The 1990s were a great decade for sci-fi, marked by groundbreaking and blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, Total Recall, and Independence Day. Another film from the decade got all the wrong kind of attention before later earning a cult classic status, and sci-fi fans have just over a week to stream it before it disappears from streaming.
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Netflix’s streaming lineup features some incredible sci-fi movies – from The Martian to Jurassic Park – but that catalog is about to get a little slimmer. On October 31st, Paul Verhoeven’s vastly misunderstood 1997 sci-fi cult classic Starship Troopers is scheduled to leave Netflix, meaning there are only a few days left to fit in a final watch. The movie is set in a distant future during a time when the Earth is at war with a race of giant deadly bugs known as the Arachnids. In an effort to save humankind, an infantry unit heads to distant alien planets to take the war to the Bugs.
Starship Troopers Is One of the Most Misunderstood Movies of All Time
Starship Troopers didn’t receive much love upon its release in 1997. In fact, the movie initially faced plenty of critical backlash after it was misinterpreted as endorsing fascism rather than being viewed as what it actually is – a satirical take on and scathing indictment of fascism and militarism. The Washington Post described Verhoeven’s tone as “so inconsistent that it’s impossible to decide whether he’s sending up the Third Reich or in love with it,” and The Los Angeles Times argued that the movie upheld the “fascist utopianism” of Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel on which it is based.
In the years since its release, Starship Troopers has been re-evaluated and is now widely considered a cult classic. The movie, which holds a 72% critic score and 70% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is celebrated as an anti-fascist allegory. Beneath the bug-hunting war story, the movie is a great sharp satire of a militarized society that blends brutal and visceral action sequences that still hold up today with thought-provoking themes.
Although not an immediate success, Starship Troopers went on to launch a military sci-fi franchise that includes four sequels— the live-action movies Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004) and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008), and the animated films Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012), and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017) – as well as a 1999 animated television series.
Where to Stream Starship Troopers After It Leaves Netflix
Unfortunately, Starship Troopers currently doesn’t have a new streaming home lined up. The various streaming services haven’t yet dropped their November 2025 newsletters, so it’s possible the movie could end up moving to another major streaming service sometime next month. If that isn’t the case, fans will either have to rely on VOD services like Fandango at Home, Google Play Movies, and Prime Video, or on physical copies of the movie.
Fans hoping to delve deeper into the franchise after watching Starship Troopers before it leaves Netflix will have a bit of trouble. The two live-action sequels are both available to stream on The Roku Channel, but the two animated follow-ups are only available on VOD.
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