Just saw it.... I basically went in and forgot that it was supposed to be a
Heinlein story... especially since from what i read about it in the paper and
on the list here that it certainly departs from the book in many ways... so i
watched it as a movie-goer... and to put my $6.75 in... I enjoyed it... it
had some fun moments, visually exciting... it had that verhoeven style like
Robocop with the propoganda clips... and yes it is a homage to past war
movies...
as for the gore... it would have been completely unbelievable without it....
War is a gory, bloody mess... ask a veteran... look at the pics from Kuwait
of that burnt highway of death that we rained down on the retreating army...
look at the footage of the tanks blownup by friendly fire... vietnam war had
many pics showing the gruesomeness.... if you found it offensive, then good,
i hope it was upsetting... a dose of revulsion is good for the soul now and
then...

At least they didn't title it Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers in the film
as they did with The Puppet Master, which i found to be more in keeping with
Heinlein's book... and they had to distinguish it from the Puppetmaster
series of little-puppet-slasher movies.  It is based on his book is how they
credit it at the end... i'll give them that, and I don't think most movie
goers would understand Heinlein's vision anyway.

Some Heinleinesque elements I did see... the boy, the girl, the old man...
equality of gender... immodesty (the shower scene... i would have been
willing to do that scene all day to get it right, uh take 52...action...)...
the human spirit to put ones own life before that of others (if you think you
can't do that, dont ask me for any favors)... Johnny states that Citizenship
means the COURAGE to put one's self before others to protect the
federation... I think Heinlein did believe that too many people took being an
American for granted, that they didn't earn their citizenship...  and looking
at how many people actually voted last election, maybe the Right to Vote,
should really be the Priviledge to Vote since about half this country doesn't
give a damn...
I was a US Naval Officer, like Heinlein... and part of the reason I joined
was that I felt it was my choice to Serve and Defend and give my life if
called upon... When I was a little kid with long hippyhair I was influenced
by the peace movement of the early 70s and thought that war was bad, but in
high school things changed and I learned that self sacrifice is part of being
a member of humanity.