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UK SciFi / Horror and Fantasy |  |
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Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [2004]
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 ReviewsLet the Battlestar commence! Review date: 2008-10-18 Rating: 10 out of 10 I missed the entire Battlestar Glactica oeuvre when it came out (indeed the original series as well) but read so many reviews about the allegorical sophistication of BG, I thought I'd better check it out. The obvious place to start is the 2004 mini-series, assembled on DVD as a three-hour feature (and selling for less than four quid on Amazon as I write). Aficionados claim the series doesn't get into its stride until later, but this was for me an impressive opener. The human species is attacked by the Cylons, a robot-race that comes in two distinctive designs; toaster-on-legs and hot, hot humanoid. Thanks to some sexy treachery involving the latter, the human defences are annihilated leaving a rag-bag of refugee vessels, clustered round the eponymous `Battlestar' a sort of ageing aircraft-carrier in space. A desperate fight-back begins, with the survival of the last remaining humans in the balance. The problem with much sci-fi is that it just isn't logical or convincing, but the `re-visioning' of BG here is remarkable. The plot, acting, semi-documentary filming style, the striking retro sets and the special effects all mesh together seamlessly and persuasively. The action is undeniably exciting, perhaps because it is balanced by reasonably realistic characterisation and a storyline that is engaging and often quite moving. All this quality sci-fi for only £1.25 an hour? A bargain! Clever, Clever Toasters... Review date: 2008-10-17 Rating: 10 out of 10 This is a fantastic pilot for a remake of an old 80s sci-fi series where it's ditched the lycra and lasers for grit and realism. It's quite a grim tale featuring flawed and desperate people thrown together into the worst situation they can possibly image. The complete annihilation of their species. It seems that the crazy killer robot Cylons (nick named toasters) have a sinister agenda to go along with their new and disturbing make over. Nothing is resolved in this pilot. This is just setting up the main plot and introducing the characters, but it is a fantastic beginning to an equally fantastic new series. Definitely not one to miss. Highly recommended! Brilliant on all levels! Review date: 2008-10-05 Rating: 10 out of 10 I had never seen the original Battlestar Galactica and watched this mini series because it was cheap and I saw it had reasonable reviews. BSG is now my favorite TV show. The characters are complex and believable, the story is dark yet superbly told and the show combines stellar acting with some fantastic action sequences. As a whole the series manages to be compelling in many ways. The music and CGI are top notch and the wonderful cast add depth to every issue that gets raised and many are. This is no black and white story as it hinted at in the mini series and it is astounding how deep it all gets while never losing sight of the struggles of the amazingly well defined and diverse characters. The mini series itself was the first thing I have ever watched that brought me to tears just with the sheer emotion it exuded, it has a real quality (possibly helped by the decision to have documentary style camera effects) that means everything impacts the audience much more than is usually the case and enables us to care much more deeply about characters we've only just been introduced to. As an opening to the new series this mini series did a brilliant job of drawing me in and it was well worth it. The stories are A grade, the characters are powerful, cowardly, crazy, moral, heroic, stoic and more and all backed up by a tense atmosphere, a terrifying yet still sympathetic enemy (when the show begins to delve into that), and quality music and SFX while still being a show that feels very real. It is dark, yet not without some hope and rarely stops hitting you hard emotionally. A masterpiece. A Worthy Re-Imagining of a Classic Sci-Fi Show. Review date: 2008-06-08 Rating: 10 out of 10 The Only other successful Re-Imagining of a Classic Show other than this is DOCTOR WHO. But BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has done well as a sci-fi drama kicking the original out of the Galaxy. A True Representation of Television made good. When I first heard of it i thought "Yet again, They'll screw it up." But the New version grabbed me from the Pre Title on the Miniseries right until the Cliffhanger. starting on the First Season Currently then moving on to seasons 2 & 3 (Already Seen RAZOR - Not a Bad Film). some of the many things this version has over the original is the fact that the Galactica is a ship that was meant to be put in mothballs. The shocks that are through the whole story. But the thing I love most is the Blake's 7-esque feel to it: that unlike the original the deaths are thivk and fast (By The End of "33", the first episode of Season 1, the Survivour count had reached 47,972, Went Up by 1 when a Child was born on the rising star, and kept dropping throughout Seasons 2-4) Hands Down the Best GALACTICA So Far. Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s): Edward James Olmos James Callis Katee Sackhoff Mary McDonnell Jamie Bamber Creators: Edward James Olmos (Primary Contributor) Mary McDonnell (Primary Contributor) David Eick (Producer) Glen A. Larson (Producer) Glen A. Larson (Writer) Harvey Frand (Producer) Michael R. Joyce (Producer) Christopher Eric James (Writer) Ronald D. Moore (Writer) Director(s): Recording label: Playback Manufacturer: Playback EAN: 5050582230413 Binding: DVD Number of items: 1 Format: PAL, Release date: 2004-03-01 Number of discs: 1 Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region code: 2 Running time: 175 minutes Theatrical release date: 2003-12-08 Language: English (Original Language)
Tech info, cast and quotes/trivia when available. Exclusions may apply with free delivery. Price and availabiltity subject to change |
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