Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5
$49.98
I have waited a bit to comment on the finale of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA...i have to admit i have very strong feelings about this show. it is one of those special things that only come along so often in our lives. now that i have watched the entire series and all the specials, including watching the final disc of season 4.5 three times now, i guess i can pass on my ramblings.
i think this is the best show ever on TV.the writing remained strong , creative, and thought provoking the entire series. the political and metaphysical questions it posed are without a doubt the most adventurous ever put to the small screen. the characters were given traits that made us love and hate them. there was little black or white in the questions this show raised or with its characters. we learned much and questioned much about the human, and or cylon race as we watched. which one did WE come from anyway?
many of the shows and their production values exceed anything we see in the theater these days. the last episode, watch the entire disc as one, is probably the greatest single endeavor ever on tv. i am sorry to see it over, but it ended as it should.
i highly suggest you buy this entire series and watch it from beginning to end. question YOUR humanity while the crew tries to keep theirs. the noble acts and the atrocities...we are capable of it all. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA makes us look closely into the mirror...you can decide if you like what you see. SO SAY WE ALL.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
$39.98
I don't know how else to describe my reaction to this DVD.

I enjoyed watching it, recapturing that same sense of anticipation that I recalled from the early seasons of BSG - enjoying the character moments while trying to figure out, deduce what exactly was the Cylon plan that we were teased with in the show's opening every week.

But at the end of the DVD, I experienced the same let down as the series finale... That was it? I was dragged thru an emotional roller-coaster again only to be told the ride is over at the top of the track.

This DVD encompasses all that was good and bad about BSG.

The characters and the character moments sparkle. The dialogue and the acting is first-rate and evoked my fond memories of the series. The problem is, like the series, that's all this really is... a series of character moments (and most pulled from the old episodes). There is no real story here. Like the series, you get to the end and want to say "Is that it?". Yeah, I know the BSG creators lamely used the excuse that the show was always meant to just be about the characters, but c'mon, that is just a poor excuse for lazy, lazy writing. I had hoped and half-way expected this DVD was the show's runners' way of after-the-fact filling in the plot holes for the series, but instead it's just another opportunity squandered.

Nevertheless, you will probably want to buy this DVD if you were more than a casual fan of the show. Understand that it is in essence a "clip-show" interspersed with a good number of fresh scenes that enhance and expand on the older fare but really add nothing much to any kind of story arc.

Bottom-line: Good, but could have been so much more...

Battlestar Galactica - Season One
$59.98
The miniseries on disc 1 of Battlestar Galactica Season 1 would, as a standalone movie, compete with some of my favorite films. Taken with the rest of Season 1, this is some of the most entertaining television I've ever watched and is a must-see for science fiction fans. Though it's not without the occasional silly trope or unbelievable twist, Season 1 of Galactica stands as evidence of exactly how far the show tumbled in its third and fourth seasons.

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
$279.98
Ok, I am going to gush about Battlestar Galactica because I believe that is was the best show written for television, hands down. I can't believe that we got the priviledge of watching this on free tv (sci-fi network or now know as syfy). Well, not so much free as nothing is cheap about cable companies these days. Anyway.. the packaging, as people say, could have been much much better. They should have given us options on the packaging because most people, like myself, just really only care about the DVD and I would have like to have seen it in traditional dvd packagaing. But the DVDs were hard to get to and you can't see what disc is what unless you physically remove it from it's package. Enough about the package, on to the show.

Ok, the mini-series, first 4 episodes looks grainy and people say it is on purpose. I own the first season on HD-DVD as well as Standard Def and I don't see anything that makes it look any better in blu-ray. I figure that because it was release so long ago maybe they use inferior cameras to film it and the whole HD and Blu ray craze hadn't kicked into full gear until after the miniseries. But starting with the episodes 33 1/3 until season ending, everything looks and sounds great. The clarity is great and the sound is fantastic. Plus on blu-ray you have U-Control and for a fan, its cool to watch the series with that on and you get to see interviews with the cast, crew and writers. So the blu ray is packed with TONS of bonus features.

What is missing in the description of this box set is that fact that RAZOR IS INCLUDED! It's in the fourth box set i think, also the WEBISODES are included also. So you get the complete package and you don't have to purchase anything further (except the Plan with came out much later). Not included in this is Caprica but that is a completely different series-to-be.

As far as the series, it is the best writing, with wonderful acting by all. Edward James Olmos is great as Adama and gives the series validity because of his past work as an actor and you have 2x Oscar nominated Mary McDonnell as the president. But it is the newcombers that makes the series work. (I am only going to name characters here), Starbuck, Apollo, Dee, Chief, Gauis, Gaeta, Six, Boomer, etc... where did these people come from. They are amazing and I was initially upset that the previous show was changed so much. But what they did is what convinced me that I was watching something special. One thing I must say for sure. You must watch this series from episode one through the end. Its not an independent episode type of show. It is one long engrossing story that is unfolds like a great book. Be forewarned also, once you start to watch you may have a tendency to watch the show back to back to back. This is story first, sci-fi second.

For me, BSG (Battlestar Galactica) Blu-ray DVD is a multi-viewable, meaning you will find yourself watching the series over again on blu-ray and still be fascinated about it all. Unfortunately I bought it during the pre-sale and it was more for me than the current $200.00 and change price tag. This would make a fantastic gift for people you know who were fans of the show and who has a blu-ray player. And it is so complete, I can't stress that enough. Not even the standard def DVDs have the webisodes. Plus you have somewhere in the neiborhood of Season 1, Season 2.0, Season 2.5, Season 3, Season 4.0 and Season 4.5 to purchase, plus you have to purchase Razor. You get it all in one package with this set. Buy it if you are a fan and buy it for fans or for someone who you think will really like this show.