Category: Horror / Sci-Fi / Fantasy - Movie - Science Fiction - TV Shows - Television
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $59.98 Our Price: $44.99YOU SAVE $14.99!
Buy it
DVD Battlestar Galactica - Season One
Battlestar Galactica's Edward James Olmos wasn't kidding when he said "the series is even better than the miniseries." As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the "reimagined" BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica's militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot "Apollo" (a.k.a. Adama's son Lee, played by Jamie Bamber) and the brashly insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), whose multifaceted character is just one of many first-season highlights. Picking up where the miniseries ended (it's included here, sparing the need for separate purchase), season 1 opens with the riveting, Hugo Award-winning episode "33," in which Galactica and the "ragtag fleet" of colonial survivors begin their quest for the legendary 13th colony planet Earth, while being pursued with clockwork regularity by the Cylons, who've now occupied the colonial planet of Caprica. The fleet's hard-fought survival forms (1) the primary side of the series' three-part structure, shared with (2) the apparent psychosis of Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) whose every thought and move are monitored by various incarnations of Number Six (Tricia Helfer), the seemingly omniscient Cylon ultravixen who follows a master plan somehow connected to (3) the Caprican survival ordeal of crash-landed pilots "Helo" (Tahmoh Penikett) and "Boomer" (Grace Park), whose simultaneous presence on Galactica is further evidence that 12 multicopied models of Cylons, in human form, are gathering their forces.
With remarkably consistent quality, each of these 13 episodes deepens the dynamics of these fascinating characters and suspenseful situations. While BG relies on finely nuanced performances, solid direction, and satisfying personal and political drama to build its strong emotional foundation, the action/adventure elements are equally impressive, especially in "The Hand of God," a pivotal episode in which the show's dazzling visual effects get a particularly impressive showcase. Original BG series star Richard Hatch appears in two politically charged episodes (he's a better actor now, too), and with the threat of civil war among the fleet, season 1 ends with an exceptional cliffhanger that's totally unexpected while connecting the plot threads of all preceding episodes. To the credit of everyone involved, this is frackin' good television.
DVD features The fifth disc in Battlestar Galactica's season 1 set is highlighted by eight comprehensive featurettes covering all aspects of the series, from its miniseries origins to standard surveys of production design, visual effects, and particulars of plot and character. For hardcore fans and anyone interested in TV production, nine out of 13 episodes, plus the disc 1 miniseries, are accompanied by intelligent and informative commentary originally provided as BG website podcasts, mostly by series developer and writer Ronald D. Moore, who provides tantalizing clues about developments in season 2. The "Series Lowdown" is a cast-and-crew promotional program originally broadcast to attract SciFi Channel viewers who were initially reluctant to embrace a "reimagined" Battlestar Galactica. The strategy worked: First-season ratings left no doubt that the new BG was as good as--and in many ways better than--the original. --Jeff Shannon
It will make you wonder why you watch bad network TV shows
This review is for anyone who hasn't heard of Battlestar Galactica and doesn't get more than 20 channels on their cable box let alone the Sci-Fi channel.
If you want a drama that sucks you in with developed characters, emotionally intense plot (the destruction of all humanity), and a believable setting (even if it's sci-fi) then you will like BSG. Think ER in its best years on steroids or the best episodes of Lost.
I'm one of those people who gets only basic cable and I'd never seen a single episode until I purchased this DVD set. I hate to admit it, but within a single day I'd watched six hours of the show - and it seemed like half that.
There seem to be some people who really hate this show and I can't figure that out. Some of them are upset that this is so different from the original 1970s series. Nostalgia aside, if the new BSG was like the original it would be a campy farce, not a dark drama.
There's always a danger of over hyping a show. People watch a show or movie after hearing that it's the best thing since sliced bread and think, "That was OK, but nothing to get that excited about." So don't fall for the hype. If you love good television like Lost, if you like quality sci-fi, give BSG a serious look. You'll be glad you did.
