The book and movie are fundamentally different beasts. Though are both in true Science Fiction form of giving characters a shiny thing, running with it on soci

The book and movie are fundamentally different beasts. Though are both in true Science Fiction form of giving characters a shiny thing, running with it on social/political/economic implications, and viewing it through the lens of modern politics. The movie was written post "failed military policy" from the perspective of dozens of minor conflicts, middle east interventions, and a few major ones like Vietnam. It explicitly satirizes "political exceptionalism", when they are anything but (utterly incapable intelligence leading to massive fleet loses to artillery, woefully under equipped soldiers, and even psychic abilities used to comical effect of "they're afraid"). While having a "social media reality" that lets the myth of exceptionalism flourish. The books are essentially written as a love affair to cold war policy, and the concept of the "forever war" against an enemy (the bugs which are essentially the perfect red communists, led by a cabal of male psychic bugs). The soldiers are woefully over equipped to the point that they make master chief from Halo look wimpy, and put through training that makes them actually exceptional. And it is explicitly written through the lens of "this forever war is a just and good thing". __ They can also be read through the lens of "this is a drunken romp". The book an action combat read, and the movie a comedy. Assuming you don't have the patience to dig into the lessons they offer. I actually enjoy both. And find the fact that they are nearly perfect foils of each other, even more enjoyable. And the books did purposefully set recruitment up so that people entering the office would be forced to see grim realities of what they were signing up for, and that people joining would have multiple outs to get out.