Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Edward James OlmosBrand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Performer: Katee Sackhoff
Performer: Tricia Helfer
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)
Movie Review: intriguing as always; this was a hell of a good drama
Summary: 4 Stars
What is the most intriguing in this extended episode is the developement of Helena Cain's character; we are shown in vivid detail why she never, under any circumstances whatsoever, should have been promoted above the rank of ensign.
There are plot spoilers to follow, folks. If you don't want your good time ruined, stop ready this review right now.
At one point Helena demands the sidearm of her XO, who is taking a moral stand and refusing to obey one of her illegal orders. He (rather foolishly) accepts that order, surrenders his sidearm, and is summarily shot in the head by Cain.
So now she's shot a man in cold blood. But wait, there's so much more!
It is discovered that Helena's love interest, a woman working on Pegasus' computers, is really a Cylon. Since Helena is obviously wounded and angered by this betrayal, she proves to all observers that she is no better than the Cylons who exterminated the vast majority of the colonials.
How does she achieve this? Simple: She orders the Cylon female tortured, so as to extract any and all relevant info the Cylon might have.
This is NEVER an acceptable choice. First, the Cylons would never be so GALACTICALLY STUPID as to send into humanities' midst an infiltrator who had knowledge of vital Cylon intelligence. The Cylons would realize the high risk of capture and torture, and therefore tell the infiltrator only what she absolutely had to know to do her job, and nothing more.
Torturing such an individual is pointless and inhuman ... and it's obviously right up Cain's alley. She feels betrayed by her former lover, and now she wants vicious revenge.
Next, Cain orders that any relevant supplies and technically savvy survivors of a small fleet discovered by Pegasus be brought aboard and utilized for the guerilla war effort initiated by Cain. She feels no responsibilty to "defend and protect" these survivors, and thereby abandon her quest of guerilla warfare (a.k.a mindless, idiotic revenge). Any refusal will be answered with orders to kill the family of the refuser. This is put to the test, and several innocent people are killed to gain the compliance of the survivors.
Cain does not even try to game out a few scenarios here; she just jumps to the conclusion that the only way to gain the needed supplies and expertise is to threaten vicious retaliation if anyone refuses.
Which brings us to another of Helena's many mistakes: Her brainless notion to wage a guerilla war on the Cylons.
After having destroyed the 12 Colonies, the Cylons are obviously in a position of great military superiority over one single Battlestar. What usually happens in such cases is that the greatly superior (in force and firepower) occupying force just picks the guerillas off, one by one. The guerillas attack, again and again, and lose blood and treasure each time. The occupying army, much greater in number and power, simply accepts whatever losses it has to as it continually degrades the force and the efficacy of its adversary. Cain's plan, had it been carried out, would have eventually resulted in the destruction of the Pegasus.
And last, but certainly not least, that brings us to Cain's most spectacular failure: Her abandonment of her little sister during the first Cylon war.
We are shown a flashback sequence in which a very young Helena is shown fleeing the Cylons, her little sister in tow. However, her sister falls and becomes stuck. Helena's sister repeatedly cries out to Helena for help, and it is shown quite clearly that Helena hears her sister's pleas and decides to abandon her to the Cylons.
The lesson Helena takes from this?
"Sometimes we have to leave certain people behind."
The characterization here is fascinating, as Michelle Forbes plays this character as a complex woman, who is highly intelligent and decisive. Yet perhaps Michelle Forbes' greatest accomplishment here is that her portrayal of Helena Cain is a classic example of the vast difference between one who is dominant, and one who is domineering. Cain is clearly the latter, being possessed of a deep, insatiable hunger for power, and yet having not a whit of the character necessary to handle being given authority and command.
If you're a student of Jungian personality analysis (commonly expressed today in the Myers-Briggs personality type indicator), you'll quickly recognize Cain as a very poorly developed ENTJ (Extroverted, iNtuitive, with Thinking and Judging). She is very much possessed of the decisiveness and tough-mindedness quite common to ENTJ's, yet her instincts are terrible, as they are constantly overshadowed by Cain's tormented emotions.
It is clear that Cain is a miserable human being, thinking that gaining power and control (i.e., being an admiral commanding a battlestar) will somehow change the fact that there is no courage in her heart. When her little sister was in her hour of desperate need, Helena willfully abandoned her to the Cylons. Granted, Helena was very little at the time, and that must be taken into account. Still, Helena never expresses any remorse for what she did, but rather rationalizes it into her pathetic "razor" philosophy of doing whatever it takes to survive: Turning fear into anger, focusing that anger to gain control.
"Don't hate your enemies; it clouds your judgment" wrote Mario Puzo. Helena Cain was clearly consumed with hatred for the Cylons, although she used her highly intelligent mind to hide this fact rather well.
Cain was smart, hungry for power, cowardly, domineering, and devoid of any real concern for anything outside of herself. Unlike most ENTJ's, she had no grasp of the "big picture", no insight into her own illogical and irrational impulses to both take on the impossible and rule as judge, jury, and executioner over anyone who dared to take a stand and oppose her.
Michelle Forbes played this role quite well; this is exactly the kind of person you'd never want to see in any position of power whatsoever. Forbes' portrayal is at one time complex and uncompromising (again, classic personality traits of the ENTJ), while at the same time inspiring the audience to contemplate Cain's actions and attitudes in light of their context.
Did Cain have to make the choices she did? Of course not. We see Cain's justifications and rationalizations for her actions, but we see through them, too. Forbes deserves a lot of credit for that, because she plays her part so as to make her character very much understood by the audience, while never trying to persuade the audience to condone or approve of exactly who and what Helena Cain really is. Forbes does an excellent job of protraying someone who deliberately projects an image of strength, while all the while being the farthest thing from indomitable there is.
