Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task. Debuting in late 2009 after the TV series ended, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a two-hour movie that at first glance appears to be a prequel but actually runs concurrently to the series. It takes its title from the famous opening credits (which end with “There are many copies. And they have a plan.”), the plan being the Cylons’ extermination of the human race in the bombing of Caprica and other cities in the original miniseries. However, the survival of a hardy band of humans means the Cylons need to finish the job in a much more intimate fashion, and no. 1 (Brother Cavil, played by Dean Stockwell) gathers a meeting of “skin jobs” (not including those who hadn’t at that time learned their real identities) to figure out how to accomplish it. “Let’s get this genocide started,” he tells them, and the plan begins. While much of the action is revisited from key moments (and reused footage) from the series, such as number 8′s (Grace Park) attempted assassination on Odama (Edward James Olmos, who also directed), and no. 1′s coordinating and reacting to those events, there are some new angles. Anders (Michael Trucco) escapes the initial nuclear attack and participates in a resistance movement against the Cylons, and no. 4, Simon (Rick Worthy), is conflicted by his mission because he’s married to a human (Lymari Nadal, Olmos’ wife). It’s interesting to see events from a different point of view and to get some more depth of thought on them, but overall it’s a bit of a disappointment for those expecting a completely new, stand-alone story along the lines of Razor. Note that the movie has spoilers for those who haven’t watched the TV series to its end, and it would probably be rated R for female and male nudity that, while not jarring in the context of Galactica‘s mature tone and themes, seems gratuitous. The DVD includes 14 minutes of deleted scenes, including a longer conversation between Ellen Tigh and Cavil, four featurettes, and a commentary track by Olmos and executive producer-writer Jane Espenson. –David Horiuchi
Rating:  List Price: $ 26.98 Price: $ 14.99 |
(out of 239 reviews)
Review by K. Simicevic for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
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I started watching The Plan really skeptical; I read all the reviews here, and thought it was going to be mediocre at best, as all the negative reviews seem to be saying that in unison.
However, I was really pleasantly surprised. I can understand how some people might be disappointed with The Plan, it doesn’t, after all, answer some of the questions left hanging in the air after the series finale. It doesn’t have the space battles or insane intensity of some of BSG’s better episodes. It doesn’t include some of the most important characters (Laura Roslin, Apollo, Starbuck).
But The Plan was never planned or written, I think, as a nostalgia film that is supposed to exploit our feelings for these characters to milk us for some cash. Instead, it has decided to do something bold: to tell an entirely new story that connects with what we already know, happening at the same time as what we’ve seen during the first two seasons of BSG.
It’s the story of how the Cylons, each in different situations and living amongst different humans were in fact influenced by those humans. We see them developing genuine empathy, and utter hate. We see some renouncing their Cylon identity because of what they’ve done. We see them questioning their actions. We see them at their most brilliant, but also at their most incompetent. We see them for what they truly are: the imperfect creations of imperfect creations. In the end, the moral is simple: it’s easy to kill someone from space with a nuke. It’s hard to kill someone looking them in the eye.
If your going to watch The Plan expecting some grand revelations about the loose ends in the series finale, then you will come out disappointed. But if you watch The Plan looking for a really well written movie, with some terrific performances, some new insights into Cylon thinking, or just for a little nostalgia, you wont be disappointed.
So, if you choose to buy this DVD, judge it on it’s own merits.
Review by D. A. Ferreira for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
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I am not going to preface this with any grand statements about being a BSG fan from day one. If I am taking the time to write this, you should suspect that already.
This movie really works in that it is a quiet story in a very noisy room. It is about how life finds ways to disrupt our plans but not always in a bad way. It is about reconciling what you think you want with what actually want. It is about learning “the truth” isn’t always in the safe black and white places we create. It is about love in all its forms.
First, about the nudity. It exists. Get over it. BSG was never a “family friendly” show given its themes, so if you were expecting something different here, then you are about to be sadly mistaken. There are no basic cable broadcast guidelines to satisfy, so a story can be told in whatever way the storytellers wish. The nudity is not gratuitous or in your face, so deal with the fact it is just another adult theme that BSG can use without restriction now.
Here is the crux of it: at its heart, this movie is about how the Cylons intended on destroying humanity for their perceived wrongs against the Cylon race, and how that plan changed literally everyone. In the real world, it would have been nice to have been able to film scenes with all of the cast members, but monetarily that was not to be – everyone (including Lucy Lawless, contrary to another review here) is represented through previous footage in some fashion. Jane Espenson wound all their stories together in a beautiful fashion, and Edward James Olmos mixed the stock footage together with the new that it was at times hard to tell which was which. The story was engaging enough that I could suspend the fan’s critical eye for the first running of the movie, and just enjoy the story Ms. Epenson and Mr. Olmos told.
Will you like it? Hard to tell, but only because I don’t know you. If you sit back and let the story unfold, you will most likely find this an engaging work and a worthy addition to the BSG canon. If you are watching this to see (fill in your favorite actor here)’s story expanded, you might be out of luck – and you also might be missing the point. This is a quiet story not always about specific individuals, but rather about how an individual can affect others and how that ripples through even the most well laid out plan. It is an intimate story told on a grand pallette, and thanks to the people in front of and behind the camera, it works beautifully.
