Customer Reviews

Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Tesca Campaign

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second DVD in the "Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles" CGI series, the Tesca Campaign takes Razak's Roughnecks to a jungle world teaming with new, frightening arachnid species. The squad will face not only the 'bugs' but also serious trials within its own ranks. Some old faces will be lost in battle, new faces in the unit are met with suspicion and hostility. These are by far the best episodes of the series, in sophistication of animation, superior story, and realistic characterization. One warning: these episodes take place in the middle of the series, well after the events of the Pluto campaign (the first DVD). In the interim the Roughnecks have fought campaigns on several worlds including Tophet, where they faced the Skinnies, a sophisticated alien race allied to the bugs (a plot device pulled directly from Heinlein's book). During the campaign they discover the Skinnies are being used against their will by tiny control bugs. The Skinnies are freed, but Carl Jenkins, the Roughneck's psychic is critically injured in the process and lost to the squad. The Tesca campaign opens with the Skinnies, now allies to the humans, joining the war effort. The Roughnecks are chagrinned to learn that this includes a Skinnie being added to their squad. Pvt. T'Phai, a former adversary must now weather the resentment and predjudice of the squad. The alien soon proves his worth in battle, and not a moment too soon. For one of the Roughnecks will fall in battle. I won't say more and spoil the surprise. Again the animation work by Sony and Foundation Imaging is first rate. Realistic action, incredible vehicles, emotionally real performances from the virtual 'cast'. This isn't just another 'cartoon'. If you enjoyed the Pluto campaign, or just enjoy first rate science fiction or war stories, you want this DVD.

This series became kind of a treasure to me when I originally happened upon it on early morning weekday television before going to work.

I had seen and liked the film for what it was, but to be honest the film didn't engage the original Heinlein story that much. The spirit of kids becoming adults through their military experience wasn't really there, and Heinlein's imagined military society was treated in only the most facile and jokey way.

This series takes Heinlein's spirit seriously. It's all summed up for me in the last episode that was produced (there are still a few more that haven't been produced yet... please check out the fan website and sign the petition!) that has a moment when one character who has been thrust into a position of authority expresses his doubts about his own ability by saying his mentor, who believed in him, must have been mistaken. The answer he is given is, "If you respected him as much as you say, then you wouldn't try so hard to prove him wrong". That, although I don't think it came from the novel, is in it's spirit pure Heinlein. It's the kind of deep lesson that American animated series rarely reach for so wholeheartedly. This series, in targeting a younger audience but not writing down to it, in fact in writing more maturely than many series written for adults, achieves exactly the effect that the Heinlein juvenile novels did in their day. It challenges with concepts and moral dilemas at the same time as entertaining with pyrotechnics and spectacle.

The first episode I lucked into of Roughnecks is one that hasn't been collected on one of these discs yet. It was one in which an experimental combat robot is assigned to the Roughnecks, and they all resent it, but it ends up sacrificing itself in a jaw-droppingly spectacular sequence of combat to save the squad. The episode's narrator, Higgins, sums up the story at the end saying the military command has decided not to use robot soldiers as they are too expensive. Higgins' final comment floored me as much as the great cgi battle, something I would have never expected from a weekday morning animated series... "Good thing troopers come cheap."

The writing and the character development are far superior to anything I've seen series wise in the states. I remember these things as though they were live action shows. I'd rate them up with such shows as Babylon 5 and some of the better Star Treks, except that the Roughnecks storyline is more riveting than anything I've seen over the last couple of seasons or Star Trek, and the acting, between the voice actors and the wonderful facial animation, much much better than most of the acting on Babylon 5.

So please, if you're on the fence and reading this review, give the Roughnecks a try. And get your friends to watch it too. And buy lots of DVDs, so they'll keep bringing them out. There are 40 episodes out there, but only 10 are collected between 2 discs so far. Each disc of 5 episodes can be viewed as one film, and the two discs that have been released so far can be viewed independently if neccissary. There are nuances of character that grow as the show progresses, but you can watch this second disc without having seen the first, you'll still get what's going on.

With the release of "Final Fantasy" there has been a lot of talk about CGI and how revelutionary the film was. "Final Fantasy" was great movie but not too many people realize that the Roughnecks series had been out way before the "Final Fantasy" release was known to the general public. This series which originally aired in 1999 on the sci-fi channel was a magnificant show. The effects and originality of the show was grade A. Anyone who enjoys Animated movies or series will really enjoy this DVD. I would have given this a 5 star, however the one thing that could have been improved was the soundtrack. The sound effects were crisp and realistic, but the music just did not fit the action sequences. This aside this DVD is a must have for all you anime and animation fans!

This disc contains episodes 16 thru 20 of Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (40 episodes altogether). For those of us who have seen the entire series, we're happy to see some of our favorite episodes finally released in DVD format. For those of you who are new to the show, this DVD contains a Filmmakers' Commentary feature which will bring you up to speed on the series as well as provide some insight into the quirky production process of this completely computer-generated show.

Over the course of the series, some of the main characters get wounded and spend time "off stage" to recuperate. One of the main characters is ultimately killed. Each planetary campaign introduces the possibility that not every member of the Roughnecks squad will survive. Such is the case at the beginning episode 16 where an alien character (and former enemy) is recruited to replace a trooper who was hospitalized in a previous episode. This is a very well written series which takes the consequences of war and combat seriously. The characters are fully developed over time and the sheer ambition and complexity of the CGI is truly breathtaking. Also, the techno-inspired soundtrack continues to be one of my favorite elements of the show. The original score contributes much to the energy and mood of every scene.

