Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008 Video) User Reviews

the only surprise was that I watched it to the end

[chrismorton · 3/10 · 16 July 2008]

I don't know why I kept watching to the end, but I did anyway and it really wasn't worth my (or anyone else's for that matter) time.

you don't need a big budget to make a good film, but it's impossible to hide a bad one with a small budget and this one must have had a REALLY small budget.

I was surprised to see Jolene Blalock's name attached to this being a star trek fan I thought she might bring something to the movie, but I'm starting to understand why she was cast as an emotionally void Vulcan in Enterprise. I'd also read comments about the state of her lips and thought it was just internet geeks going overboard, but they are really big now, significantly moreso than in her trek role, I think she needs to ease off on the collagen before they take over her face, they're starting to look like she was beaten up.

the SFX would have embarrassed the Red Dwarf crew at times they were so bad. For an example of how bad it gets check out the scene on the ship at warp where the view out the window isn't even CGI but some space scene on a long roller rolled past the window really quickly with the same repeating pattern over and over. I honestly don't think I've seen that done since the 70's! even the bug CGI is barely up to video game standards and not a patch on the original (which is 11 years old (1997) now and still looking much better than anything in ST3).

seriously guys, if you don't have the budget to make it properly, just don't make it at all, for your own sakes as professionals as well as for the sake of your fans. didn't you learn anything from ST2?

starship bloopers

[jack-964 · 3/10 · 16 July 2008]

Usually 'hinsight' created sequels aren't as good as the original and this (part III) is no exception. In fact i sat it out, but was increasingly annoyed by the lack of creativity and intellect. The last half hour is more like a crusade for religion (happens more and more in Hollywood it seems) than a serious attempt to make a good sci fi shoot'em up style movie. So the story is lame, the acting is doable, effects are OK, but nothing new or exciting.

In the beginning old friends meet again, but these are all new actors (apart from Rico) and this is quite confusing. Obviously the makers found that a problem too, since the emphasis is overdone. The war turns into showbiz and commerce, which is too realistic maybe (?!) and a battle is lost at some secret planet somewhere (its top secret so we aren't supposed to know either) The brass flees from the planet and ends on some other secret planet due to a flat tire, after which Rico has to go get them. And thats good for Rico, since he joined up in a hanging party, which have become in vogue. To 'spice' it up a bit, we get some boob shots and then Rico saves the day. Alls well that ends well, so they overkill a new bug-brain by destroying the whole planet its on. Or at least i hope so, or there will be another sequel. (To stay in sync with the movie) God forbid!

You can miss it.

Starts badly - gets better - ends badly.

[chumpsteak · 3/10 · 8 February 2011]

From the very start this film looks really cheap. Wobbly sets, plastic guns & bad CGI. Check out the gun turrets in the 1st big action scene - I think they actually used cardboard tubes! Also, the acting is predictably wooden & there are a lot of 'filler' scenes where people stand around doing very little & exchanging bad dialogue.

For an action movie, it's quite slow paced & the 'Marauders' only show up briefly at the end. Shame, because they're just about the best use of CGI in the whole film. However, ST3 does have it's moments. The Sky Marshal is a good character even though it's obvious that he works for the Bugs from the second he walks on screen. Plus, thingy from Star Trek Enterprise does a decent job as our Heroine leading a group of imbeciles through the desert. It was great to have the Brain Bug back & there's some lovely gore & head popping too. Also, the needless nudity we've come to expect from Starship Troopers is present as usual.

What really messed it up for me was the religious angle that crept in halfway through. it's pointless & somewhat offensive. The Marauders get portrayed as Angels & start basting Bugs with their Cross shaped guns while our heroines pray for salvation. Gimme a break. Finally, the special effects of the planet exploding are just about the worst I've ever seen.

A disaster of epic proportions

[eddyh1980 · 1/10 · 11 August 2008]

Casper Van Dien and Jolene Blalock must've really, really needed the money to get involved with this piece of crap of a flick. I was shocked and awed by the terrible everything. How this movie came into existence is beyond my comprehension. Abandon all hope, this movie is the Antichrist of Starship Troopers 1. Why? First, the script was written by a ten year-old. Second, the special effects are worse than Star Trek TNG season 1. Third, the acting was as bad as community theater. This movie ranks up there with all the other B movie pieces of sh!t. I hope Casper and Jolene have a career after this. I'm thinking they probably wished they hadn't gotten involved in the first place.

