Rating: 
Summary: I'm a convert!
Review: I never saw this one on television or in the store, and I rented this on impulse! And boy am I glad I did! Pluto Campaign, was really neat! The animation top notch, the voice-acting really excellent. My father, a big fan of Starship Troopers, (the novel) was really impressed with the computerized animation, and he hates all animation! The story: Numerous encounters between the hardened marines nicknamed "Roughnecks" and the alien invaders a.k.a "bugs" Characters introduced are: Jonny Rico, Dizzy, Sarge and others. The bugs have invaded Pluto and its up to the Roughnecks to help out! The only thing I disliked was the fact that there were no casualties amongst the marines, not even serious injuries. In order for the bug threat to be believable, some humans must be injured at the very least seriously hurt. (I understand however, the producers desire to shield younger audience members from 'realistic' violence, but I felt this aspect of 'war' should not be quite so candy-coated). I liked the budding romance between Dizzy and one of the other troopers. Great work! can't wait for the next one!
Rating: 
Summary: More than meet the eyes
Review: This serie is awesome. I'm really not a big fan of sci-fictions movie (startrek, babylon 5) but I had decided to give a try to this movie because i'm studying in 3D animation (Maya). After I've watch the first 5 episodes (Pluto), I was hook. The animation and special effects are superb. Of course not as good as Final Fantasy: The spirits withins. On some particulary scenes, we can see some framedrops and motion problem on fast moving scenes. That's is due to the time that they had for the render I guess. It was made 1999 and it had a much smaller budget. The movie itself is much better the Final Fantasy that's the reason why I was hook. The action is great, the story is good and the voice acting is wonderful. It's like watching a real movie. I loved this serie so much that I've bought them all (Tophet, Testa, Hydora, Klendathu, Homefront). I'll also buy the rest of the episodes when they will come out.
Rating: 
Summary: Pitiful!!
Review: If you're like me, and you're looking for a movie that finally does justice to Robert Heinlein's classic work, keep looking. Based on the other glowing reviews about this cartoon (I don't rate it at the level of animation), I purchased this in the hopes that it would more closely follow the simple, classic style of the novel. Instead it more closely follows the hype of the original movie but with a lower quality script and plotline. For those who are looking for a classic action adventure, set in a future where the the military participates in campaigns that contain more than stick figures shooting at cartoon monsters, I recommend that you pick-up the novel and give this DVD a big PASS!
Rating:
Summary: ROUGHNECKS - A series that grows on ya. Part I.
Review: OK, I'm going to attempt to write a brief review on each of the Roughnecks campaign DVDs. First of all the Pluto Campaign sets the mood and establishes the characters. You have the some of the same characters from the live-action film: Johnny Rico, Carmen Ibanez, Zander, Dizzy Florez, Carl Jenkins (the psychic), and Razak. Plus several other characters that are quite good: Doc, Gossard (the squad's mechanic), Brunno, and Higgins (combat photographer). In the Pluto Campaign, we see the MI (Mobile Infantry) troops fighting what they think is just an infestation on Pluto. However they learn at the very end that it's a full scale invasion. On Pluto we see roughly four different types of bugs. The basic bug arachnid warrior, a flying bug later to be known as Ripplers, Plasma Bugs which are the mobile artillery pieces of the bugs, and the Flamethrower bugs. Basically all the types seen in the movie. The action is pretty much non-stop and true, there's no visibile MI casualties, but that's mainly due to the armored life suits that the MI's now wear. These armored suit protect the troopers from the disembowling that the troops saw in the movie. The one thing I noticed in this series is how "smart" the military aspect of the show is. For example, there's a chain of command in the squad and the leader barks orders just like a real
CO and they use real squad tactics through-out. ie Flanking maneuvers, diversions, etc.
The computer animation is good, but not great. You will see a lot of digital motion blur when the bugs move. The troopers when not in their armored suits look extremely fake and hookey. If they would have given the same amount of detail to the people as Square did for the Final Fantasy movie, then this truely would have been a great series. But all in all, if you enjoyed the movie and want to see the on-going adventures of the MI troopers along with some really cool weapon systems and ships, get into the Roughnecks series. I give this campaign 3.5 stars, mainly for the rough animation at this time.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: As someone who's read and reread Heinlein's novel many times in the last 25 years, and thought the film was fantastic, learning of the existence of this animated series was a revelation. Who knew that for all intents and purposes, another six or eight 90+ minute films existed? When I first stumbled across references to some "Roughnecks" TV series I was intrigued. As I checked out the fan sites on the web, I was fascinated. By the time I finished watching "Pluto" last night, I was amazed! This is the real deal, folks! If you were thrilled by the ST universe, and yearned for more when the film was over, here it is. Don't let this series' kid TV origins fool you. This is quality adult level sci-fi entertainment. Toned down gore? Yes. You won't see bloody torsos and separated limbs here, but there's no shortage of dead bugs. This is well thought out science fiction, with convincing military hardware, clever weapons, and intricate vehicles. Amazing visuals, thematic music, intelligent scripts, and splendid voice acting combine to create a top-notch experience. The characters are lifelike, their movement almost always fluid, and sometimes their faces are so realistic that for a moment you forget you're watching animation. The next best thing to another Verhoeven flick. Or eight! This 5-segment "camapign" could truly stand on it's own as a theatrical release. As with anything, there are a couple of small nits to pick, such as how are giant insects with flapping wings flying around (or for that matter even breathing) on airless Pluto? And whats that big beautiful planet/moon overhead? But these are easily forgiven. I purchased the first four disks at once, and have started from the beginning with "Pluto". If the others are this good, and I bet they are, this is gonna be a great ride. I'm already looking forward to the next two DVDs in the series, "Homefront" ("Asteroid" on TV?) and "Klendathu", which should be available in May. Let's hope Sony will be pleased enough with sales to complete the series' last three unaired episodes, which are sitting in limbo. Many of us would jump at the chance to buy disks seven and eight too. Hear that, Sony? If you're trying to decide which of the four disks to buy, I can't help you with that choice yet. What i CAN tell you is that you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: It's good! Honestly!
