Cheap Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Klendathu Campaign (DVD) (Jay Oliva, Michael Chang, Chris Berkeley, Sam Liu, Alan Caldwell, Sean Song, Audu Paden, David Hartman (III)) Price

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Customer Reviews of Roughnecks - The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Klendathu Campaign

Human arrogance takes center stage
Thanks to BKN, I've been privy to see these episodes beforehand and I have to commend their creators. Without trying to be vague and still ease people's apprehension (I was allowed to see the episodes in order and hate spoilers, so forgive my vagueness), this series, while showing us the flaws in the bipedal killing machine, works on a few levels. It doesn't simply give the viewer an army of bugs as they are overrun, but instead continues with the progression of the characters and their unfortunate plight. Thusfar, we, the viewers, have watched our beloved Roughnecks turn from rookies into hardened veterans as they've faced down adversity and droves of bugs. Still, the series outdoes itself in this set of episodes, leading us even further down paths that weren't so easily predicted. They manage, in the battle for the bugs home planet, to pull out all the stops and show us a battle worthy of our attention. Certainly, we all knew that this was coming, but what we didn't know was the wonderful surprise that leads our Roughnecks, like cattle, into the next, and final, installation of the series. Personally, I think this was the second best piece of the Starship Troopers Campaign, and was the best to come along thusfar. Still, what else would you expect from bugs defending their homes?
I highly recommend the whole series, but I recommend this DVD and the next as two that are definitely worth purchasing. (Thank you, BKN!!!)

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Keeps Getting Better!
Second to last in the series, this group of five episodes is extremely fast-paced and nicely plotted.
Best of all, in spite of this being "juvenile" action (as Heinlein originally planned to market his novel), the Klendathu Campaign has more depth of character, gung-ho humor and just plain good old-fashioned story-telling charm than anyone would ever expect from a CGI "cartoon".

As I have said previously, the creators of Roughnecks deserve at
least one Hugo award for their efforts. Granted, the graphics and movement are not up to the Spirits Within level. But for all the reasons that really matter - the heart and soul of a story well told with characters that have some resonance - Roughnecks Chronicles has all the spirit that counts.
Let's hope the creators of this thing get to finish it someday. And go on to give us more quality science fiction CGI.
Live Forever, you apes!

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TAKING THE WAR TO THE BUGS
The Roughnecks bring the war to the bugs in "The Klendathu Campaign", the latest DVD release from the Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles series. The story opens with the Valley Forge being hijacked by an intruder with intimate knowlege of the ship. (Unfortunately the identity and origin of this intruder is explained in the previous 'Ice Asteroid Campaign' which is not yet released)The Roughnecks pursue the intruder forcing him to escape in a rescue pod, but not before he pilots the ship to Klendathu, the bug's home world. This marks the beginning of SICON's massive attack on the bug home. The Roughnecks participate in a massive 'D-Day' style invasion of Klendathu, confront an old friend now turned enemy and face a last stand against bug hoards in an abandoned trench. In the dramatic conclusion to the campaign Razak's squad is reunited with a long lost comrade to participate in a commando raid to destroy the arachnid queen and bring the war to a swift end.
The Klendathu Campaign is a thrilling continuation of the Roughnecks saga. The CGI by Foundation Imaging just continues to grow more subtle and sophisticated. The staging area, Klendathu is a fetid fog covered world swarming with seas of bugs. Battles range from massive invasions to search and destroy missions and even commando raids deep within enemy territory. The stories remain remarkably subtle and complex for American animation. The characters continue to grow and change; another Roughneck is lost to a crippling injury, an old squadmate returns but has changed in frightening ways, gung-ho Dizzy experiences self-doubt, while Rico begins to show leadership mettle. The series even pauses from endless battles to let the Roughnecks compose heartfelt messages home from battle (in 'Letters Home') This DVD is a must for any serious fan of animation and first rate story-telling.