Battlestar Galactica - The Feature Film (Widescreen Edition)

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Summary: Cult fave!
Review: So it's cheesey, hokey and dated. I grew up watching this series, and it sort of grows on you. Besides, what duo could ever beat Starbuck and Apollo??!

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Summary: One of the Best Sci-Fi Films Ever...
Review: It may have been made in an attempt to cash in on the success of "STAR WARS", but "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA" has withstood the test of time to become one of the best sci-fi films ever made. The story is gripping and, at times, funny. The cast, especially the leads (Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, and Lorne Greene) are all perfect in their roles. The effects, while somewhat dated, are still great to look at. Who can forget the awesome destruction of Caprica? The awesome ships and costumes? The Cylons? All of these elements, and many more, make this one awesome film to behold. A must see for any serious fan of science fiction. Don't listen to those who say that this is nothing but a "STAR WARS" ripoff. They don't know what they are missing! Do yourself a favor-BUY THIS DVD TODAY! Also, there is currently underway an effort to get "BATTLETAR GALACTICA" brought back as a new series or movie. With your help, we can see that this great show finally gets to realize its full potential.

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Summary: FUN BUT...
Review: ONCE YOU GET THIS MOVIE YOU MAY WANT THE WHOLE EPIC SERIES. IT'S AVAILABLE IN AN EXCELLENT SET. I LOVED THIS MOVIE AND IT REMINDED ME OF HOW MUCH I MISSED THE SHOW...SO THEN I BOUGHT THAT TOO!

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Summary: attention: this is NOT the Ron Moore version
Review: I don't care what version of Battlestar Galactice folks like. I like this one, but that's just my view. Like what ya want BUT make sure you put the right review with the right DVD. It's important to know that this DVD is the theatrical version of the 70's Battlestar NOT the 2003 Ron Moore version. There are negative reviews of the 2003 version on here, but this is not that version. Be sure to put the right review with the right DVD.

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Summary: Galactica lives!
Review: I was a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica from the time the series premiered, and watch the show religiously until the time of its cancellation, and even watched the Galactica 1980 folow-up series, although I was disappointed that Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict (except for one episode), Herb Jefferson and Laurette Spang did not return in that show. I do enjoy the new BSG on the SCI-FI Channel, but I remain a fan of the original. This version of the series premiere is the big screen movie which was shown in theaters across North America. The film tells the story of twelve colonies of humanity on the verge of signing a treaty with their Cylon enemies to bring their thousand year-old war to a close. But on the eve of the ceremony, the Cylons launch a Pearl Harboresque attack against the Colonial fleet, destroying the Colonial homeworlds and most of their military fleet. The battlestar Galactica, the lone surviving ship of the Colonial fleet, remains to aid the surviving colonials and begin an epic journey to seek a new home on a far-away legendary planet known as Earth. Several cast members turn in great performances, especially Lorne Greene as Commander Adama and John Colicos as the traitorous Baltar. Battlestar Galactica remains one of my favorite science fiction television series in both its new and original forms. I gladly recommend this movie to any science fiction fan.

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Summary: 2/8/05 DVD release NOT anamorphic, contrary to description
Review: I feel cheated, because the only reason I ordered this new (2/8/05) DVD release of Galactica is because I thought they're finally releasing a widescreen anamorphic (instead of letterboxed) version, because the technical details section in amazon explicitly states that this is the case. WRONG! As far as I can tell, this release is no improvement over the older DVD releases. Still letterboxed and not enhanced for widescreen TV's, and not digitally remastered either. The only thing they added are ads for the mini-series and the game on side B, which I don't really care. Had I known this, I'd have just rented the older release instead. What a bummer. Don't buy this if you already have the old DVD release or can rent it.

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Summary: 3 DIFFERENT VERSIONS: KNOW YOUR GALACTICA
Review: There are actually three different versions of this, the pilot movie for Battlestar Galactica.
#1 The first version was a full length movie that tested in Europe and Canada in 1978. This version has never been released in the USA.
#2 SAGA OF A STAR WORLD is the pilot version that runs in a 3 hour
time slot. It is the same as the #1 version but the ending was altered so that Count Baltar 's life is spared by the Cylon Imperious Leader. An added epilogue shows the arrival of three new Cylon Basestars, a "new" Imperious Leader, Baltar alive and the first appearance of Cylon Lucifer.
It premiered on US TV in 1978. It is available in the DVD box set. (The one with the Cylon head on it)
#3 (This version) Is the theatrical version that played in US theatres the summer of 1979 and was available on VHS for most of the 80's and 90's.
It is a much shorter version of #1. Several lengthy sequences, most notably the attack on Caprica, have been removed or shortened. It is in stereo and is letterboxed on DVD(but does not have a very wide picture) and features the original ending in which Baltar is beheaded (off camera) by the Cylons. It does not include the epilogue and is notable for moving along at an almost jaringly fast pace. Basically they just took the scissors to a print of #1. Only of interest if you must have the stereo sound.
And in response to those reviewers who never watched Galactica until now. WHAT KIND OF SUPER DORK WATCHED BUCK ROGERS AND V, BUT NEVER SAW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA???!!!!!!!