Review: This is one of the few television programs I would have actually liked to have worked on, simply to be associated with it somehow. Yes, it's that good.
The Pluto campaign is what drew me into the series back when it first aired, and I was thoroughly impressed. It follows the book more closely than the movie, but don't expect a pure translation. Harsh dialogue and human casualties have been severely toned down, but bug deaths seem to be more abundant than ever.
What I found most interesing about the Pluto episodes in general was the 'flashback' segments, detailing PFC Rico's boot camp experiences (If I remember correctly, these were in the Pluto episodes, but I might be mistaken). It was in these flashbacks that the show briefly let Heinlen's fascist society shine through... this can be confusing for the uninitiated, but a nice touch for anyone familiar with the storyline. The storyline itself is very engaging, and the situations relatively believable. This in particular lets you get to know the characters and appreciate their plight moreso than you ever could in the movie.
Some might complain about the CGI detail being lacking, but it is actually quite good, and seems to facilitate the gritty nature of the squad-level combat around which the show revolves.
Overall, this is an excellent introduction to the finest CGI production ever... one which I can easily envision holding it's own in the box office (and beating the pants off that 'Final Fantasy' movie). Definitely check this one out if you're interested in Starship Troopers or any Sci-fi in general.
Rating:
Summary: roughnecks- starship troopers- the pluto campaign
Review: THIS IS THE WORST CGI IV'E EVER SEEN. At first I thought cool because the movie was great, finally come continuity some closure.Perhaps they would use the same computer animation that was used in the movie.(well I was wrong) The graphics remind me of those old Mtv commercials, pretty much just bad overall.The story was none-existant and realism no such thing. I mean an animated version of one of the bloodiest movies in history and not one person came close to being killed.During the course of the whole movie you hear about these massive casualties but you see nothing. One word of advice don't by this movie, Ive seen better clamation than this CGI adventure. Granted out of 50 reviews, including mine, 48 spoke highly of this flick. I bet those 48 people either work for or know someone who works for the company and animators who made this garbage. Save yourself some money.
Rating:
Summary: roughnecks- starship troopers- the pluto campaign
Review: THIS IS THE WORST CGI's IV'E EVER SEEN. At first I thought cool because the movie was great, finally come continuity some closure.Perhaps they would use the same computer animation that was used in the movie.(well I was wrong) The graphics remind me of those old Mtv commercials, pretty much just bad overall.The story was none-existant and realism no such thing. I mean an animated version of one of the bloodiest movies in history and not one person came close to being killed.During the course of the whole movie you hear about these massive casualties but you see nothing. One word of advice don't by this movie, Ive seen better clamation than this CGI adventure. Granted out of 50 reviews, including mine, 48 spoke highly of this flick. I bet those 48 people either work for or know someone who works for the company and animators who made this garbage. Save yourself some money.
Rating:
Summary: Roughnecks-The Pluto Campaign
Review: Of the two currently out in VHS format, I would recommend this one(if you're only buying one). Roughnecks has certainly captured the flavor of SST. You may even recognize some of the hardware you read about. I love the series!
Rating:
Summary: More reserved, but enjoyable none the less
Review: In a mood to take a look at something new in the realm of computer-generated animation, I decided to check out the first volume of the Starship Troopers Roughnecks chronicles. Being a fan of the over-the-top and oh-so-very unsubtle live-action flick, I expected much of the same here (with the language & violence toned down to a great degree, of course). Strangely enough, it ended up being even more reserved than I initially anticipated! Although it continues the movie's war epic scenario, the Pluto campaign features very few human casualties, save for a drop-ship taken out by plasmas and the occasional flesh wound. Plenty of bug slayings, though, just like the movie. But, even though the show's aimed at a younger audience, the dialogue is significantly more mature and the personal interactions between characters are deeper and better defined than what most folks would expect from "kiddie fare". The only real downside: the computer animation is pretty good for a TV budget, but is a fair distance away from being top-notch. The facial expressions of the human characters don't really display too much range or emotion. And some of the warrior bugs don't always look consistently three-dimensional in some scenes. But, if you can see it in your heart to forgive these little shortcomings, and you really enjoy space-opera shoot-em-up action, this disc is worth at least a look! 'Late
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