Oh my GOD What Happened

[adamcarlton · 2/10 · 26 July 2008]

I'm already wondering, minutes after the credits rolled why i kept watching. Maybe it's just cos i was expecting it to get better and it never did. Maybe its cos i was waiting for the great action and gore scenes i saw back in Starship Troopers 1.

Where to begin with the bad? What stands out most is the incredibly, laughably and undeniably the worst special effects I've seen in any film made in the past 10 years. Starship Troopers 1 was light years ahead of this. The scene where the Q-Bomb takes out the bug planet actually made me think "WTF" and burst out laughing. I could have done a better effect in MS Paint.

The acting was bearable but still not fantastic. I like Casper Van Dien but the other characters i was happy for them to die and wanted it to come but they NEVER DIED IN A DECENT WAY. Almost every bug kill was off-screen, clearly because they didn't have the budget for the gore and effect. I just wanted to see some limbs flying off soldiers and crap like that from ST1. All i got was off-screen munching and cheap screams. I mean what the hell? The film was just poor .. Nothing at all seemed realistic and i wanted everybody to die. I was rooting more for the bugs than anything else. The story was just dire and if they could kill 10,000 bugs by building a few kitted-out robots it makes you wonder why they didn't do that in the first place. My score is 2/10 .. 1 point cos it had Casper Van Dien in it and another cos its better than Starship Troopers 2.

Ruins this franchise

[diplomize · 1/10 · 1 September 2008]

It's extremely hard to get into this movie because it's a farce. The director obviously did not try to do this inadvertently but the silly dialogue, poor acting, cliché plot, and other crummy elements completely ruin this movie.

I'm going to list a few disappointments for fellow readers. -This movie completely copies and overuses the propaganda advertising element from the first movie. -The actors obviously had little to no preparation for playing their role. The way the hold their guns, retreat, and physical appearance shows that the actors were picked up randomly from the streets and told to act. -Inappropriate dialogue. The things the actors say in the face of death makes you want to laugh. -Inappropriate acting. The situation and the way they act are completely uncorrelated. For example, in the face of death (a bug is right in front of their faces) the actors have arguments, they start to kiss as an entire PLANET is being blown up. -A general physically threatens an unarmed superior officer.

Frankly, I'm a fan of the first movie, Starship Troopers. The second movie was a failure, so I expected this third movie to be much better. I was terribly upset when I realized they utterly butchered this movie as well. I do not recommend spending any time or money on viewing this movie. Time can be better spent watching paint dry.

Some one Kill Me!

[mathiaslindwe · 1/10 · 15 July 2008]

This was prob the worst peace of crap i have seen in a long time. The first movie was good, the second was bad and this one worse. I have seen better special effects in the first star wars movie. I know now why this one goes straight to Video.

I believed that this was a serious project when they dug up Casper Van Dien again. But no, his acting effort is not good at all. I have seen better acting in the plays you had in grade school. At the end they try to save the movie with some nudity, but no they fail on that part to.

If there is a price for worst one liners in a movie or worst special effects this movie will kill the other competitors.

I really suffered through this movie, so save your own life and don't watch it!

Faith Is More Powerful Than Q-Bomb

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 20 October 2008]

In the front-line of the Second Bug War in planet Roku San, the charismatic Sky Marshal Omar Anoke (Stephen Hogan) arrives with his assistant General Dix Hauser (Boris Kodjoe) in an starship piloted by his fiancée Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock) and they are welcomed by their friend and hero of Planet P Colonel Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien). While Anoke inspects the facility protected by fences, Dix, Lola and Rico go to a bar to celebrate their reunion. However, Dix has an incident with the local farmers and arrests Rico for insubordination; meanwhile, there is a shut down in the defense fences and the bugs break into the facility. Lola and Anoke escape in the starship, but it crashes in Planet OM-1 and Lola, Anoke, Chief Bull Brittles (Stelio Savante), Jingo Ryan (Cokey Falkow), Dr. Wiggs (Danny Keogh) and the religious flight attendant Holly Little (Marnette Patterson) save themselves in a rescue pod. When Dix discovers that Admiral Enolo Phid (Amanda Donohoe) has no intention to rescue the survivors in the Arachnid Quarantine Zone, he assigns Rico in the Marauder Program to lead a squad with six other troopers to rescue Lola and Anoke.

