Holiday Flix: Roughnecks (Starship Troopers Chronicles)- The Pluto Incident

Here's a blast from the recent past.  Before they were making CG Films for the DVD Market, the folks behind Starship Troopers made...a Cartoon Show?  Yeah, weird choice.  After a Mortal Kombat Cartoon (Kartoon?), I guess anything goes.  Roughnecks was the continuation of the Story before we got either Direct-to-DVD Live-Action Sequel or the CG one, we got this.  This was an ambitious Show from the sound of it.  They wanted to do Eight 5-Episode Stories to tell a new Story in the same Universe.  Why not continue the Story though?  Dunno.  The whole thing didn't quite work out and has ended up in the hands of Mill Creek Entertainment.  That's not good.  Regardless, let's take a look at the first Story...

In this one, they go to Pluto to fight some bugs.  This is supposed to set everything all up...

We get the 'I'm doing my part.  Are you doing your's?' bit, but...wow.  These are ugly, CG Characters.

I know you're not supposed to 'judge a Book by its Cover,' but...I mean, this General looks like that Old Man Puppet that Jeff Dunham uses.

How can I focus on the Plot with these kind of Visuals?

In spite of that, we get a decent enough Story involving the Roughnecks battling the Bugs, but the Action is just so censored and sedate...but then we get a Female Trooper talking about how killing bugs 'gets your juices flowing.'

Consistency?

The Bugs are game, but the Troopers are just too damn tough.  Need I say anymore?  The End.

An ugly-looking, but decently-written Show.  Before anyone calls me some sort of snob, I defy you to NOT be distracted by this jerky and weird-looking CG.  It is just...it must have just looked good at the time.  Aside from the just the technical aspects, the Characters look like vacant-eyed weirdos.  The Character Design is just as much at fault- if not more- as the actual CG is here.  It like watching animated dolls!  Another thing to note is that the Action is so censored here, especially compared to the Movie.  I get it- you're not making an R-Rated Cartoon.  Even so, could you make it look less obvious?  The attempt at any Political Humor or Satire is also gone here.  While I don't consider the Film to be a Satire, many do.  I *kind of* get their point, but I just don't agree.  With this one, they will be/have been disappointed in that regard.  Whether or not you think they were trying to be funny, the first Film is kind of funny for many different reasons (mostly bad).  This Show has none of that.  It is just weird-looking doll people shooting bugs.  It's alright.  What do you think, newer CG Troopers?

Next up, I continue to cover the so-called Sons of Kong.  Now that we're into the 1950s, will things improve?  Stay tuned...