Rogue Trooper Review: Duncan Jones’ Gonzo Sci-Fi Epic Is a Wild, Uneven Ride

PLOT: 19 (Aneurin Barnard), a genetically modified infantryman, survives an ambush on the planet Nu-Earth, which is in the middle of a war between two factions, the Norts and Southers. Stranded behind enemy lines, 19 and his three squadmates, Gunnar (Jack Lowden), Bagman (Reece Shearsmith) and Helm (Daryl McCormack), who have been killed but have their personalities uploaded to his gun, rucksack and helmet, must make their way home to prevent an ambush.

REVIEW: Rogue Trooper marks director Duncan Jones’ first movie since Mute back in 2018, with it being an ambitious adaptation of the classic comic strip of the same name from 2000 AD, the same comic that gave us Judge Dredd. Uncompromising in its fidelity to the source material, Jones has opted to do it in animated form, with him using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 tool, which includes motion-capture stunt sequences and was refined by hand to give it a cinematic, un-robot-like feel.

Certainly, the movie has an incredible look. In an era where AI threatens to usurp animation, Rogue Trooper is defiantly man-made. Sure, lots of sophisticated technology was involved, but it was all filtered through Duncan Jones’ highly personal lens, with it truly feeling like the work of the same man who gave us Moon and Mute, along with the underrated adaptation of Warcraft. While the animation doesn’t always look all that convincing, it doesn’t really have to, as it’s envisioning a whacked-out, bizarro world, with the film’s devotion to the comic strip evident from the opening credits, which actually present us with panels from the comic, showing us just how close to the universe depicted in 2000 AD we’re going to get.

It’s also defiantly British, with lots of English slang and references, with it perhaps being the only sci-fi epic you’ll ever see where an action scene is scored to The Animals, while other cuts like Chesney Hawkes’ “The One and Only” and The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” fill the soundtrack, with the proper score by Bear McCreary. Aneurin Barnard plays the hulking hero, 19, who is defined by his loyalty to his fallen comrades, with him wanting to return them to his home base so their surviving personalities can be given new bodies. Even still, they survive in a form, with McCormack’s Helmet being the brains, Lowden’s gun being the brawn, while Shearsmith’s backpack is the comic relief, with his chip having been warped in a firefight. Not all the humor—and there’s a lot of it—works, with some of it quite clumsy and groan-inducing, like Bagman breaking out into “Stayin’ Alive” during a firefight. Yet, it’s all very much in Jones’ wheelhouse, with it feeling like we’re truly seeing his vision on-screen.

At times, this vision is thrilling, with some dynamic set pieces, while the imagery is gorgeous. The animation isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly cool to look at, and to its credit, it never looks like a video game come to life. At other times, though, the movie gets tedious, with too much humor and a lot of time spent with a collection of supporting characters that aren’t that intriguing, such as Jemaine Clement and Matt Berry’s villainous Brass and Bland. The action, which is plentiful, also gets repetitive, and at two hours, the film feels like more of a slog than it should.

Even still, Rogue Trooper is unique and seems destined for a cult following, especially in the UK. Fans of 2000 AD may think this is the adaptation of their dreams, and more power to them. In North America, it will likely attract a more niche but appreciative audience.