Best movie of this year hands down!

the audience applauded

Memorable, crazy movie

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This theatrically released version of the pilot episode is light years (or is that light yahrens?) ahead of its TV contemporaries in terms of special f/x and production values. With a few exceptions, the f/x work here is fantastic. In a couple of cases it's better than 'Star Wars', the success of which made 'Galactica' possible. It should come as no surprise that Academy award winning f/x man John Dykstra, who was partly responsible for the groundbreaking work in 'Star Wars', was in charge of the f/x work here, as were several members of his ILM crew. Another 'Star Wars' alum, concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, filled a similar role for 'BSG', but while the ships may share a similar aesthetic (particularly the X-Wing and the Colonial Viper), I'd say they're ('SW' and 'BSG') more like second cousins than siblings.The plot is a sort of mish-mash of Mormon theology, the Holocaust, classic space opera and wagon train in space, and it works quite well. It's always tougher to world build in a film than it is in a book, but BSG does a reasonably good job of distilling its backstory down so that you get the gist without things having to grind to a halt for dull expository reasons. The characters are pretty stock, but the cast do a fine job of inhabiting them such that they feel real. Lorne Greene in particular adds a real gravitas to things as the Galactica's stoic leader. I actually think he's the linchpin to the whole thing. Just when things threaten to go off into the ridiculous (Like Starbuck trying to make a quick buck off of a four eyed, double mouthed Motown-style female singing group), here comes Mr. Greene to bring things back in line.The actual series itself was, like most such genre TV of its day, often hit or miss, but this opening movie is a fun, occasionally compelling, bit of Saturday morning space opera.

The above statement, from the patriarchal Commander Adama (Lorne Green) sums up this show quite nicely. Adama has to lead the last survivors of humanity from the Twelve Colonies of Kobol to a long-lost mythic planet called Earth, home of the 13th Tribe, after the colonies are attacked by the robotic and clumsy Cylons, who strafe a city or two and kill at least one dog.The first part of Adama's statement is fair enough. Clearly another solar system would be located beyond your own solar system. Oh, but it's also in a different galaxy? You might as well say that the restaurant you're trying to find is "Just down the street, in another country". I wonder if the writers knew what they were talking about."Galactica" is full of moments like this. The Vipers, the little fighter planes our heroes fly into battle, have enormous fiery exhaust trails, implying constant acceleration, the effect of which would be to reduce our heroes to strawberry jam. (The Vipers themselves look like hastily cobbled-together knock-offs of the X-wings from "Star Wars"). Their cockpits even have a little instrument on the dashboard telling the pilot which way is "up" -- in space.The villains of the show are the infamous Cylons, renowned in the realm of televised science fiction as the dumbest, clumsiest, and most ridiculous-looking villains ever. It's to be expected that they can't shoot, but these chrome-plated robots can barely walk. According to Lorne Green, the Cylons are just plain evil, but I'm not sure "evil robots" is all that meaningful, although I did have an evil calculator once. I'm never quite sure whether the Cylons had an organic counterpart who created them, but it doesn't really matter.In many ways this show is a shallow imitation of "Star Wars," and this can be seen in the cast of characters. Particularly Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), who tries so hard to be Han Solo, but only comes off as petulant, sexist, and rather pathetic. Apollo is the noble, Luke Skywalker hero type, and as such doesn't have a personality. Starbuck has a faithful black sidekick, Boomer, who seems to be much more competent than Starbuck. Adama also has a faithful black sidekick, called Colonel Tigh, who at one point is reduced to picking up everyone's laundry. Take that, Civil Rights Movement!The destruction of the human colonies is a brief, and amazingly painless affair. A park is strafed by Cylon ships, and a small dog is killed (though the actual death is not shown, so we are left with some hope). Soon enough, our heroes have forgotten all about the genocide: Starbuck tries to get it on with two equally boring women, and Apollo enters into a creepy relationship with the little boy whose dog was maybe killed (though it might be slightly less creepy if you consider he was only trying to sleep with Jane Seymour, the boy's mother). The Cylons, meanwhile, attack again, but are destroyed because they're so utterly incompetent.Oh yes, and there's a robot dog. I think it was actually a chimp in a robot-dog costume, but either way it's quite nauseating. The special effects are all right to start off (I like those old effects from the Seventies and Eighties, sometimes more than modern CGI), but get very repetitive very fast. I could also mention the preposterous characterization of the humans, including weak-kneed pacifists who are quickly killed, the inexplicably evil and stupid Lord Baltar (John Colicos) who betrays humanity, and the unbelievably dumb Council of Twelve, who prove that democracy just doesn't work.

Although it is a little bit of a dated script and obviously copies off of Star Wars (don't those starfighters look an awful lot like X-wings), Battlestar Gallactica is worth a watch if you're a science fiction geek. If you've seen the new version before, you'll be amazed at how different the old version really is. In the old series, action, jokes, and flirting are much more common. The new version relies on political events and characters.Although this 1978 version of the film moves a little slowly in places, there are the fascinating space battles. The dialog between the characters and some of the comedy is a little dated, however. I would recommend it if you're a fan of this genre.

Ingredients:17 stories which use cowardice as the prime component (Again and again the primary thread in Battlestar Galactica was "They're right behind us! Run, run!" Never a counteroffensive, never a strategic raid, or a grand offensive against an unprotected enemy planet). Reuse lots of special effects, and assume the viewers will never notice.Mix in heavy-handed morality tales. Six quarts of Biblical & religious references.Sift in cast of unknowns.One big name from a Western series to attract the wrong kind of audience.Mix at high speed with overtones of despair, and desperation, but do not allow hope to develop [this is important!].Ten gallons of cost overruns for expensive flavor.DO NOT USE REAL SCIENCE IN STORIES (viewers are stupid, they'll never know the difference). Garnish with lots of hype.Serve cold.