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Summary: Some things are better left to distant childhood memory.
Review: I picked up a copy of the LaserDisc edition of this film a while back from a cut-out bin. I'm sort of glad I did, but not because watching it is in any way a pleasurable experience. Remember how cool Galactica was when you were six years old? Well, it was only that cool because you were six years old. Watching it as an adult is a bracingly awful experience: you can almost feel those happy childhood memories crumpling to dust against the onslaught of cheesy costuming, ham-handed cold war allegories, awful dialogue, stilted acting and tacky sets. Thrill to the same special effects shot repeated over and over again! Gasp at the termites shed by Lorne Greene as he attempts to emote! Shake your head in disbelief that you ever liked this stuff!

Having the LD of this movie has provided me with many fine hours of entertainment by letting me watch the faces of my friends who claim to have liked the series as a child as I force them to watch it. Usually they start clawing their eyes out by the Space Disco scene. (Yes, there really is a Space Disco scene.) I'm overjoyed that they're re-releasing this on DVD, since this will allow me to continue torturing people with this fine slab of cheese without having to keep a functional laserdisc player around.

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Summary: Origins of a Series and Empire.
Review: I never watched "Battlestar Galactica" as a kid. "Buck Rogers" and "V" were sci-fi shows that I dug, but not "Galactica". However, with the recent release of the Sci-Fi Channel's new rendering of the show and the hype it is causing in certain circles I run in, I thought it might be interesting to at least get a taste of what the show was about. Ergo, the two hour theatrical release of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The movie is actually a condensed version of the original three-hour premiere of the series. Though there are a few obvious moments where a trained eye can tell where the commercial breaks were at, the editors did a good job of condensing the television show's plot into a theatrical film.

In an unknown period of time thousands of years into the future the 12 colonies (planets) of man are on the verge of signing a peace treaty with a race of robots known as the Cylons. Humans and the Cylons have been at war for over a 1,000 years and most everyone believes the dawning of a new era has arrived. Except, the Cylons have no intention of making peace. They want the complete and total annhiliation of the human race. Using a human traitor who is the right hand man of the President. The Cylons succeed in wiping out most of the human fleet, including 11 Battlestars, and almost all of the population of the 12 colonies. Commander Adama operates the sole remaining Battlestar, Galactica, and had a hunch the Cylons were up to no good. Under his quick thinking and guidance, almost all of the survivors on each of the colonies are gathered up and together the leave for the mysterious 13th colony in a galaxy far away, called Earth. In the second half of the film, Battlestar Galactica reaches a somewhat distant planet run by fly-like creatures who run a secret resort. All the food, women (or men), wine, and song are at their disposal. The resort seems like a paradise, but their is a darkness on the planet. Adama feels it and thinks the Cylons are involved somehow. A major act of disception is incorporated and the adventure really begins.

When it aired, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was described as being STAR WARS meets WAGON TRAIN and in many ways that's what it is. The special effects were created under the supervision of John Dykstra, who worked on STAR WARS. There is a lot of similarities between GALACTICA and STAR WARS, for example the Cylons are ruled by an Imperious Leader who looks an awful lot like the Emperor in STAR WARS. There's a lot of cheesy costumes and set design, not to mention some of the acting, aka Dirk Benedict as Starbuck. Still the film does have it's moments and Lorne Greene makes the film seem more relevant than it really is. I'm thinking about renting the whole series DVD just to see what the rest of the show was like.

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Summary: Good memorabilia for casual fans of the 1970s TV show
Review: Diehard fans of "Battlestar Galactica" fondly remember the 1970s TV show, which was Glen Larson's attempt to bring a "Star Wars" style space opera to TV. Whereas George Lucas combined Flash Gordon, classical mythology, Zen Buddhism, 1940s war movies and a wealth of other influences to create his films, Larson was less successful. Lorne Greene, who played Commander Adama on the series, was best known as the patriarch of TV Westerns, which along with some very conservative politics, reveals Larson's true inspiration. This doesn't make the series bad, but its very concept guarantees that it wouldn't be as flashy as its rivals. For those totally unfamiliar with the series, "Battlestar Galactica" deals largely with the futuristic aftermath of a nearly successful attempt by a race of robots called Cylons to exterminate the human race.

This basic DVD contains the feature film version of "Battlestar" which was edited together from the first few episodes and shown in Europe as a way to recoup some of the money spent on the highly budgeted TV series. The special effects are impressive for their time, though not of "Star Wars" quality, and the costumes and creature design are quite good in a 1970s way and not as embarassing as the later "Buck Rogers" TV show. Ironically, if you listen to trance or techno music, the Cylons' synthetic voices (courtesy of a Vocoder) haven't aged at all!

If you're a diehard fan, you'll want the whole series, which died a very quick death in 1978. For a casual fan like myself, this DVD contains all the "Battlestar" you'll want to see.