Rating: 
Summary: Extremely high production value nostalgic 70's sci-fi Film
Review: This is the pilot episodes of the great nostalgic 70's era made-for-TV series. Though some say this is a cheapo knock-off of Star Wars, I personally rewatched this show with great fondness and recommend everyone to buy a copy now. And be amazed at the extremely high production value achieved on TV for that era. I mean, the money is way up front in your face (...)The sets, models, effects still stand exceedingly well up to the test of time, and this version is masterfully remastered (pardon the pun) for DVD. Goferrit and hit turbo-boost!!!! By Your Command!!!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best sci-fi movies of the 1970s
Review: Most people remember the TV series more than the pilot episode (which also aired in theatres, if I recall). However, the original movie for BG was nothing short of stupendous. This was the first science fiction series for TV that had genuine great special effects. (Note: I am a big fan of the original "Star Trek" series, but even the most die hard trekkies must concede that the 1960s special effects in it were.....well, 1960s special effects). Even more important, as is the case in all of the best science fiction films, BG was more story than spectacle. The premise of BG asks: what if the human race came from outer space? What if the pyramids of Egypt are actually in the lineage of a far older architectural tradition that spans the galaxy? Could it be that the technology of the humans first got here was somehow lost over the eons? Well, none of these ideas are worthy of serious consideration. However, they do make for great entertainment! BG is about the original colonies of humans, somewhere in a string of planets a long ways off from Earth. They have been battling a machine race, known as the Cylons, for over a thousand years. [BTW: the Cylons are even now one of the most menacing and intimidating looking races of the entire science fiction genre.] Back to the story. The film opens with a peace treaty that is about to be signed between the humans and the Cylons. Some, however, such as Commander Adama (CO of the Galactica) don't trust those pesky Cylons (and with good reason). As one might guess, the Cylons betray the treaty & actually utilize the proceedings to drag the Battlestars [which are kind of like interstellar aircraft carriers] into a trap. When the cosmic dust settles, only one Battlestar is left: the Galactica. Adama decides to try and lead all of the civilians who have survived to a legendary human colony known as Earth. This is 1970s science fiction @ its very best. Although the attempted resurrection of the series in 1980 known as "Galactica Finds Earth" was a ridiculous farce, that should not be held against the original movie and series. BG is HIGHLY recommended for sci-fi enthusiasts everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: great concept movie
Review: This movie or pilot episode had a neat concept (that we may be decendents of ancient times)however you lookat it, shown on ABC in 1978 this film like Star Wars before it was ahead of its time in special effects, not to mention character developement. It should be noted that Universal Pictures had the opportunity to do Star Wars, but turned it down flat, i'm sure they were kicking themselves after its grand success, but i don't consider this to be a rip-off, Battlestar Galactica had similar themes, but was quite different in many ways, i'm sure Universal was trying to make up for their poor decision about Star Wars, but Battlestar plays out a different scenario. Universal should release this in its entirety as seen on the SCI-FI channel, the uncut version is much better than this cropped version, it shows more depth and it is a shame that Universal didn't take this oppurtunity to do this for DVD, until they do I will not buy it, like one reviewer said "There is money to be made here" I only hope Universal will do this eventually as well as releasing the episodes that followed, like any show there were good & bad episodes, but the good ones would be money well spent, I, like many fans feel like this show was not given a fair chance, if Universal wants to make any money they may have lost on this series, they now have the chance to make it back in more ways than one, i know i am not alone when i say this, but it an oppurtunity that should not be ignored, hopefully Universal will get its act together and do it for the fans as well as make themselves money, anyone listening??
Rating:
Summary: One of the best science fiction movies of all time
Review: There is no question that this movie and the subsequent series was made possible by the success of the movie Star Wars. Just like Star Wars was made possible by the success of the original Star Trek series. All things build on each other, where success follows success. The key issue is always if the successor is worthy of comparison to the predecessor. It is quite true that the reliance on mythology for the names of many of the main characters introduces a bit of absurdity, but that is part of the nature of science fiction. Any characterization of beings from other worlds must of necessity follow the absurdity of them speaking a human language. Mathematics is a universal language, but that is simply not a feasible alternative. In my opinion, the most serious criticism is the occasional violation of a law of physics.
Criticisms aside, all stories like this must entertain, as that is the whole reason for their existence, and to criticize them at any other level misses the point. In viewing the movie again after several years, I am once again struck by the quality of the special effects. It was made in the late seventies, yet some of the space scenes are comparable to what exists today. They are very entertaining, although it is unfortunate that many scenes are used several times.
