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DVD TV Show Reviews
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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
by Suzanne
11/19/09 |
"The Plan" airs on SyFy January 10, but you can buy it now on
DVD. The same can be said of the new series premiere of "Caprica". "The Plan" is
a movie, though, and "Caprica" is a series. "Caprica" is a prequel to "Battlestar
Galactica" and takes place years before the planet Caprica is destroyed. It is
more like our current day society, with more advanced technology. Most of the
scifi part of the show involves virtual reality. "The Plan" occurs at the same
time as "Battlestar Galactica" and with the same characters (for the most part).
I forgot how much I loved watching "Battlestar Galactica" until I saw "The
Plan". The series premiere/DVD of "Caprica" is good, but it's not "Battlestar
Galactica". It's just too different from "Battlestar Galactica". "The Plan" is,
essentially, "Battlestar Galactica" from another point of view. It focuses more
on the Cylons on Caprica and on the Galactica than the series did. It goes
through the whole arc of the series, but showing scenes with the Cylons that we
didn't see the first time around.
So you do get to see all of the same characters in "Battlestar Galactica", just
from different angles. You get more backstory, and more explanation, and some
insights into the Cylons. It focuses a lot on Dean Stockwell's One and the other
Cylons, and Sam.
This is just my guess, but it kind of seems like they noticed some flaws and
nitpicks with "Battlestar Galactica" (perhaps pointed out from fans on blogs and
message boards?) and used this, in part, to fix or explain those things. I can't
say for sure if they did, though, because I only saw the series once, over a
period of years. It's such a complex series that I should probably watch it
again. The Plan definitely makes me want to do that. You just have to watch The
Plan for what it is and enjoy it.
You do need to watch "Battlestar Galactica" before seeing "The Plan". Unlike
Caprica, which is totally separate and doesn't require much knowledge of "Battlestar
Galactica", "The Plan" is dependent on your having seen "Battlestar Galactica"
and sort of remembering it.
As a story, it's kind of uneven and spotty, but these characters and actors are
so great that I loved it anyway. It's just great to see them and to see a little
more insight into the story. I wish we could have seen more of Roslin and
Apollo, but it is what it is.
It's kind of wonderful, in a way, to see this, since it's kind of like a long
DVD extra (although it has its own DVD Special Features), and revisit what
happened and who the characters were. I sure wish that every series I liked
would do that. It would be awesome. I also wish that the folks behind "Battlestar
Galactica" would do some kind of sequel like this every year, but I don't think
we could be that lucky.
Just like the whole series, it is not for children or anyone who doesn't like
nudity or sex or violence. My one real complaint about the movie is where it
ends. I wish it went further. It would have been interesting to see more.
Although "The Plan" is kind of talky and focuses on relationships, it does have
some action scenes and some very shocking moments.
It's interesting to note that the story was directed by star Edward James Olmos
(Adama), who also directed four episodes of "Battlestar Galactica". It was
written by Jane Espenson, who wrote a few of the "Battlestar Galactica" episodes
and created "Caprica".
There are plenty of special features on the DVD, including deleted scenes, an
interview with Edward James Olmos, interviews with the actors who played cylons,
a behind-the-scenes look at filming the cylon attack, another separate
behind-the-scenes feature about visual effects, and of course commentary that
you can listen to during the show from Olmos and Espenson. The movie and these
extras are well worth the price of the DVD, which is pretty cheap. For any
"Battlestar Galactica" fan, it's a must-have.
Review of
"Caprica"
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