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Any reviews for the BB Exclusive BATTLESTAR GALACTICA S1 set?

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Any reviews for the BB Exclusive BATTLESTAR GALACTICA S1 set?

Old 07-29-05, 02:57 PM
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Any reviews for the BB Exclusive BATTLESTAR GALACTICA S1 set?

I've been doing searches and have not found any reviews for this set. I'm debating on picking it up (personally I thought the mini-series was utter trash filled with worse than bad acting and overly melodramatic writing) and want to know if it is better than the mini-series or if it is worth waiting for the official US set (the BB Exclusive is the UK set reformatted for NTSC TVs, and the US set included the crappy mini-series with it, which many people probably bought already). Plus I'm still not sure if the show is worth picking up, but as a fan of the original series, I really want to give the new series a chance.
Old 07-29-05, 05:38 PM
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Ford, if you disliked the mini-series, you're not going to like the regular series...because it's filled with more of the same. I personally think it's one of the top 5 shows on TV, and am having trouble reconciling how you could be a fan of the original - which is the pure definition of bad acting and melodrama - yet claim a dislike for the new version on the very same grounds.

Just for the record, I think the new BG is both well-acted and well-written. And I don't think I'm alone in that assessment.

[Sarcasm Alert!]On second thought, go ahead and pick up the BB version.[/Sarcasm Alert!] The rest of us are waiting for the cheaper, more extras-packed Sept. release.

Last edited by Shannon Nutt; 07-30-05 at 08:47 AM.
Old 07-29-05, 05:50 PM
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SO what your saying is just because I do not share your opinion of the mini-series, I should spend extra money on the set just to waste money because my opinion disagrees with your? I feel like saying more, but I don't feel like getting in a battle with the mods, however I will say such an attitude from someone associated with DVD Talk is a reviewer status makes me want to stop reading the reviews.
Old 07-30-05, 08:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Ford Prefect
SO what your saying is just because I do not share your opinion of the mini-series, I should spend extra money on the set just to waste money because my opinion disagrees with your? I feel like saying more, but I don't feel like getting in a battle with the mods, however I will say such an attitude from someone associated with DVD Talk is a reviewer status makes me want to stop reading the reviews.
No, what I am saying is that if you thought the mini-series was poorly written and melodramatic, you should definitely skip Season One, because you probably won't like it.

The rest was sarcasm and should be read as such...I was just making a joke about your ironic statement that you loved the original, but think the new version is poorly written and acted - which I believe better describes the OLD 70s show. Don't get so offended...you know what they say about opinions.

But seriously, the reason you won't be seeing a review of the BB set is because most fans are waiting for the better-put-together and cheaper Sept. release.

Last edited by Shannon Nutt; 07-30-05 at 08:46 AM.
Old 07-30-05, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Shannon Nutt
But seriously, the reason you won't be seeing a review of the BB set is because most fans are waiting for the better-put-together and cheaper Sept. release.
and they aren't mailing these out for free
Old 07-31-05, 10:59 PM
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Ford, I believe someone in the main discussion thread in DVD Talk has the set, you could post there and ask for a summary.

As for the acting and such, I've actually never seen the miniseries. I couldn't catch more than five minutes here and there, but SciFi recently ran a marathon of the 13 regular episodes, so I set my DVR to grab them. I'm almost done, and this is hands down one of the top shows on TV. These people are acting like refugees in the middle of outer space should be acting, esp with a bunch of psychotic toasters waging a jihad against them.
Old 08-01-05, 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Ford Prefect
I've been doing searches and have not found any reviews for this set. I'm debating on picking it up (personally I thought the mini-series was utter trash filled with worse than bad acting and overly melodramatic writing) and want to know if it is better than the mini-series or if it is worth waiting for the official US set (the BB Exclusive is the UK set reformatted for NTSC TVs, and the US set included the crappy mini-series with it, which many people probably bought already). Plus I'm still not sure if the show is worth picking up, but as a fan of the original series, I really want to give the new series a chance.
Well, you may be in the same boat as me on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. I didn't like the mini-series very much - I think it was too depressed and caught up in the whole post-terrorist-attacks malaise, which is not my definition of "being entertained" by a show. I really thought they had screwed up a chance to bring back the show.

