Roughnecks: the Pluto campaign

Using computer animation, “Roughnecks: The Pluto campaign” is five episodes from the American TV series. Based on the novel by Robert Heinlein, this series shares the same source material as the feature film “Starship troopers” (Verhoeven, 1997). On planet Pluto giant bugs are on the loose, threatening the lives of space station workers. A crack team of military crew (that naturally consists of a pair of new and green recruits) is dropped there on a mission to eliminate the bugs, no questions asked. Once there they discover that the task is much harder than envisioned and personal politics and feelings start to interfere with the mission as the danger from the marauding bugs increases. Bearing the aesthetic hallmarks of “Aliens” in its design, “Roughnecks” also mimics the space crew’s banter, tensions and infighting. The animation of the show is impressive but highlights the difficulties that arise for artists attempting to re-create human expressions. Funny and funky, “Roughnecks” is an entertaining series that doesn’t go anywhere new dramatically but has some witty one-liners and a great sense of the absurd. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Daily, David DeLuise, Bill Fagerbakke, Nicholas Guest.