The Movie
Each week, the series Battlestar Galactica opened with the following words across the screen: "The Cylons were built by man. They rebelled. There are many copies. And they have... a plan." That brief summation set up the central story for four seasons. There was just one little problem: The series ended last year and despite many loose ends neatly knotted, we still weren't told what "the plan" was.
Until now. A coda to Battlestar Galactica's four-year run, the new direct-to-video movie The Plan finally details exactly what the Cylons' intent was (in short, the extermination of the life form known as "human"), why they failed, and how they came up with a new one. The Plan covers roughly ten months of mankind's exodus, familiar to fans except this time told from the Cylons' point of view, taking into account the revelations of the final season. In fact, it assumes that the viewer is already familiar with all of BSG's many jaw-dropping secrets, including the closely guarded identities of all 12 human-mimicking Cylon models. At times, the movie is quite ambitious, with vast depictions of the destruction and occupation of the 12 colonies, along with lots of other skirmishes and mayhem.
Under the direction of star Edward James Olmos, it overflows with nuance and subtlety, the kind of character-driven drama we would expect when an actor takes the reins. I just don't think that this is a story that was begging to be told at this point in time.
The Picture
The Plan is presented in an HDTV-ready 1.78:1, with obvious points for commercial breaks, although it likely won't air on SyFy HD with the full frontal nudity. Clearly shot on video, the image is frequently noisy (noisy black space, what's up with that?) with the tell-tale too-hot brights and image streaking. Simpler shots--well-lit close-ups--can work nicely despite overly-compressed backgrounds, and colors at least are strong.
The Sound
The accompanying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is more impressive, exhibiting effective front-to-back/back-to-front directionality right from the first moments. The feathery strings in the musical score are counterbalanced by sharp bass jolts throughout. Hard surrounds are well-utilized both in the busy interiors of the crowded spaceships and in both the large- and smaller-scale action sequences. As a bonus, the disc also includes a D-BOX code for motion-enabled home theater systems.
The Extras
Director/star Edward James Olmos and executive producer/writer Jane Espenson share their passion for this reunion project on their commentary track. Seven deleted scenes total 14 minutes, and are the only bit here in standard definition. In "From Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos & The Plan" (seven minutes), we gain an even greater sense of Olmos' enthusiasm, while in "The Cylons of The Plan" (also seven minutes), the returning actors offer their take on this new movie. "The Cylon Attack" shows the making of a pivotal action scene (four minutes), and "Visual Effects: The Magic Behind The Plan" goes deeper than most FX mini-documentaries (at 19 minutes) in that it brings in the writer, director, producers and more to really celebrate all the digital craft.
In addition to BD-Live--an online "Trivia Challenge" is advertised on the package but was not yet live at press time--the disc also supports Universal's "Ticker" feature, which pushes relevant news in a banner on the Main Menu page.
Final Thoughts
Those folks who can't get enough BSG will surely appreciate The Plan's expanded backstory on key moments from the series, and the new insights they provide. I consider myself a fan, albeit not an obsessed one, so I'm fine remembering Battlestar by its three-hour finale from last spring instead of this modest attempt to reinvent the FTL drive.
Product Details
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