So, Starship Troopers - Satire or Just... Bad?

Okay, film fanatics! Priya here, back from a deep dive into the utterly bonkers world of "Starship Troopers" (1997). I know, I know, it's been discussed to death, but I just watched it for the first time in years and I'm seriously conflicted. On the one hand, the special effects (for the time, anyway) are pretty impressive and Casper Van Dien... well, he's got a face, alright. But the whole thing feels so over the top, so intentionally cheesy. Is it supposed to be a satire of fascism, or is it just a really, really bad action movie with giant bugs? What REALLY gets me are those propaganda bits interspersed throughout. The 'Would you like to know more?' segments are so blunt! It's like the movie is screaming 'THIS IS SATIRE, PEOPLE!' But then you have scenes of genuine (if badly acted) human drama, like the whole thing with Carmen and Zander breaking up. Was director Paul Verhoeven even trying for subtlety? Or was he just aiming for maximum explosion-to-brainpower ratio? And don't even get me started on Denise Richards. Love her, but that psychic stuff felt so out of place. What was the point of that subplot, really? It didn't seem to add anything substantial to the overall message. It feels like an afterthought. I'm genuinely torn between thinking it's a brilliant commentary and thinking it's just a glorification of violence with a thin satirical veneer. So, my question is: where do you guys land on the Starship Troopers spectrum? Am I missing something, or is it just as messy and confusing as I think it is? Let's discuss! (And maybe recommend me something REALLY good to cleanse my palate after all that bug-squashing.)