"Starship Troopers 3: Marauder" is a reasonable entertaining, with good and also awful points. The good ones are the ironic Federal Network, with manipulative messages and brainwash of the citizens; Jolene "T'Pol" Blalock; and the story as a whole that is not bad. However, there are many stupid lines and dialogs; annoying characters and situations (the attitudes and behavior of the flawed Dix is totally incoherent, Holly Little and Jingo are irritating and Anoke is silly); and this exaggerated subplot of religion is never funny and does not work. The special effects are only reasonable and the set decoration is good. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Tropas Estelares 3" ("Starship Troopers 3")

Not bad at all...heavily flawed though

[alexanderwiebe · 6/10 · 22 July 2008]

It was refreshing to see they reclaimed much of what made the first movie great when making Marauder. The filmmakers tried to copy the 'style' of the first movie, and in some aspects they succeeded. In others however, they failed miserably. Nevertheless, I think they put a lot of effort into the movie this time. For example, the federation broadcasts of the first movie were fantastic because they carried a lot of atmosphere and had so much subtle irony included. In the third movie, I think they overshot the mark a bit. There are a lot of broadcasts and they do a good job helping to create the film's atmosphere, but they are so openly ironic and sometimes it's almost comedy. One would think the officials are crazy to actually air that (Strongly in contrary to the first movie's broadcasts).

The story is not too bad. If you are willing to overlook some flaws you might find to like it. They even implemented a plot twist, which however was not very surprising at all. What I really could not stand was the needlessly exaggerated part about religion.

The cast is OK, but I think the filmmakers should have brought more old characters. It was nice to see Rico again; however it seemed the main characters were actually Lola and Dix instead of him. Dix's character also acts unreasonable on several occasions. And I found that the cast for the sky marshal was good, he has some charisma.

CGI effects are not very impressive. The bugs seem slightly worse animated than in 1997. So do explosions and the settings. The space ships and broadcasts look nice though.

Music is very average. Aside from the great song in the first broadcast there are no themes that would grab your attention. You would expect much much more of Klaus Badelt after his Pirates of the Caribbean score. Maybe he should have oriented his work more on the fantastic score of Basil Poledouris from the first movie. There is perhaps just one tiny little moment towards the end, where you would notice the music as great support for the scene. But once you notice it, its already over.

Writing this review I feel that there is actually not much positive to say in detail. But the composition of all these clearly average components is slightly better, because the atmosphere was right. It can be seen that this is in fact a Starship Troopers movie and not only shares the same name, as the second one did.

Wow, and this from the writer of the first Starship Troopers movie....

[crc_error · 4/10 · 16 July 2008]

Ummmmm what was this? The movie started out pretty decent and then it just kind of fell flat towards the end. Made me appreciate the original that much better. However, I will say, that it is 50% better than Starship 2.

I don't get it, I really don't. I understand that the budget was smaller, I understand why people really like this series, myself included. I just don't understand how it could be screwed up so bad. This series kind of reminds me of the Highlander Series: It started out really good, with a good story, then the producers got a hold of it and put it in the toilet(see recent Highlander:The Source, for confirmation) The point is, there is a fan base for this series. People really want to see more of the Starship troopers. Why do the writers mess it up so bad. And apparently just because they can write, it all of the sudden means that they can direct too? Which is not always the case. Given this movie.

If you are a hardcore fan, this movie is worth watching. While some people are into the hardcore gore(boring), I really like the propaganda machine that these movies put on. However, during the movie when the religion stuff goes over the top(a.k.a. when pilot and soldier are praying and there is a cheesy fading/overlay effect of explosions and things getting blown up, it just was really tacky). And the Marauder part was very brief. The nude scene(while yes, there were nice looking bodies) just seemed totally tacked on and had no plot barring whatsoever. Watching this it was hard to believe that the writer/Director was the same screenplay writer for the first Starship troopers movie. He should stick to better writing and stay away from directing. It's better then the 2nd(not saying much), but very disappointing for those of us who really enjoy the first one and the spirit of the series. Do it right or let it die.

;

A true Sequel to Starship Troopers

[imdb-211 · 8/10 · 25 August 2008]

It's obvious to me that the makers of Starship Troopers 2 simply did not understand the original Starship Troopers movie. Starship Troopers was a great social satire, and is more relevant today than it ever was before. The makers of Starship Troopers 2 thought it was just a dumb war action flick and created their sequel based on that assumption.