I strongly recommend this extended version; we get to know Cain better, and it's a fascinating pshchological study of who should never be in charge, and why.
Summary of Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)
Explosive, Unrated Extended Edition with exclusive footage and more action!On the eve of a devastating Cylon attack, officer Kendra Shaw reports for duty on the battlestar Pegasus. When mankind's future is forever changed on that fateful day, Kendra is reshaped into a "razor"-a tool of war-under the ruthless guidance of her commander, Admiral Cain. Battlestar Galactica: Razor tells the untold story of Pegasus and provides chilling clues to the fate of humanity as the final chapters of the Battlestar Galactica story unfold.
The Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition) DVD contains an extended version of the explosive two-hour broadcast event that includes all-new characters and more action and visual effects than any previous episode in the popular series, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with the series' creators. As an indispensable backdrop to events that take place in the Fourth Season of Battlestar Galactica, the DVD is a must-own for fans of the series.
Special Features On The DVD
. Deleted Scenes
. The Look of Battlestar Galactica
. My Favorite Episode So Far
. Season 4 Sneak Peek
. Season 4 Trailer
. Minisodes (x7)
. Commentary to the Unrated Extended Version with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 5.1
SUBTITLES: English SDH, Spanish
PICTURE: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) RUNTIME: 1 hour 28 minutes
Battlestar Galactica: Razor was an oasis for BSG fans--when the double-length episode aired in November 2007, it was the only new material broadcast during the 12-month gap between seasons 3 and 4. But although it sets up some events in season 4, chronologically Razor is a prequel taking place within season 2, when Galactica had unexpectedly met up with a fellow Battlestar, Pegasus. The central character is new, Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who becomes the XO after Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) takes command of the Pegasus. Shaw's promotion is controversial among Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and others because Shaw learned the trade under the previous commander of the Pegasus, Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes), who lived by her own wartime rules. The central conflict in Razor involves the Pegasus trying to rescue a Raptor crew from the Cylons. During the mission Shaw flashes back to 10 months earlier, and her experiences in the immediate aftermath of the Cylons' wipeout of Caprica influence how she handles this mission and its implications of a new Cylon-human hybrid. Razor is a riveting adventure, full of the top writing, great acting, and dark end-of-humanity vision that makes Battlestar Galactica the best show on television (that is, when it's actually on). Fans will also enjoy the appearance of old-school Cylons, and the revelation that Gaius is not the only one who fell for the wiles of Number 6 (Tricia Helfer).
The unrated and extended DVD runs 103 minutes, about 16 minutes longer than the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast. There's a brief bit of extra gore from Admiral Cain, and young William "Husker" Adama's (Nico Cortez, nicely channeling Edward James Olmos) mission in the last days of the first Cylon war is now 10 minutes instead of 5, including a spectacular aerial battle. In another new sequence, at the moment when Cain tells Shaw "Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on," there's a flashback to Cain's experiences in the first Cylon war. Among the bonus features is the complete 19-minute minisode version of Husker's Cylon encounter (previously viewable on Sci-Fi Channel's website) and two deleted scenes. Featurettes include "The Look of Battlestar Galactica" and "My Favorite Episode So Far" ("33" gets a lot of mentions from the cast and crew), and there are a trailer and 2.5-minute "sneak peek" at season 4 (mostly interviewing people who don't know what's going to happen, though Tricia Helfer mentions a new version of herself). In a commentary track for the extended edition, executive producer Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor discuss how the episode came together (they refer to Razor as episodes as 1-2 of season 4) amid some serious restructuring and bits of trivia, such as how they cast Stephanie Jacobsen in the pivotal role even though she had never watched the show. --David Horiuchi
More Battlestar Galactica
 Everything Battlestar Galactica |  Battlestar Galactica Books | BSG Toys & Collectables |
Stills from Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Click for larger image)
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Drama DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Battlestar Galactica - DVD List
Galactica 1980: The Complete SeriesUniversal Studios; Release date: 2007-12-23; DVD
Best price: $17.77
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - The Feature Film (Widescreen Edition)UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2003-10-21; DVD
Best price: $5.88
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic SeriesUniversal Studios; Release date: 2004-02-10; DVD
Best price: $49.45
Price in other shops:
CapricaUNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $10.64
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)Universal Studios; Release date: 2007-12-04; DVD
Best price: $2.95
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: The PlanUNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $10.39
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5Universal Studios; Release date: 2009-07-28; DVD
Best price: $26.99
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0Universal; Release date: 2009-01-06; DVD
Best price: $28.73
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season ThreeUniversal Studios; Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $32.98
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20)UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2006-09-19; DVD
Best price: $23.79
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Battlestar Galactica: Season 3Release date: 2007-10-23; Music CD
Best price: $10.74
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: The PlanUniversal; Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $12.90
Price in other shops:
CapricaUniversal; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5BATTLESTAR GALACTICA; Release date: 2009-07-28; DVD
Best price: $28.00
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season OneOLMOS,EDWARD JAMES; Release date: 2005-09-20; DVD
Best price: $27.95
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2004-12-28; DVD
Best price: $12.28
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0BATTLESTAR GALACTICA; Release date: 2009-01-06; DVD
Best price: $23.25
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)OLMOS,EDWARD JAMES; Release date: 2005-12-20; DVD
Best price: $23.25
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20)UNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2006-09-19; DVD
Best price: $23.25
Price in other shops:
Battlestar Galactica - Season ThreeUNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2008-03-18; DVD
Best price: $28.99
Price in other shops: