Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)
by Michael Rymer

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

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Category: DVD
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DVD details

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

DVD Reviews of Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)

DVD 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.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

DVD Review: it has it all!!!
Summary: 5 Stars

i am a late-comer to this series, couldn't imagine a revamping of the old BSG series. WAS I WRONG!! There is drama, comedy, sex, suspense, politics, set is a futuristic society, but oddly like the one we live in now. I have gone thru all seasons except the last 4.5 which will be released VERY SOON and i am anxiously waiting. Give this a try, you will get hooked!

DVD Review: Great opener to a wonderful series - want to address another reviewer's comment
Summary: 5 Stars

Firstly and admittedly, I don't have anything innovative to contribute to the general consensus that the reimagined Battlestar Galactica is a generally wonderful sci-fi series that well worth watching and that this Mini-Series does its job of enticing the curious viewer into wanting to watch the entire series--as it did with the SciFi Channel executives who were undecided about a long-term series commitment with this show until they saw the Mini-Series.

However, I wanted to address Beth Custer's comment (Jan 24, 2009) regarding the availability of the Mini-Series in the Season One box set. She is correct that this Mini-Series and its accompanying audio commentary is included with the first season DVD set and thus for the casual viewer, purchase of the box set renders separate acquisition of this DVD superfluous. However, for the fanatical among us who pore over every special feature and "extra", I wanted to point out that Season One DVD set omits "The Lowdown" making-of featurette, included only with this stand-alone DVD. I own both the stand-alone Mini-Series and the Season One set, of which I am glad, as I find the featurette both entertaining and informative.

DVD Review: A Must Buy!
Summary: 5 Stars

This show appeals to so many more people than just sci-fi followers. It has something for everyone. Start with the pilot show for season one and I can allmost guarantee you will be hooked.

DVD Review: Best sci fi seies ever
Summary: 5 Stars

I was a bit leery about what the new Battlestar Galactica was going to be like; after the first few episodes of the original series, it turned into "Wagon Train to Peyton Place (or 90210, or The OC, depending on your generation).

This series is anything but a soap opera. It matches "LOST" for plot twists, the effects are better than anything else on TV, and the actors (especially Edward James Olmos) are excellent. Also, the reruns are more watchable than "Star Trek". I'm buying the whole series.

Description 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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