Director Paul Verhoeven is back in his subversively nimble RoboCop groove with the uproariously cheeky Starship Troopers (# # # # out of four), a battle of the bugs that flips sci-fi on its ear and even ruder places. Having it both ways, this twisted space opera serves up carcasses in six-digit figures but is foremost a sendup for the ages.

Adapted by Ed Neumeier and Verhoeven from Robert A. Heinlein's Right-of-Atilla novel, Troopers has a warped premise: Only a "Federal Service" army of sweet-tempered, fresh-faced fascists has the moxie to challenge hordes of celestial arthropods (some with built-in flamethrowers).