Bypassing most of the cheekiness that was the backbone of its predecessor, Starship Troopers 2 is a dark and horrific tale that's modest in its budget but high in its execution. The sequel focuses on a more tense and claustrophobic level that works hard for its scares while delivering once again on the gore factor. Acclaimed effects artist Phil Tippett makes an impressive leap to the director's chair with this straight-to-cable (and later to DVD) feature that's sure to turn a few skeptics' heads. In fact, the turn to horror is an admirable one that pays off in more ways than one. While it might've helped the production to have kept the secrecy of "who's infected and who's not" plot intact (creating a denser and more frightening base for a fright flick), one could say that that would have been too much of a tonal shift for such a sequel. What's fun is that Starship Troopers 2 teeters between moody, nasty, and outrageous, all in unexpectedly entertaining ways. Ed Neumeier's script is still full of the glorious biting dialogue that only he could cook up -- see all dialogue from the General (Ed Lauter) for proof -- with his patented political satire just below the surface for the hardcore sci-fi nuts to fetish over. The sense of maniacal glee that oozes from Paul Verhoeven is definitely missed, as is Clancy Brown's charisma and strongly defined character in the first film (it was rewritten after scheduling conflicts), but it's hard to dwell on such issues with such a fine popcorn-loving movie like this one to feast on. The effects look surprisingly good, it's bloody, and it has just enough laughs and scares in it to make it one fine time at the movies.