by:
Jamie is a writer, blogger, journalist, critic, film fan, soundtrack nerd and all-round Bristolian good egg. He loves the music of Philip Glass, the art of Salvador Dali, the writings of Charles Bukowksi and Hunter S Thompson, the irreverence of Harry Hill, and the timeless, straw-chomping exuberance of The Wurzels. You can sometimes find him railing against a surging tide of passing cyclists, or gorging himself senseless on the Oriental delights of a Cosmos all-you-can-eat buffet.