The story itself kept my interest, as it is an old human one about a war of conquest with the defeated becoming refugees who are searching for a safe haven and are being hunted every day. This is a scenario that has occurred many times throughout human history. The key difference of course is that the hunters are machines rather than other humans or another "carbon-based" species. Although the technology of space flight is the only thing that saves the survivors, there is also a strong anti-technology theme to the story. This combination of technology being the only solution to the problems of technology is another situation that humans have struggled with since the taming of fire and the rise of agriculture.
I loved the movie and series when it first came out and still enjoy it today. It is one of the most entertaining science fiction films of all time, presenting themes that have plagued humans since they reached the point where they could be called human.
Rating:
Summary: MORE GALACTICA DVD's PLEASE
Review: But this one has nothing in the way of extra's. Still, If you love the show like I do, its a must have!
Rating:
Summary: DVD video quality highlights technical limitations of 1978
Review: This was my favorite TV show when I was a kid, along with "CHiPs". But like that show, it hasn't aged well. The props, costumes and hairstyles scream "disco", unlike films such as "Star Wars" (which had a timeless quality) and "Star Trek" (futuristic realistic, with the possible exception of some disco duds in the first movie). Still a decent story, although I agree with some of the other reviewers that it seems improbable that the humans would simply turn tail and run across the galaxy instead of putting up a fight. And the whole idea of the Colonials being the possible ancestors of Earth's civilization has a sort of innate charm. Now, on to other matters: the DVD release serves to embarrasingly highlight how nascent SFX technology was back in the late 70s. There are scenes in which the matteing process (used to superimpose small flying spacecraft onto background visuals) is painfully evident. Check out the scenes in which Cylon raiders fly to their base ship, you can see the edges of the matte frames. It's pretty evident in just about any scene with small craft flying against a dark background. Shame they didn't do some CGI cleanup for the DVD release. Better yet, where's the full length movie (the one they show on the Sci-Fi channel)? The theme music still rocks though. Another note: the Dirk Benedict bio doesn't even mention "The A-Team" - what's up with that?
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: A fantastic pilot to a series that had many ups and downs and got cancelled before it got a real chance to find its footing. Thankfully, there's been a very recent announcement that Battlestar Galactica will be coming back thanks to Bryan Singer, the director of The X-Men. Maybe soon it will finaly get the chance to live up to its potential.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie, star wars pales in comparison
Review: Great movie, great picture and sound, and, great a dvd. This is the perfect drive-in nostalgia type film. The colors are rich and beautiful. Seeing it again it reminds me alot of starship troopers. The most fun I had watching a movie in along time!!!! Own this disc, it's sure to become a collector's item!
Rating: 
Summary: NOT AS GOOD AS YOU REMEMBER
Review: I loved Battlestar Galactica with a passion when I was young, like I loved Star Wars before it- obviously Galactica would never have happened without Star Wars. Many of the scenes, effects, and concepts are lifted straight from the George Lucas movie. Seeing it over twenty years later is a real eye-opener. The acting is wooden and the line reading is often comically bad- among the major characters, only Lorne Greene, Dirk Benedict and Jane Seymour were good (and Seymour's character got killed early in the series, unfortunately). Some of the worst things of the era in which it was released appear here, including Rick Springfield, the hairstyles, and disco music (in the casino scene, a direct rip-off of the cantina scene in Star Wars-even the subtitles acknowledge that it is "disco" playing). There is a high cornball content- the scene where the robot dog destroys a Cylon warrior is worse than the Ewoks battle scene in Return of the Jedi. There are good special effects-the radiation field/minefield scene is great, but this isn't a movie that's worthwhile just for the eye-candy, like say, Barbarella. It doesn't even hold up as well as other cheesy childhood favorites like Land of the Lost and Lost in Space. One of the funnest things about owning the DVD is that you can freeze and blow up the "F--- Off" spelled out in lights in one scene where the planet Caprica is getting bombed. Still, I can't say I totally regret buying this. I still like the sets, the costumes, the actress who played Athena (what a fox!), and the premise of the show is interesting. And the Colonial Vipers were way cool. Too bad the show degenerated into that horrible "Galactica '80" fiasco.
Rating:
Summary: The most expensive television series at the time.
Review: ... . The last Battlestar, Galactica, leads a ragtag fugitive fleet away from the tyranny of the robotic Cylons in search of a lost tribe that has settled on a mythical planet known as Earth. While it was labeled as a rip-off, the fact is it was an excellent series that is only now getting the respect it deserves. The widescreen treatment is courtesy of the fact that Universal marketed a different edit in theaters overseas. All in all, a great disc for the science fiction fan in your house.
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