But Starship Troopers was not a movie about a war; it was a movie about the society which waged this war.

The people who made Starship Trooper 3 did not make the same mistake. They understood the appeal and the message of Starship Troopers, ignored the abysmal second part, and made a true sequel, even expanding on a lot of the themes started in the original.

If you liked Starship Troopers but did not like the second part, give this one a try (and if you haven't seen part 2, simply assume that Starship Troopers 2 never happened and go straight to 3). You will not be disappointed.

Too Far

[soger · 6/10 · 18 July 2008]

This movie could have been so good, to bad they screwed it up.

I like the idea of the Marauder Project but the CGI animating it is very weak. So is the bug animation. Even the first movie looked better than this one and that was made in '97. I would say the CGI in this movie is on the same level as Robocop 2 which was made 18 years ago.

The story is consistent and entertaining except for the last few minutes. I liked the heavy combats, the mysteries and the political twists. It was interesting to see how a few men in power can manipulate the "truth" if you give up democracy. For the most part the movie kept the tone and the intensity of the first one but then they had to ruin it with the religious crap and cheesy love scenes at the end.

My opinion is that they took it too far with the bugs. For example with the exploding grenade bugs that you see in the first few minutes. Also the bugs' strength is their short lifespan hence their ability to evolve quickly. So, in my opinion this is in direct contradiction with the big bugs that lives for a really long time. But I'm no biologist and this is not a documentary movie.

You can notice that I did not mention Starship Troopers 2. I don't know why people embarrass themselves with movies like ST2 (or even ST3) if they don't have the budget to make a decent movie. ST2 showed just a bunch of amateur actors reading script from the autocue.

So to sum it up I don't regret the 100 minutes spent watching the movie but it will definitely not go into my personal collection.

Rico Returns in a very average third instalment

[stephengraley · 4/10 · 16 July 2008]

I am probably re-iterating the same as everyone else but yes the 1st Starship Troopers was fantastic, the 2nd awful and this is average, the only saving grace being the return of Johnny Rico (van Dein). I suppose it was too much to ask for the return of Denise Richards.

The plot, effects and acting are all pretty average. The movie also ripped off most of the first film with the TV adverts with the line (Do you want to know more) every 5 minutes, Troopers shouting It's a good day to die sir and some of the fight scenes although the cgi was not as good could have been cut directly from the original film.

However its far far far better than the second film which should have never been made. My only disappointment is that if the sequels were not going to be of the same standard as the first film, why bother making them !!!

4/10

Bugs vs old-time religion!

[lowellstone · 3/10 · 5 July 2011]

For about half of the movie, I wasn't too disappointed. If you watch a straight-to video movie you usually get what you pay for. Everything was OK until the not-too-subtle religious overtones made their way to the forefront of the movie. Although I am not against spirituality in appropriate doses, I hate being hit over the head with it. I can't believe the actors were delivering their lines without losing their respective lunches! I read the original book by Heinlein many years ago, and if he were around to see this drivel he would have run away screaming.

An ending with some thought would have been nice. Let's hope that ST4 will be made with one. Maybe Verhoeven will direct.

BTW, did anyone notice the name of the protester who was executed at the end?

Terrible disappointment of a "film"

[Ptharra · 1/10 · 1 August 2010]

An early reaction in this movie I had was surprise that the special effects (especially the look of the bugs) were significantly more "fake" looking than even the original movie.

That said, I thought it looked like it was going to shape up to be a thoughtful social commentary at least. Imagine my disappointment when it turned into more or less a Christian propaganda film.

Even if (like me) you saw the first two and thought you would finish up the trilogy, do yourselves a favor and do something better with you hour and a half...like letting someone blow a vuvuzela in your ear as loud as they can.

Ugh! Really bad!

[siderite · 5/10 · 16 July 2008]

I never expected Casper Van Dien to play in a good movie. And, while I think Jolene Blalock was a great (looking) Vulcan, I never expected her to deliver a fantastic performance. And after the horrible movie that Starship Troopers 2 was, I didn't think I could see worse. Well, let's be honest, it wasn't THAT bad, but it sucked big time.

The special effects were decent for an obviously tiny budget movie, the acting was towards the bad side, the script was RIDICULOUS, while the directing was average. But the plot! Ugh! Can you believe that in the end a veteran soldier finds religion after being relentlessly pestered by a dumb blonde? And the soldier was a woman, so she didn't do it for the normal reason guys get religious around blondes! I mean, it felt like a Christian sect funded movie.

