Battlestar Galactica

I bought this item, and the rest of the Battlestar Galactica DVDs, as a Birthday Present. I have not seen it nor will I ever see it, but the recipient says it is very good, a riveting thriller in its day and well worth getting if you like sci-fi.

Very pleased.

Only four stars because...wait for it...No Extras!? Why no extras? Surely they knew collectors and nostalgia chasers (me) would enjoy extras? Otherwise, it’s a fine reproduction with good sound, though not Dolby 5.1 in my experience (again, why?). It is a good HD picture and seems to have transferred well to Blu-ray. The menu is symbolic and a little awkward to navigate. If you’ve seen the film then you know what you’re getting. I saw this in the cinema in the late 70s when I was a child. It looks majorly dated today but I love it and was still a little sad all these years later watching it again when Apollo lost his brother Zac to the Cylon attack and Adama put the grief of losing his youngest son to one side in order to repel the attackers. The cast are exceptional and it boasts some big names of the day. Ray Milland hams it up wonderfully, as does John Colicos as Baltar. There is something innocent about BSG that survives to this day. In a world where Star Wars has been over-cooked with effects seemingly trumping storylines (yes looking at you episode 7 and 8), BSG kept it simple and very Saturday-afternoon-matinee-like, without complicating the core storyline (yes looking at you episode 1 and 2). I love the 70s hairstyles, makeup and fashions that are ubiquitous in this movie. I think the uniforms of the Galactica’s warriors are still very sharp. However, the real scene stealers costumes-wise are the Cylon warriors. They are still as menacing as ever and demonstrate how merciless they actually are when attacking little Boxy with a gladius (Roman sword) and of course, when executing Baltar after he’d helped betray humanity. I watched some of the modern BSG episodes and was disappointed the Cylons had lost their menacing ‘look’ from this movie. I’d really liked to have seen extras with “behind the scenes” clips and “making of” documentaries etc. Maybe next time?

This is a review of the 4K version of this film (the original film released in 1978 that I saw in the cinema as a kid) and I found it fully met my expectations of clarity and sharpness (not always flattering to the actors' chins). This 4K replaced a DVD which I hadn't watched in years and I have never watched it on blu-ray. However, it was certainly slightly better than some 4Ks I have. The story itself is quite good if you like Sci-Fi though there are occasional errors (repeated section of scanners showing 2 craft being repeated by multiple craft except the 2 craft shouldn't have been there the second time that scanner clip was being used). I thought the acting was good and Jane Seymour looked more perky than in other films I have seen here in. The only disappointment is that the sound isn't full 5.1 surround but stereo, but it is a good stereo (actually 2.1)

Very good sci-fi movie.

Rose TInted Glasses Reveiew - OMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHA IM SO HAPPY Non-Rose Tinted Glasses Review - OMG....IM STILL SOO HAPPY!!! Ok, maybe the above isnt so subjective. However, with a show like this, it really is going to depend on why you are looking buying this. If you are someone of a certain age, who watched this when it was first shown, you'll enjoy the trip down memory lane, regardless of the obvious flaws. If you are someone of a millennial age, you’ll either consider this B-movie trash or love its eccentricities. Here are the simple version pro’s, mediums, and cons - Fantastic music score Fantastic casting Medium Special Effects Medium Plot Medium Directing Poor Special Effects Poor Plot You might notice, I’ve doubled up there on some stuff. Quite simple, some of the plot was actually quite well done, some was quite dire. Some of the special effects were actually close to Star Wars quality, a lot weren’t. Here’s the thing, suspend disbelief, watch this. For the price, your not going to be losing out much if you don’t like it. But you might be surprised, and like it very much. It’s very 70’s unlike Star Wars, but in some ways, that lends to its charm. Some of the actors are quite fantastic, and some are fantastically cheesy. In the good way though. If you like Sci-fi, you should watch this, at the very least for historical purposes. If you like it, you can watch the full TV series. In a way, there is an element of a Firefly forerunner in the series. The second series, not so much to be fair, but watch it anyhow. Oh, and if you loved watching the film Mission Galactica, its a collection of 3 episodes from the TV series with some editing. Sadly we wont get the original re-edit on DVD/Bluray now, but you can at least get the crux of it from the series!

Nostalgic, but slow and a little dated. Has it's moments, but really does feel like a TV series film pilot, which essentially it was. I found it ok and was worth watching, but expensive 4K disc, where the sound, although again ok, could have been better I feel, with more bass and the benefit of Dolby Atmos. Obviously a lesser budget than the picture it is trying to emulate and that shows. I guess it was relatively a lot better when originally released. If you're a fan you know what you're getting into.

Looks about the best it ever has with the model shots appearing very clear. It's weird watching this now and remembering it was made for TV as the model and effects work was of a very high standard for the time even in films. Looks a bit creaky in indoor scenes and some of the photo backdrops are very obvious in 1080p. But to be honest you probably know that and if you're here to knock it for being made in the late 70's you probably shouldn't get this. It's very of its time, but with some great ideas and concepts, and not so great haircuts and space discos. Really hoping they will release the whole series now in HD as this is the movie edit of the pilot which is about half an hour shorter than the TV version. However that will be in 4:3 and this is 16:9, loosing part of the top and bottom of the full frame pilot, but what we see should be of higher resolution than a full frame release if they've scanned it right - looks damn clear in most places to me. The Sensurround soundtrack is really bassy especially if you have a sub hooked up - but that's how it was shown in cinemas. Think of this a nice companion piece to the series if it is ever given an HD release. It's region free and plays fine on a UK PS3 and BD player.