BSG: The Plan. My Review

It's been awhile since I posted a blog and it seems a little weird to come back just to write a review but the first thing I did today after work was swing over to Best Buy and pickup a copy of BSG: The Plan (I wanted to get Graham Reznick's "I Can See You" but our Best Buy wasn't carrying it. Maybe yours does, It's worth buying, especially since it comes with the 3-D short "The Viewer". I highly recommend it). Needless to say I'm a huge fan of the Battlestar Galactica rebooted series (liked the original as a kid, haven't seen it since). Here goes. It's pretty quick.

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SERIES, WATCH IT FIRST! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW, DO NOT WATCH 'THE PLAN.'

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

The Plan is essentially a 1 hour 52 minute recap of the 'new' Battlestar Galactica series from the beginning up to the middle of Season 2.5 with new scenes sprinkled in. The new footage is, virtually, deleted scenes that redundantly over-explain the attempts and failings to exterminate the human race by the Cylons-that-look-like-us-now. To over-explain what I mean imagine taking the "Previously on Battlestar Galactica" portions of each episode and cutting in some extra scenes with Cylons talking to each other explaining or summarizing or revealing things that either A) Never needed to be revealed, summarized or explained or B) Are so "on the nose" it reeks of repetition, redundancy and back tracking. At around the 1 hour 20 minute mark the purpose of "The Plan" becomes apparent: Love Conquers All. And then the next 30 minutes are spent taking the "Previously on Battlestar Galactica" portions of each episode and cutting in some extra scenes with Cylons and humans talking to each other explaining or summarizing or revealing things about Love, Love, Love. I can appreciate the subtext, moral and themes at the core of this recap of BSG, however, it could have (and should have) been done so much better. Maybe in a single story line with a few key characters. The bottom line is that The Plan is completely unnecessary, poorly written and lacking in imagination (and the special effects were sub-par). In fact it does the nearly impossible and diminishes, to the point of ruin, some of the best, most intense affecting moments of the series. As a comparison, 'The Phantom Menace' doesn't "ruin" 'Star Wars' yet somehow 'The Plan' has ruined "Battlestar Galactica."

I'll be back soon with another blog about my movie "Hunting Season" available on DVD as well as an update on the projects I'm currently working on.