Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009) (V)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Edward James Olmos

Writer (WGA):

Jane Espenson (written by)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot Keywords:

Space Crew | Black Bra | Robot Suicide | Vengeance | Bomb

Cast

Edward James Olmos	...	Commander William Adama
Dean Stockwell	...	Brother Cavil
Michael Trucco	...	Samuel Anders
Grace Park	...	Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii
Michael Hogan	...	Colonel Saul Tigh
Aaron Douglas	...	Chief Galen Tyrol
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Leoben Conoy
Kate Vernon	...	Ellen Tigh
Matthew Bennett	...	Aaron Doral
Rekha Sharma	...	Tory Foster
Tricia Helfer	...	Number Six
Alisen Down	...	Jean Barolay
Colin Corrigan	...	Nowart
Maya Washington	...	Sue Shaun
Alex Ferris	...	Boy

Also Known As:

Battlestar Galactica Movie (USA) (working title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

David Eick Productions

Trivia:

Edward James Olmos and Dean Stockwell first played together in the 1985 Miami Vice episode "Bushido".

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "Battlestar Galactica" (2004)

A collection of deleted scenes that barely manages to convey the synopsis you would read on the back of the DVD box set.

Never seen Battlestar Galactica before? Well, if you start here, you probably won't pursue it any further. And for fans of the series, like myself, I'm not even sure this is aimed at us? As another reviewer accurately pointed out - this is truly "scraping the bottom".

TP's brief synopsis is the retelling of the Cylon attack on Caprica, and the immediate panic & events that ensue, as the human race frantically tries to salvage what it can and split to avoid complete annihilation. However, the first few seasons of the 2004 incarnation convey that simple sentence brilliantly, whereas this grab-bag makes it look like a show you're better off skipping.

Personally, I didn't watch "Caprica", the studio's previous effort at post-capitalizing off the franchise. Namely since, although it may have been good, the prelude just didn't really interest me. But good or not, it was certainly better than this prison chow.

In my opinion, the BG reincarnation has been very much of a Matrix-like experience. The first several seasons rocked. Edward James Olmos was the frakking commander of the gods-damn Battlestar Galactica warship that barely slipped away from the Cylon nuclear-mega-attack, and him, along w/his ace fighter pilots Starbuck & Apollo were going to save the frakking human-race and find some place called earth! Sign me the frak up! Then, much like "The Animatrix", the film "Razor" shows up, and tells a side-story with it all. Secret government missions, a psychotic admiral, torture, some awesome revelations, and just an all around excellent stand-alone story.

And then... the later seasons. Um, well, like Matrix: Reloaded, they weren't exactly "bad", and of course plenty of fans out there were still totally on board...

And then the conclusion. Like good old "Revolutions", it was a struggle for me folks. It was as though all the stuff I cared about was over, and the focus was on - well, I'm not sure, getting to the end?

Which brings us full-circle to The Plan. Although this is based entirely on opinion (hell, it is a review), this is my take: One day I went to the studio and said, "Hi, you know - I really thought that the first several seasons of Battlestar Galactic were so freaking awesome, but after that, I just felt that the series plummeted into oblivion. Is there anything you can do with the beginning seasons to make the feel more consistent throughout?"

They told me they had a plan.