But, a year later, when the TV series spin-off finally started, I decided to give it a chance, mainly because I think Edward James Olmos is such a great actor that he is watchable in virtually anything (he was easily the best thing about the mini-series). And I was glad I did, because the re-imagining of BG found its legs in the new TV series, which were missing in the mini-series. It was still a serious drama, but a lot of the malaise that weighed down the mini-series was gone. It does take take a few episodes to get into it, but this is one of the best shows on TV now.
Old 08-01-05, 10:30 PM
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I took the plunge and bought the UK set (I'm a sucker for 'exclusive' bonus discs). I didn't like the little bit of the mini-series that I saw, but loved the original back in the day.

Knowing myself, I'll probably like it and buy the US set also if there is a decent sale or exclusive on it somewhere.
Old 08-04-05, 08:19 AM
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What dhmac said. I wasn't all that fond of the mini-series but love the series (give or take a couple of plot threads I wish would either pay off or be dropped).
Old 08-05-05, 09:49 AM
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I pretty much concur with what most of the folks here are saying.

Having watched some of the original BG series as a kid (missed alot because it was on a "church" night), I anxiously tuned in for the original broadcast of the "redux" miniseries on SciFi. Although I didn't "hate" it, I was a bit disappointed in the mini overall. It was a decent enough beginning to the series proper, but - of course - at that point there was no indication that the show was going to get picked up as a legitimate series. On it's own, it doesn't stand up very well.

However, the mini hooked me enough that I was willing to give the actual series a trial of a few episodes. Within two or three episodes, I was hooked - line and sinker! By midway through the first season, I was a rabid fan, and made sure I was home every Friday night to see each new episode as it aired. After "Kobol's Last Gleaming - Pt. 2" (season one's finale), I wasn't sure I could wait until July to see how the cliffhangers would be resolved. Although season two's opener wasn't quite as strong as I'd hoped, the next episode (last Friday's) more than compensated. In fact, last week's episode ranks among the very best of the series to date, and the preview for tonight's follow-up looks like it might be as good.

The new BSG is truly one of the best series on television, and is likely to continue as such, providing that show creator Ron D. Moore has a proper resolution in mind for the series. Too many other shows with a continuous story arc start off promising great thigns, but cannot deliver because the writers are making it up on the fly (such as the mythology arc of X-Files). ABC's LOST could also easily fall into this category as well, since very little was resolved in the first season, and interviews with that show's creators lead me to believe that they don't know where the show's arc is heading.

I've gotten no such indication from BSG so far. A number of questions posed during season one have been answered to some degree (although twice as many new questions have popped up in the process), and BSG's story arc does seem to have a forward momentum. That momentum was slow and leisurely in it's pacing after the first few episodes of season one, but kicked into high gear for the final four or five episodes in season one. That's not a complaint, however; the slow pacing allowed for detailed and finely textured character development. As exciting as BSG's plot points are (and they ARE quite exciting), the show really succeeds because the characters are so well-drawn and exquisitely acted. Even characters that - in the beginning - seemed two-dimensional and almost stereotypical (like Starbuck, the overused female soldier who compensates for her gender by being overly-macho), have developed nicely along the way. Other than Cmdr. Adama (played to perfection by Edward James Olmos), I find myself most fascinated by the egocentric and enigmatic Dr. Baltar Gaius. Gaius' character is SOOOO much better developed than the "Snidely Whiplash" version in the original BSG series, that they have very little in common. Gaius is frequently a "bad" guy and - of course - is partly responsible for the near-destruction of the human race in the Cylons' preliminary attack, but he has shining moments which he's almost redeemed. Of course, he almost immediately does something so selfish afterward that you want to throttle the bugger!