Let me quote you a little: "Maybe we should kill him!" "Why, because he's crazy or he believes in God, like you?" "But... it's the wrong God!". Meh! A mindset fit for a terrorist.

Bottom line: ignore this crappy mutant Starcraft clone tainted with a little of Starship Troopers (which was an anti-war book, you dolts!). Heinlein must be turning in his grave.

This is below caps rage.

[HankScorpio89 · 1/10 · 7 August 2008]

Screw this movie. Screw this movie hard. Anyone who sees this travesty should not rest until this movie is stricken from the human collective conscious. I am too angry to type right now. My friends and I watch horrid movies for fun, and we received no enjoyment what-so-ever with this horrid piece of crap. I got crabbes from watching this. Every boob in this movie had something horribly wrong with it. I would rather watch 'Teeth' whilst straddling a blender than watch this film one more time. 'Showdown in Little Tokyo' was a much better movie in every single regard. I would dare say 'Tokyo' was a comparative MASTERPIECE. I feel the need to watch 'Bloodz vs. Wolvez' again, just so I can feel better about the future of filmography.

Stay Away From This !!!

[gmail-411-259428 · 1/10 · 1 July 2012]

Because when you try to watch it, possibly you would have unbearable headaches or disgusting nausea and vomiting ! This is nothing but another bullshit example of the worst movies ever directed and invested on ! I can not understand why someone waste a lot of time to product and direct these kind of useless trash ? The plot and fiction are even worse so that I guess even the most patient movie watchers can bear only 15 or 20 minutes of this. The places are unclear and the role playings are very blurred and bluntly. It is very plenty of irritation to get into a confusion and confabulation because of what the screenplay exactly tells about. As a result, I ask from the readers of IMDb to keep away all of their family and fellows from this so-called movie !

It's a good day to die, it's a good day to buy.

[TheGodOfDeedsAndWhine · 7/10 · 16 July 2008]

Satire at its best.

Punishments without legal trials? Check. An incompetent leader who thinks God speaks to him? Check. Suicide bombers? Check. Peaceful protesters labeled as terrorists? Check. Swearing considered a blasphemy, while killings go unnoticed? Check. Defeat equals victory? Check.

CGI has been improved - a lot of action sequences look bloodier than anything in the prequels. The "bugs" are more detailed and everyone has been upgraded - the bugs have XXL-scorpions and humans have, well, shovels. If severed limbs and exploding heads are not enough for entertainment, then there are also political intrigues which provide a few twists to keep the story interesting.

If the movie would take itself more seriously it could be a sci-fi epic. However, since the baddie "Main Brain" resembles more "Jabba from Star Wars" and less "Alien from Alien" it fails to do so. Anyhow, the Marauders themselves are impressive weapons and all in all, at the end of the day, Starship Troopers 3 is a worthy sequel that provides a decent amount of entertainment.

A Warner!

[gustin_369 · 1/10 · 27 November 2010]

I just created an account to rate 1/10 and warn people. I had a repressed memory of the sequels of starship troopers and when me and a friend were talking about the worlds most horrible sequels... i remembered these, the starship troopers sequels.

If i hadn't repressed the memories of the mindblasting Terribleness (yes, i have to make up own words to describe them) of these movies I seriously fear that they would SCAR ME MENTALLY for life...

You must not see these movies, even if you love bad movies... really bad movies, DO NOT WATCH these sequels! I'm not hired by anyone to say this, I'm not doing it for own purposes, I'm doing it to help you!

All the best with life!

Afternoon Delight

[canadiancannibal · 10/10 · 20 July 2008]

First things first: This was probably not what most people expected, including myself. Having relished the original film, endured the abortion of the second, and always finding solace in the book, I was ready to face this one head on. It was funny, really funny. After getting under the first layer of hilarity (mixed with appropriate amounts of red pulp), a scathing satire of current events emerged. For a movie that promised absolutely nothing, it delivered everything. No, the acting isn't that hot, but it wasn't trying to be more than it could be. Edward Neumeier succeeded in how he blended the hope and dire warnings of the original book, sprinkle it with hilarity, add a dash of zombie style violence, top it off with hot chicks and shower scenes, finally to be served in a bowl of parody based satire.

Thats enough for me.