Exquisite TV drama that happens to take place in a Sci-fi world
I loved the first season of the new Battlestar Galactica but didn't realize how really great it was until I re-watched it on DVD. First of all, the quality of the picture is so much better on DVD than it was on standard cable TV signal. I have a 30'inch widescreen Sony HDTV and it looks awsome. Secondly, this series is like any great film or TV show, the more times you watch it the more you discover how really complex and engaging it is. The space battle scenes are also amazing and beat anything the new Star Wars films have to offer. But what trully makes this a great TV show is the story and character developments. To me, the new Galactica is on par with great TV dramas like ER or the West Wing except that its story happens to take place in a believable sci-fi world. I never watch anything else on the Sci-Fi channel except for this show and whenever they re-air the original 1970's Galatica. People who have a prejudice against Sci-fi (and thats the vast majority of people) should give this TV show a try because it goes far beyond its genre, it simply is great filmmaking that takes place on TV.
Excellent! Almost as good as "Firefly!"
First, for the record, Tricia Helfer is one of God's gifts to man. Her interaction with the good doctor/vice-president ranks as some of TV's best recent comedy. Overall, in addition to Olmos, who is excellent as always, the most engaging characters are the women, including Grace Park as the Cylon who may have a soul, and Mary McDonnell, as the troubled accidental president. I've not normally a sci-fi fan, but like "Firefly," this series has something for just about everyone. Even the political episodes, though a little silly, are intriguing. Highly recommended.
The first half of Battlestar Galactica's second season left no doubts about the continuing excellence of the best science fiction TV series of 2005. Beginning with the Colonial Fleet separated, Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) botching his temporary command, and Capt. Adama (Edward James Olmos) near death after a Cylon assassination attempt, series producer/developer Ronald D. Moore and his gifted writing staff packed more into these 10 episodes than most series manage in a full season. Maintaining its reputation as an adult drama, the series is compellingly anchored by the gravitas of Olmos and Mary McDonnell, whose role as Fleet President Laura Roslin grows more complex as she reveals her diagnosis of breast cancer and defies Adama, playing the "religious card" with her conviction that... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 20 December 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $49.98 Your Price: $35.49YOU SAVE $14.49!
Buy it
Battlestar Galactica's season 2.5 (i.e., the final 10 episodes of the second season, plus an extended version of episode 10) picks up where season 2.0 (the first 10 episodes) left off: Galactica's giddy reunion with the Pegasus had taken a sour turn when Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) went back on her word to Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and decided to integrate the crews, moving Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) to Pegasus. The animosity, combined with an attack on Sharon (Grace Park), threatens to derail a golden opportunity for the fleet to strike the Cylons where they'll hurt, and stay hurt--their resurrection ship.
In many ways, Sharon is the central character. The attack lands Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) and the Chief (Aaron... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 19 September 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $49.98 Your Price: $33.99YOU SAVE $15.99!
Buy it
As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Firefly was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance. Devoted fans (or "Browncoats") knew it all along, and with this well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show's original broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only 11 of these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job"); in hindsight the intended two-hour pilot (also titled "Serenity," and oddly enough, the... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 09 December 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $49.98 Your Price: $19.99YOU SAVE $29.99!
Buy it
Serenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity's volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed "weapon" makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who'll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity's protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we've come to expect from the creator of... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Chiwetel Ejiofor - Nathan Fillion - Gina Torres DVD Release Date: Released the 20 December 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $19.98 Your Price: $16.37YOU SAVE $3.61!
Buy it
Along with Desperate Housewives, Lost was one of the two breakout shows in the fall of 2004. Mixing suspense and action with a sci-fi twist, it began with a thrilling pilot episode in which a jetliner traveling from Australia to Los Angeles crashes, leaving 48 survivors on an unidentified island with no sign of civilization or hope of imminent rescue. That may sound like Gilligan's Island meets Survivor, but Lost kept viewers tuning in every Wednesday night--and spending the rest of the week speculating on Web sites--with some irresistible hooks (not to mention the beautiful women). First, there's a huge ensemble cast of no fewer than 14 regular characters, and each episode fills in some of the back story on one of them. There's a doctor; an Iraqi... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 06 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $59.99 Your Price: $46.99YOU SAVE $13!
Buy it
