Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Dir: Edward James Olmos (American Me)
Cast: Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Michael Trucco, Callum Keith Rennie, Kate Vernon, Edward James Olmos, Michael Hogan
USA, 2009 (DVD release)

Seen: December 1, 2009 on DVD

Reason to see: It's BSG!

When I heard that there was going to be a Battlestar Galactica movie from the Cylons perspective, I was instantly intrigued. The revisioning series started very strong back in 2004 giving SciFi fans something new to look forward to on the small screen week after week. With the series ending in 2009 we were left with just memories, until now where we go back to see The Plan.

The film faces a similar challenge to prequels, where fans know where it will end up so it's a fine balance between added new, yet congruous, material to satisfy the want to know more factor but it should hold it's own as a stand alone plus needs the story to be told really well. But, with The Plan I think it's fair to say this is for the fans and isn't designed to be stand alone, you need a solid working knowledge of the world. It's for die had fans and completists and in that respect it works well, pulling back the layers to reveal motivations, secrets and plans along the way through the seasons of BSG which also give a nostalgic factor when watching to keep an eye out for favourite moments from seasons past along the way.

Although the Cylon perspective is interesting and executed well, the heart of the series was firmly rooted in humanity of the characters and their actions, so when the focus is shifted the result although enlightening is rather cold. Although it's insightful to see with certainly specific choices, motivations and directives watching these reveals felt like it pulled away some of the magic of the series where their was so much mystery. I did enjoy getting to revisit the world and the characters but it was also a reminder that not knowing can be just as powerful as knowing.

DVD Extras include: 4 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Commentary with Edward James Olmos and Executive Producer/Writer Jane Espenson

Shannon's Overall View:
I wanted to love it more
I'd watch it again, after revisiting the series
I'd recommend it to Battlestar Galactica completists

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© Shannon Ridler, 2009