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Amazon.co.uk Review
Despite voluminous protest and nitpicking criticism from loyal fans of the original TV series (1978-80), the 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica turned out surprisingly well for viewers with a tolerance for change. Originally broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2003 and conceived by Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus Ronald D Moore as the pilot episode for a "reimagined" TV series, this four-hour mini series reprises the basic premise of the original show while giving a major overhaul to several characters and plot elements. Gone are the flowing robes, disco-era hairstyles, and mock-Egyptian fighter helmets, and thankfully there's not a fluffy "Daggit" in sight... at least, not yet. Also missing are the "chrome toaster" Cylons, replaced by new, more formidable varieties of the invading Cylon enemy, including "Number Six" in hot red skirts and ample cleavage, who tricks the human genius Baltar! into a scenario that nearly annihilates the human inhabitants of 12 colonial worlds.
Thus begins the epic battle and eventual retreat of a "ragtag fleet" of humans, searching for the mythical planet Earth under the military command of Adama (Edward James Olmos) and the political leadership of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), a former secretary of education, 43rd in line of succession and rising to the occasion of her unexpected Presidency. As directed by Michael Rymer (Queen of the Damned), Moore's ambitious teleplay also includes newfangled CGI space battles (featuring "handheld" camera moves and subdued sound effects for "enhanced realism"), a dysfunctional Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) who's provoked into action by the insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), and a father-son reunion steeped in familial tragedy. To fans of the original BG series, many of these changes are blasphemous, but for the most part they work--including an ominous cliffhanger ending. The remade Galactica is brimming with smart, well-drawn characters ripe with dramati! c potential, and it readily qualifies as serious-minded science fiction, even as it gives BG loyalists ample fuel for lively debate. --Jeff Shannon
Special Features
- Region Code: 2, 4
- Soundtrack: English - Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired
- Running Time: 2 hours and 55 minutes (approx)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive debut,
By A. Whitehead "Werthead" (Colchester, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
When writer/producer Ronald D. Moore recently won an award in Los Angeles for his work on the 'reimagined' Battlestar Galactica, host and noted science fiction critic Harlan Ellison congratulated him for taking the 'worst SF TV show' of all time and turning it into the best. Perhaps hyperbolic - there's far worse shows out there than the 1978 iteration of Battlestar Galactica - but an increasingly common sentiment that has seen publications such as Time Magazine, Rolling Stone and the New Yorker declare the new BSG to be the best thing on television, in any genre.
Most of these comments stem from the excellent second and third season. Rolling back to the mini-series, it is a surprise to see how fully-formed this show leapt onto the screen. Ususally there is a long 'breaking-in' period that has to elapse before writers and actors really start to feel comfortable on their show. Here, however, the characters appear fully fleshed-out from the start, with Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell turning in sterling performances from the start, with James Callis also particularly worthy of mention. The plot is straightforward: the Twelve Colonies of Mankind are destroyed in a nuclear holocaust unleashed by the Cylons, killing machines humanity created forty years earlier which rebelled and disappeared into deep space. 50,000 survivors flee to reach the safety offered by the last major warship to survive the attack, the Battlestar Galactica, along the way generating plenty of conflict between the democratic, civilian viewpoint (espoused by McDonnell's President Roslin) and the military, pragmatic one (personified by Olmos' Commander Adama). A feeling of paranoia creeps in once it is confirmed that some Cylons now resemble humans and have infiltrated the colonists for their own ends. At three hours long, the pacing in the mini-series is well-handled, although a couple of scenes near the end feel a bit superfluous. There is a lot of story to handle here and a lot of characters to introduce, however, and this fills the time admirably. The 'naturalistic' shooting is a success and the effects are superb, rivalling or exceeding most of their big-screen counterparts, although the jumpy camera work takes a while to adjust to. There is little wrong with the mini-series. Perhaps some scenes are not explained well (a brutal murder near the start of the story is supposedly self-justified as a mercy killing by a Cylon agent aware of the imminent nuclear holocaust, but this excuse, feeble though it is, is never even voiced in the episode) and there are a few wince-inducing lines, but the uniformly good acting and writing more than make up for this. The semi-cliffhanger ending also leaves you eager to pick up the Season 1 DVD box set. Overall, an impressive and enjoyable work.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the original!!,
By
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
I don't have Sky at home and ignored this DVD for years, despite the great reviews and friends raving about it because I grew up with and loved the original series so much. But this year I relented and was totally blown away and hooked!
Its so dark, so real and so brilliant. I loved the fact that Cylons have human looking agents now to confuse and infiltrate. Starbuck is now a hard good looking woman but still gambles, chews cigars and resents authority which is great twist too. I would recommend this to any fans of the original series, I watched this and then went out to buy Season 1 and Season 2 on DVD. Now waiting for Season 3 to appear. This really needs 10 stars!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starbuck as a woman can't work, it just can't...,
By
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
But it does. It works very well indeed. The casting for the character of Starbuck has to be one of the greatest works of casting genius of all time.
So, anyway, I like this. A lot. I was adamant that I wouldn't. I'm usually a traditionalist. I'm a Captain Kirk more than a Jean Luc Picard type of guy but this works so well. I sat down late one night and thought I'd watch an episode (not realising that it's all rolled into one big feature-length episode) and sat there aghast for three hours. Once it was done I jumped straight onto Amazon and ordered the first full series. I've never seen sucj depth in any TV show - let alone a science fiction show. Anyway, I'd recommend that you buy this. It's three hours of entertainment for less than a fiver and it'll leave you wanting more.
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