Well, not as good as the first, but much better than the second

[mystemo · 6/10 · 24 June 2008]

I tell ya I was dying to see this movie when I heard it was going to be released and it is a mixed bag. The Starship Troopers universe is explored in more detail - we see more of the Federation and their behind the scenes antics plus we also get to see what Rico is up to nowadays. You can tell Casper Van Dien has aged from the first movie, but he does such a good job in his role. You can tell his character has been amongst ongoing struggles and has such a commanding presence. And yes he gets his gear off once again (phew, I was hoping). The supporting cast is OK - the Admiral is excellently bitchy and authoritative and the Pilot was very tough and yet feminine, but the rest were merely bodies to fill the screen, in my opinion. The film does touch on a bit of this and a bit of that, but just falls short of feeling substantial, what the first film achieved so successfully. The special effects are adequate for the budget and often look quite OK - there are also a few gory moments for those into exploding heads and such. Probably the most disappointing aspect was not the fact that the ending was awfully soppy, clichéd and predictably going to lend itself for a sequel, but that the Marauder element was so miniscule that if you blinked you'd miss it (relative to the remaining bulk of the film). Hopefully in the next film they push the marauders more and don't get bogged down in too much unnecessary dialogue. But overall Starship Troopers 3 is a worthy watch and a decent followup to the other films. Thankyou for coming back to the series Casper, that's all I can say :)

Action? NO! Its a comedy!

[christianedholm · 3/10 · 16 October 2008]

Even though the special effects and the acting was horrible the movie can actually be viewed. This movie was so bad it actually became watchable because of it! We laughed so hard when they started praying in the end that we actually fell of the couch :D

Its nice to see Casper Van Dien back (from the first movie) and he lifts the movie up a bit. Marnette Patterson was the highlight for me in this through her small (but very funny) role as the fanatical religious stewardess.

Of course they have pressed some nudity in it since it wouldn't have been a true starship troopers film without it (and yes, that is kind of tacky).

Awful.

[swlit2001 · 1/10 · 16 July 2008]

The second film in the ST series was nicely made little claustrophobic sci fi horror. CG was great for the budget level, as was the art direction, acting and wardrobe. A well made, well written little film. Marauder looks cheap. Terrible CG, uniforms that don't fit, bad green screen, obviously tiny sets. The writing is terrible. I want Edward Neumeier's agent! The only redeeming qualities are Jolene Blalock and Casper Van Dien who both deserve so much better. Why did Neumeier cast so Van Dien looks tiny in some of his best scenes? Van Dien gives a nice performance and Blalock is beautiful and likable even in a role without depth or sense. The bugs look terrible, too. Re-hire the guys who made 2 for 4, even if you have to pay them what they deserve!

So disappointed I'll never watch another of this series again

[tambershall · 1/10 · 15 July 2008]

Wow! That's the first thing that comes to mind after I finished watching this movie. That's after I threw up a few times. No seriously I threw up. I'm a big fan of the first movie, and I even thought that the 2nd movie was okay - not comparable to the first by any means, but still watchable. So I had to see this one - damn they brought back Rico. I now wish that I hadn't. Where should I begin? The first part of the movie was okay. It's not the first time that I've sat through garbage masquerading as a film. The acting was atrocious. Van dien was awful but so was everyone else - minor exception of Blalock who actually can act a little but she was okay because she was surrounded by such atrocious acting. The writing was even worse - the dialogue was below sub-par, it's like a moron wrote this script and nobody corrected an iota of it. The plot was poorly constructed and I'm sure children could have written something better. Essentially the film lost all plausibility and was not at all believable. On top of that the Marauders are only on film for 7 minutes - the name of the film has Marauder in it, and they only put them in for 7 minutes? - unbelievable. The graphics/CGI were slightly worse or the same as the 1st and 2nd movies - how is that possible, shouldn't it get better with time? All of the preceding makes this barely watchable, but finally the religious aspects of the film that became unbearable in the last 15 minutes was not only a pathetic attempt, but so poorly executed that the film became easily one of the top 5 worst movies ever - i mean seriously does religion have to injected into everything? It's contemptible when a potentially decent sci-fi flick is turned into a religious puff piece. IMHO I will not be watching anymore of this series as the sequels not only disgrace the original, but this latest one was so poorly done that they couldn't have done a worse job if they tried. I also am disappointing in Van Dien and Blalock for choosing to be involved with this production - what were they thinking, it's professional suicide. I hope they were paid a lot of money. Stay away from this movie.