Most of all, the new BSG is an intelligent Scifi show for adults (God knows there are precious few of them out there). It's story encompasses the intricacies of politics, war, religion, and the delicate and contradictory nature of human behavior. Ron D. Moore & company have bitten off a HUGE bite to swallow with this ambitious show and have no easy task ahead of them, but so far they've managed to deliver on the goods with little disappointment along the way.

Eric
Old 08-15-05, 07:19 AM
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Season One discs confusing!

Hi,

I've just purchased (from Best Buy in San Jose, CA) Battlestar Galactica - Season One (UK edition, formated for US) DVD collection, which contains 4 discs.

Disc One contains episodes titled "33", "Water", "Bastille Day" and "Act of Contrition". However each of these episodes refers to a previous episode... I can't seem to find where the series starts!

I would have assumed that on Disc One, the first episode on the disc ("33") was the first episode in ther series, but that's not the case.

Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Thanks.
Old 08-15-05, 09:42 AM
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Nope, they are in the right order. The "previously on BSG" bit that starts episode '33' refers to the mini-series.
Old 08-15-05, 09:54 AM
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Thanks for that feedback.
So the 'mini-series' was previous collection of episodes, produced at an ealrier date? I wasn't aware of that, ahving just come to discover BSG. I had thought the package I just purchased would be a restart of the original series and would take the thing from the very beginning. In any case, I watched the first two episodes last night and really enjoyed them. Very edgey Has a NYPD-moving camera filmmaking style. I just finished directing an indie film ("At Last") and should have used that technique in some scenes!
Old 08-15-05, 01:56 PM
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The mini series was a separte thing, and released on DVD separately some time ago. The 13 eps of season 1 pick up after the mini. The DVD set you have is only those 13. There is another set coming next month with the mini plus the 13, plus some more features IIRC.

Since you already have the first DVD set, you could just pick up the miniseries separately. I'm sure it's still available.
Old 08-15-05, 04:30 PM
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I'm laid up with a bum knee, and just spent most of the past 2 days watching the mini-series and the 1st season.

Wow.

This is one fantastic show. I'm not that easily pleased when it comes to current TV, I only actively watch 3-5 shows right now, mainly the HBO stuff like Six Feet Under and Sopranos. But this BSG is darn fine television.

And it looks like the Sc-Fi Channel is running a marathon tonight to get people caught up on season 2. What fortuitous timing! I'm setting my TIVO now.
Old 08-16-05, 05:15 PM
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Chiming back in since I started this thread. I did pick up the UK set at BB. First of all let me get this off my chest, the packaging was HORRIBLE. It fell apart the moment I opened it. The plastic "sleeves" were held in by nothing more than double sided tape.

Now that the packagin is out of the way, my view of the show. I stand by what I said about the mini-series, it was crap with bad acting. The show is probably 10x better than the mini-series was. Some of the acting (and I do mean SOME) that I had previously thought was bad just turned out to be poorly written characters in the mini (for instance I though Grace Park was awful in the mini, and after watching season 1 I still think she is flat out awful, however Katee Sackhoff impressed me much more in the regular season than she did in the mini, I just think Starbuck is being badly mishandled and poorly written by the people in charge). I also like some of the directions they are taking (especially after accidently seeing "Fragged" from season 2 before I finished season 1) with the series. On the whole I do still prefer the original (if for no other reason than the fact it was a more FUN show and since I watch stuff like this mostly for entertainment, FUN is better), but I must say after viewing season 1, I will pick up season 2 when it is released (I work during its normal air time and only caught "Fragged" because I was flipping channels while I was on vacation).

And for those who freaked out because of my original post, keep in mind what I said, I stand by EVERYTHING I said about the mini-series, and if you don't like it, please go get your panties in a bunch.
Old 10-01-05, 09:52 PM
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Does the Best Buy Season 1 UK exclusive set have anything different from the Season 1 US set?

Does anyone have both to confirm?

Forgive me for putting this in two threads, but I figured that was better than starting a new thread to just ask one question. I would love a definite answer before I spend $ on both the UK and US sets (I'm a silly completist).

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