Big Guy and Rusty the Boy RobotThe story of a mechanical boy and his human robot
Review by Patrick Lee
Or so he seems. Unknown to all but a handful of keepers on an offshore aircraft carrier, the S.S. Dark Horse, Big Guy is actually a high-tech weapons suit worn by human pilot Dwayne Hunter (Hanks). Rusty's handlers at Quark Industries, including his creator, Dr. Erika Slate (Carteris), feel that to reveal Big Guy's true nature would traumatize the young Rusty. At the beginning of the second episode, entitled "Out of Whack" and screened to an audience at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif., Rusty is warming to his role as sidekick to the much larger robot. But the young machine inadvertently witnesses the destruction of a malfunctioning acquaintance. "He was very bad, right?" Rusty asks Dr. Slate. No, she says. "He was just a little out of whack." Meanwhile, a new robot menace, ARG 12 (or "Argo"), has appeared at a military base seeking the whereabouts of Big Guy. Big Guy enlists Rusty's aid to combat the fearsome new enemy, who is hoping to get Big Guy to join the League Ex Machina, a group devoted to the destruction of humankind. In the ensuing battle, Big Guy is nearly destroyed, and Rusty is badly damaged. But before Dr. Slate and Hunter can solve the problem, Rusty runs away, fearing that he will be the next machine scheduled for disposal because he is now "out of whack." Can Big Guy find him and bring him back in time to be repaired? And will Rusty be able to help Big Guy when Argo returns?
Gigantor, meet Astro Boy
Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow, Big Guy and Rusty is one of the centerpieces of the new Fox Kids fall lineup, with 26 half-hour episodes slated to begin airing Sept. 18. Aside from a few complaints, it seems like a promising anchor for the cable net, at least based on this half-hour episode. Like much new animation, Big Guy boasts colorful retro-flavored design work and an ironic sensibility that should play well with modern children and their older siblings. Miller and Darrow also clearly acknowledge their debts to animated series of the past. The over-the-top look of the Transformer-like hardware contrasts nicely with the anime-influenced characterization of Rusty. The story in the second episode was also pleasantly complicated, going beyond a simple-minded good-robot-versus-bad-robot plot into some deeper psychological issues that promise to make the show more interesting than a typical Saturday morning serial. Key among these issues are the true identity of Big Guy and his relationship with the trusting Rusty. When Rusty shows up for the mission, he announces: "One sidekick reporting for duty, Big Guy!" To which Hunter mutters, "Lucky me." There's also lots of loopy humor, some of it delivered by Jenny, the talking monkey mascot of Quark Industries' chief "greedy capitalist," Dr. Axel Donovan, and, some suspect, the real power behind Quark's success. The casts boasts some surprising members as well, including Beverly Hills 90210's Carteris and News Radio's Stephen Root. Make no mistake, though: this is no Futurama or The Simpsons. It's mainly kid stuff. Which raises one big concern: the level of violence, euphemistically called "action." Though most of it is of the bloodless machine-on-machine kind, it was nevertheless central to this episode's storyline, and somewhat disturbing. "Except for the excessive violence, which I take as a given in kids' animation, I liked Big Guy and Rusty, especially for its good humor and campy influences." Copyright © 1998-2001, Science Fiction Weekly (TM). All rights reserved. Reproduction in any medium strictly prohibited. Maintained by scifiweekly@scifi.com. |
usty
(Segall) is the next generation of robotic artificial intelligence: a powerful
three-and-a-half-foot-tall flying machine with the emotions and mind of a young
boy. To guide his development, the military of the near future pairs Rusty with
B.G.Y.-11 (Cook), nicknamed "Big Guy," a 15-foot-tall walking demolition robot.BACK TO MAIN PAGE