Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series

Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series
by Richard A. Colla, Vince Edwards, Donald P. Bellisario

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DVD Reviews of Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series

DVD Review: Positive Shield...Now!
Summary: 5 Stars

Saga Of A Star World (4 ½ Stars)
Lost Planet Of The Gods, Parts 1 and 2 (4 Stars)
The Lost Warrior (2 Stars)
The Long Patrol (2 ½ Stars)
The Gun On Ice Planet Zero, Parts 1 and 2 (4 Stars)
The Magnificent Warriors (½ Star)
The Young Lords (1 ½ Stars)
The Living Legend, Parts 1 and 2 (5 Stars)
Fire In Space (1 Star)
War Of The Gods, Parts 1 and 2 (5 Stars)
The Man With Nine Lives (3 ½ Stars)
Murder On The Rising Star (2 ½ Stars)
Greetings From Earth, special two hour presentation (2 ½ Stars)
Baltar's Escape (4 Stars)
Experiment In Terra (½ Star)
Take The Celestra (2 ½ Stars)
The Hand Of God (4 ½ Stars)

Though starting off very strongly, the series quickly settled into an annoying habit of focusing all of its real effort on the two part episodes. While this tactic provided the absolute highlights of the series (including such memorable episodes as "The Living Legend" and "War of The Gods"), it left many of the hour long installments lacking in a major way. Nearly all of the regular hour length episodes suffer from poorly written, uninteresting scripts that are only kept alive by the character moments sprinkled throughout. Hampering the efforts further was a noticeable drop in the production quality on these episodes. The only two regular length episodes that really rise to the occasion are "Baltar's Escape" and the series finale "The Hand Of God". These two episodes are prime examples of what could have been done in future seasons had the show continued.

In addition to series regulars Lorne Greene and John Colicos, the series guest starred many other well known actors and film legends. Within, you will find the likes of Jane Seymour, Dan O'Herlihy, Roy Thinnes, Lloyd Bridges, Patrick MacNee, Fred Astaire, and Brock Peters.

I am very impressed with this boxed set as presented by Universal Studios. They have been kind enough to provide each episode with deleted, alternate, and behind the scenes footage. The only two episodes that do not sport any extras what-so-ever are "The Magnificent Warriors" and "Take The Celestra", more than likely because none now exists. There are several short documentaries to be found here as well, including an interview with series creator Glen A. Larson which I found to be very interesting and informative. He discusses his inspirations for the show, as well as the many problems encountered while making it. There is also an interview with the series' composer Stu Phillips. Other goodies are spinkled throughout the set, including a retrospective look at the work that went into developing the Cylons for the film and subsequent series, as well as how they created the 'mechanical Daggit' Muffit! There is also a very nifty photo gallery showcasing Ralph McQuarrie's beautiful pre-visualization art work for the first film that is not to be missed. Lots of rare footage abounds in this DVD set, be sure to keep your eyes open for several differing shots of the never-shown-up-close face of the Cylon Imperious Leader!

The pilot movie contains a three person commentary track provided by stars Richard Hatch (Apollo), Dirk Benedict (Starbuck), and Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Boomer). It is a very engaging discussion between the three as they joke and recall stories from the set. They are still good friends in real life and that comes through on the commentary track very nicely. This was one of the more entertaining commentaries that I have heard on DVD in some time, as well as providing lots of insight into what went on behind the scenes of the movie and series. Also not to be missed at the conclusion of the set on Disc 6 is a 45 minute long featurette called "Remembering Battlestar Galactica". It is a very interesting look back at the show in the form of brand new interviews from surviving cast members.

The episodes are very nice looking on disc now that they have been digitally remastered, looking much better than they have ever appeared before. Unfortunately, the time was not taken to try and clean up the picture of all the small scrapes and scratches. Also, the super clarity of the DVD format has managed to upstage many of the special effects created by John Dykstra. The poles that hold the models up are now rather visible in many of the spaceship shots. Oh well, that is a small price to pay to finally own this series on DVD. The sound has finally been remixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, being available now for the first time ever in something other than mono. It is wonderful to finally hear this series as it was meant to be heard!

Also included in this set is a 18 page booklet featuring episode synopsis and cast information, as well as lots of cool pictures and graphics. It is a rather nice addition, but doesn't really contain too much relevant information all the same. The Cylon helmet shaped box that this set comes in is kind of neat, but takes up way too much room. This set is now being released in a normal version like other DVD box sets, so it will fit right on the counter with the rest of your collections.

Overall, this series as a whole gets 4 stars and the DVD box set put together by Universal Studios gets 5 stars.

Description of Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series