Based on the classic 2000 AD comic series created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, Rogue Trooper tells the story of 19, a "Genetic Infantryman," who finds himself the sole survivor of an invasion force.
Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and backpack.
Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code, Warcraft, Mute) has written and directed an animated science fiction feature based on the iconic property, and it was shown to audiences for the first time yesterday at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
A handful of reviews for the movie have since dropped (via SFFGazette.com), and while Rogue Trooper doesn't even have a Rotten Tomatoes page (likely because it's yet to secure an official release), the movie has been completed and is receiving enthusiastic and positive reviews.
Crucially, these come from both the Hollywood trades and entertainment websites, which bodes well when it comes to a studio somewhere considering Rogue Trooper for a theatrical or streaming debut.
"The comedy doesn’t always land, just as it sometimes didn’t in the underrated Mute, but the bold choice here is to go broadly British and bathetic rather than ape the increasingly boring wisecracking style of the Marvel/DC movies," Deadline writes. "However, take a step back and the world-building is jaw-dropping; on a big screen, Rogue Trooper is almost overwhelming."
The trade concludes, "It’s not exactly going to keep the James Cameron who made Avatar up at night, but it absolutely is in the spirit of the sadly lesser-spotted James Cameron who made the first Terminator movie. Who knows where it will take us? Will the real future of futuristic futures start here? Let’s hope so."
The Wrap's review was similarly positive, and it concluded by saying, "This is a movie full of giant robots and blue soldiers and gargantuan crystals sticking out of the ground for no other reason than that they look cool. You could imagine some of the tableaus from the film airbrushed on the side of a van or on the cover of a heavy metal album from the late 1970s. This is not going to be to everyone’s taste."
"But the movie’s freewheeling energy (again: you can retain as much as you want and discard as much as you want), its charming characters and genuinely awe-inspiring visuals, made on a fraction of a typical Hollywood budget but just as ornate as anything in a blockbuster costing hundreds of millions more, make 'Rogue Trooper' a unique and admirable object."
Hailing Rogue Trooper as an "eccentric, entertaining animated actioner," ScreenDaily notes, "Not everything works, but there is much to admire in a picture which delivers plenty of space-ship crunching action and regional British insults but also manages to critique the cynical economic motivations of endless, pointless wars."
Jones has dedicated the last several years of his career to Rogue Trooper, which was first announced at the end of 2023. Will it have been worth the wait? It's too soon to say, but for 2000 AD fans, these early reviews suggest the filmmaker has done right by the franchise.
Rogue Trooper stars breakout talent Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk) as the eponymous Rogue Trooper, alongside Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Daryl McCormack (Good Luck To You Leo Grande) and Reece Shearsmith (Saltburn).
Rounding out the cast are Jemaine Clement (Avatar: The Way of Water), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Diane Morgan (Cunk on Earth), Alice Lowe (Black Mirror), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones).
A release date for Rogue Trooper has not been announced, as the movie is still seeking a distributor.