Der immer wieder großartige Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers!) hat ein sehr lesenswertes Interview gegeben, nachzulesen bei Aint-it-Cool-News, hier ein paar Auszüge:

"Do you deliberately intend to shock with extreme violence in your films?

I like showing things as they are. I don't avoid anything.

But you do it because you can...

It's not really a motivation or anything. Well, maybe it IS a motivation when a movie doesn't turn out the way I want it to. I really wanted to make something more out of HOLLOW MAN, really delve into Sebastians character on a psychological level, but the story wouldn't allow it. So if it HAS to be a mainstream-slasher, I like to hit my audience as hard as I can; I mean, I have to take some pleasure in it as well, don't I?"

(...)

So is it just a coincidence that Paul Verhoeven made four great scifi-films?

Yes, because frankly I’m not a sciencefiction-fan at all! To tell you the truth, I hate sciencefiction! The ROBOCOP-script was actually in my garbage-can when my wife persuaded me to take another look at it. It was only when I recognized certain elements that reminded me of TOM POES IN THE LAND OF THE TIN MEN, one of my favorite comic books, that I started to see some fun in the script and the film. "