The Roughnecks series is a decent compromise between Heinlein's original stories and Verhoeven's warped distortion of it. (Indeed, in flashback, there's quite a bit almost directly from Heinlein.) The animation is good, and for a "cartoon" the storyline is quite mature.

What makes this disc stand out is the very fine commentary track. I learned a lot about the writing, about CGI, about doing "childrens shows" ... it's worth investing the extra time after watching the movie first.

I'm tickled pink that the rest of the series will be coming out.

Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers is an animation show based upon the novel by Robert A. Heinlein that incorporates many of the elements from the novel as well as the 1997 movie, Starship Troopers. The show is brought to you by Sony/Tristar Television , with the production being done by Foundation Imaging, Flat Earth Productions, Rainbow Studios and HyperImage. Roughnecks is completely done with computer generated images. Fully, CGI animation shows are not new, but Roughnecks pushes the envelope and has elevated the medium to lofty heights so far not seen on the small screen. Roughnecks follows the exploits of Razack's Roughnecks, a squad of Mobile Infantrymen deployed to the far reaches of space to combat the bug threat.

I LOVE THIS STUFF! AS YOU CAN SEE. IT GETS ME VERY WORKED UP. IM ADDICTED TO ROUGHNECKS. I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOVE IT TOO! THE STORY IS CAPTIVATING! THE ACTION IS INTENSE! THE SOUNDTRACK ROCKS! I NEED MORE! MORE MORE MORE! BUY THIS DVD, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! IM ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT EVERY TIME I WATCH ROUGHNECKS! AND WHEN IT ENDS, I JUST HIT REWIND AND WATCH IT AGAIN!...

Sales of the first Roughnecks DVD had been brisk enough to allow the release of the Tesca Campaign in September. Only a couple months ago, Sony also gave the green light to the release of two more DVDs, Hydora and Tophet. Episodes 1 though 20 will be released. In addition these new DVDs would have plenty of extras. Cast photos and bios as well as lots of concept art would be included on the new releases. The Tesca arc will have a director's commentary track, and the next two DVDs will have director and CGI director commentary on the disc.

when i first viewed ST:roughnecks a few years back early one morning, i knew i was onto something great. previous attempts were made at saturday morning CGI shows, like RE:BOOT and BEAST WARS but never completely caught on. roughnecks was the first of these to fully capture my attention, which it did until the show's end. sadly, the show was missing 3 key episodes before the studio pulled the plug, leaving us fans without true "closure". these dvds are a great way to relive the adventures of rico & gang, and who knows? mybe sony would be willing to finish it for us. hope...

After viewing all 4 DVDs, I think this one is the best! The animation just gets better and better. Absolutely fantastic. Excellent action sequences, fluid motion, great effects, cool weapons. I finally got to see alot more of what I was lookin' for - the Marauder suits in action. Plenty of that on this disk!

As always, very good voice acting brings the well done scripts to life. The plot developments add new depth to the characters and their relationships. If you view the disks in order - Pluto, Hydora, Tophet, then Tesca, you can really appreciate the development of these characters, and the story that is unfolding. Can't wait for the next two disks due out in May.

If you're thinking of going whole hog and intend to buy all four DVDs at once, then make sure you watch them in their "proper" order. You won't regret it. If you just want to try a single one out, then decide if you like it, I'd recommend Tesca or Tophet. They're all good, Pluto and Hydora too. The issue with Hydora is that because it's a water planet, and doing convincing CGI animation of water is terribly difficult to do, the visuals aren't quite as engaging as the other campaigns. Might as well judge the series by its best work. Enjoy!

Basicaly, anyone who's seen 'Roughnecks' will tell you it's an epic that was thrown into the 'Childeren's Cartoon' category. The Tesca Campaign proves this. Razak's Roughnecks have been transfered to the lush, jungle moon Tesca Nemerosa, which has been designated the bread basket of the Bug forces. The squad is still recovering from the loss of their squadmate Carl Jenkins when they are asigned a new trooper: Private T'Phai. Now the squad must not only fight without Carl, they have to fight beside the 'Skinnie' who they believe was the cause of Carl's hospitalization. New threats, new bugs, and close calls await the Roughnecks, but that's nothing compared to what awaits one of them, and he may not survive it..... One of the most popular story archs in Roughnecks, the Tesca Campaign is a must-buy for any fan of the show.

This DVD was released after the first one (Pluto), but they should not be watched in that order.

After PLUTO, it's HYDORA, then TOPHET, and finally TESCA. They make up the first 20 episodes out of a 40 episode season. Hopefully, the next 20 will make it to DVD as well. But take note, the filmmakers explain in the commentaries that the last 3 or 4 episodes were written and recorded but NEVER PRODUCED.

Tesca is an interesting campaign. It is very different from the previous ones in that it gradually gets less violent and more emotional.

The first episode deals with Rico's struggle to accept T'Phai, a "skinny," into the Roughnecks. I thought Rico's hostility was way overdone and his actions unrealistic. There are better, more subtle ways to dramatize hate and narrow-mindedness. But since this is supposed to be a kid's show, I understand the need to make things like this obvious.

One of the later episodes in the DVD deals with Rico's psychological coma. The shooting and blasting takes a back seat to the emotional battles raging inside Rico. It's a refreshing change of pace, and you'll be surprised at how emotionally involving it gets. Dizzy really gets the opportunity to develop as a character and her relationship with Rico is moving.

The rest of the episodes contain the usual doses of great story and even greater action.

Live forever, Apes!