Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)
by Michael Rymer

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Edward James Olmos, James Callis, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell
Director: Michael Rymer
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Producer: David Eick
Producer: Glen A. Larson
Writer: Glen A. Larson
Producer: Harvey Frand
Producer: Michael R. Joyce
Producer: Ronald D. Moore
Writer: Ronald D. Moore
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Miniseries, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-12-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios

Movie Reviews of Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

Movie Review: By your command...watch this remake!
Summary: 4 Stars

So finally, a bajillion years after I read the novelization of the miniseries, Battlestar Galactica, I got around to watching the actual miniseries! So if you read my review of the book, you may find some similarities as, shock of all shocks, there isn't much difference of the two.
The Battlestar, Galactica, under the command of Commander Adama is about to be retired. Just as it is, the Cylons, machines created by humans that rebelled against their masters, return and nearly wipe out all humanity. Now, the remnants must band together and seek survival.
I enjoyed the original Battlestar Galactica books (haven't gotten around to watching the series yet) and was afraid that it might be ruined. No problems there! The reimagining is perfect--even if Starbuck and Boomer are girls. Instead of resenting the females Starbuck and Boomer, I enjoyed them, to see women in positions of power instead of the ubiquitous "companions" (Cassiopeia in old Battlestar or Inara of Firefly fame) or relations of the big boys. Other minor changes (names such as "Starbuck" and "Boomer" are now pilot call-signs, and Zee is killed in an accident some time ago instead of during the battle fit the story well.
The events in the new Battlestar are most definitely edge-of-your-seat material. I enjoyed the special effects, the camera moves, the sets...all are different from the original yet work. Also the cinematography reminds me of Firefly - The Complete Series, which is never a bad thing. Lastly, I love how the sounds in space are muted (yeah, I'm a science geek).
The characters felt real to me, particularly Commander Adama and President Laura Roslin. Both are thrust into leadership, and deal with it differently...and yet is it differently?
About the only thing I can pick on, is the sexual content (all implied, but it goes kinda heavy on at the beginning). But really, I became really involved, wanting to cry at times (I generally don't cry in movies).
So, for this great remake of a classic, I give 4. Probably could be a 5 star show, but I just didn't feel the oomf to give it 5. So a proud 4 stars for the ingenious reimaging, the great characters, action, and set.

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Summary of Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

Forty years after the Cylon Wars, humanity's deadliest enemies have reemerged with a vengeance. In a sudden, devastating nuclear attack, the Cylon robots - who have now taken human form - wipe out billions of people. Only a handful of Colonial forces are left to shepherd the few survivors to safety. Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos), the highest-ranking military officer left alive, reactivates the Battlestar Galactica to once again face humanity's greatest nemeses.

Outnumbered and outarmed, Adama reluctantly concedes that the newly sworn-in President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is correct - this battle was lost before it had begun. With no choice but to flee, the ragtag fleet of survivors and humanity's only hope set out in search of the mythic 13th Colony of Kobol. a legendary planet known as Earth.

Despite voluminous protest and nitpicking criticism from loyal fans of the original 1978-80 TV series, 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 "miniseries" reprises the basic premise of the original show while giving a major overhaul (including some changes in gender) 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 dramatic potential, and it readily qualifies as serious-minded science fiction, even as it gives BG loyalists ample fuel for lively debate. --Jeff Shannon

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