The Sci Fi Films of Paul Verhoeven

Paul Verhoeven (b.1938) is a dutch director, producer and screenwriter. So far, he has directed seven Hollywood films. Four of which are in the genre of Science Fiction. His films are notorious for excessive violence, gore and sexual content.

He has directed a total of seven films for Hollywood before returning to his homeland. His non sci-fi films include :

Flesh+Blood (1985)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Showgirls (1995)


Robocop (1987) was his first science fiction film and was a major hit when it was released. Set in the not too distant future where crime is prevalent, the film is about a cop who was brutally murdered and was saved by combining his body with a machine.

Lots of action and strong brutal violence throughout.

The 30th Anniversary DVD will be released on August 21 this year.

Followed by 2 sequels and a TV series



His next film was an even bigger success. Total Recall (1990) starred action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger and was based on a story by veteren sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick (who also wrote Blade Runner, Paycheck, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly)

It had everything: action, violence and humour. Highly recommended viewing for fans of Sci-Fi.





After the success of Starship Troopers, another attempt was made to make a movie from another famous sci-fi author.
Starship Troopers (1997) is based on a book by Robert A. Heinlein. The movie focuses on a group of close friends who sign up in the army to fight the insect aliens that have threatened earth.

Followed by a Straight to Video sequel.

Part 3 is in the works.




The 4th and final sci-fi film marks his last Hollywood entry before leaving for his homeland. Although there have been many movies about the invisible man (John Carpenter's Memoirs of an Invisible Man springs to mind, this movie is about an invisible man that became evil.

Some nice effects of the process of how he became invisible, and the ways of detecting the presence of the invisible man.

Other than that, it was an average sci-fi flick. Not one of Verhoeven's best.