Out of order again
by Gord Lacey (All reviews) |
5/26/2002 |
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles "The Klendathu Campaign" is the fifth volume in the series, but the sixth episode arc containing episodes 26-30. Episodes 21-25 from the "Asteroid Campaign" haven't been released yet, but the story didn't seem to progress as much between volumes 1 and 2 (episodes 1-5 and 16-20). I hope the "Asteroid Campaign" will be released sometime in the future.
"The Klendathu Campaign" takes place on the bug homeworld, so you can imagine the number of bugs present in these episodes. Lieutenant Zander is infected with a virus and is transformed into a bug/human mutant. It was in the previous campaign that Zander was infected by the virus.
Video
As with the previous volumes, there are a few rendering problems. Objects that appear in the distance shimmer due to the increased resolution of the DVD format, and probably due to some settings used in Lightwave, the 3D program used to animate the series. A bit of video noise is present in the in the picture. Audio
There's a wonderful English Dolby Digital 5.1 track on this release. The rear speakers are "alive" with ambient effects and other sound effects. One of my favorite rear effects occurs in one of the early episodes where Rico bounces a ball, with the sound coming from the right rear. The ship zooming from the read speakers to the front speakers was also very nice. French and Spanish tracks are also included on this release along with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Extras - How we rate extras
Filmmakers' Commentary
I just can't say enough about the commentary tracks included on the "Roughnecks" DVD releases. We have a great commentary track with Audu Paden (Producer), Jeff Kline (Co-Executive Producer) and others. The track is full of excellent information about the series, the problems and the history. It's never dull and is a great way to spend an hour and a half. Fans of the series will love it.
Technical Commentary
The animators share their insight into the show and reveal interesting "hidden" things in the episodes.
Filmographies
Filmographies for Jeff Kline (Co-Executive Producer), Audu Paden (Producer), Tish Hicks (Carmen), Rider Strong (Carl), E.G. Daily (Dizzy), James Horan (Doc), Alexander Polinsky (Higgins), Jamie Hanes (Razak) and Rino Romano (Rico).
Trailer
A trailer for the Roughnecks DVDs is included. Summary
Well, once again I'm a little upset that the show wasn't released in order but at least it's not as bad as the different between volumes 1 and 2. I just love these commentary tracks because they don't really repeat much information from the previous tracks and they give so much insight into the show. They're just great. |