Review by Senor Zoidbergo for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
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Despite being a huge BSG fan, I wasn’t really looking forward to “BSG: The Plan”. After BSG: Razor failed to impress, I wasn’t expecting much from The Plan. Fear not, The Plan, hereinafter referred to as TP, actually works. It plays like a filler episode, exploring various mysteries which the writers never fully explained to the viewers. TP follows a chronological order, beginning before the Cylon attack, going to “33″, “Water”, “You Can’t Go Home Again”, “Litmus”, “Six Degrees of Separation”, and ending with season 2′s finale of “Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II”. Kudos to director EJ Olmos and writer Jane Espenson for seamlessly threading in the new scenes and better fleshing out previously thin characters.
Mysteries such as the following are explored…
- Who did Caprica-Six meet with on Caprica, after talking with Gaius Baltar in the marketplace?
- Did Boomer really blow up the water tanks?
- How did Shelly Godfrey escape from the Galactica?
- How did Sam Anders and his Pyramid team escape and form their resistance?
- How did Ellen Tigh survive the Cylon nuclear attack on Picon?
- How did Leoben become so enamored of Starbuck?
- Why did the Cylons suddenly stop their attack when the BSG Marines linked up with Sam’s resistance on Caprica?
We also get to see more of Boomer’s internal conflicts between Cylon and human facets, as well as a deeper insight into the Number Four model, Simon. A Simon model is shown to be sympathetic to the human cause, even marrying a human (played by EJ Olmos’ actual wife) and raising a family. We see Cavil’s machinations as he attempts to orchestrate several Cylons into causing massive damage to the Fleet.
The computer graphics for TP are vastly superior to the shots used during the TV series, and the viewers are shown some scenes from the Cylon attack on the Colonies. Interestingly, TP also has a graphic sex scene, as well as graphic male and female frontal nudity not unlike the infamous scene from Starship Troopers. Some of the nudity felt rather gratuitous and excessive; was it really necessary to show Ellen Tigh and Cavil meeting in a topless bar?
Minus 1-star because President Roslin, aka Mary McDonnell, and Number Three, aka Lucy Lawless, are never shown, either in a flashback or inserted new footage! Starbuck, Lee Adama, Dr. Baltar, and Helo are shown in clips, but no new footage from them either.
All in all, a very good pickup for any BSG fan. EJ Olmos has said that if TP sells well, then we can expect to see even more BSG movies in the future. Other potential story lines might include the origins of the Final Five, what happened to the survivors after they reached Earth, or more about Starbuck’s character, especially her fateful mission where she “died”. TP makes you wish SciFi (aka SyFy) didn’t end BSG so soon.
**A quick word about the Blu-Ray discs; the image quality is solid. The DTS soundtrack sounds great, especially in the Cylon Attack scenes. It’s a treat to hear Bear McCreary’s music again.
Other features; commentary by director EJ Olmos and writer Jane Espenson, 15 minutes worth of deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes look at EJ Olmos’ directorial BSG debut, twenty minute visual effects feature, a cylon primer, and a short with Michael Trucco discussing a human resistance attack.
Review by Robert Barnwell for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
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Okay, if you buy this expecting big battle scenes, the answer to who is the cylon god, a full discussion of cylon religion/philosophy, an explanation of what the mental-Six and mental-Baltar were or an explanation of the intricacies of the grand cylon plan, then you will be disappointed.
However, if you appreciate the kind of character development and the intricacies of internal motivation and conflict that make BSG the TV landmark that it is, than you have struck gold.
We witness the unraveling, frustration and conflicts that arise as the cylons are forced to confront their humanity and their feeling of connections both to humans and each other. We see the cylons as conflicted, irritated, frustrated, noble and even incompetent on occasion.
Most of all we see Dean Stockwell, stepping up in his role as two separate cylons, each evolving into significantly different roles.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is the revelation that the One’s seemed to be in charge until the war began, a role that they eventually lose.
So if you’re up for a movie-length character study that will enhance your appreciation of the series, this is for you. However, if you are looking for action, or a stand-alone movie experience this isn’t it.
In short, insiders will love this, but this is not the experience to use to introduce someone to the new BSG.
Review by Nathan Beauchamp for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]
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If you are planning to watch (or have already watched) this pitiful BSG offering hoping to gain some insight into what motivated the Cylons into nuking the human race into oblivion, you are going to be very disappointed. For the first 3 seasons we were reminded constantly that the Cylons ‘have a plan’ during the intro sequence of each and every episode of BSG. I, like many, really hoped that plan would be laid out in a way that paid us off for having had to endure the reminders over 100+ episodes (it became a running joke among my friends and I as we watched the show). When the show itself didn’t deliver anything meaningful aside from Cavel trying to get revenge on the final five ‘creators,’ it seemed like we would all be out of luck. When THE PLAN was announced, I had some hope that FINALLY we would all understand what the Cylons were up to aside from the obvious.
SPOILER ALERT
Well, what was the amazing plan revealed in the first 20 minutes of this true bomb of a movie? The plan was to kill all humans. Yes you read that right. I thought that was beyond obvious in the show itself and didn’t really need any explanation, but the Cavel character literally states “the plan was to kill all humans” at one point, just in case you missed it. Nothing is mentioned about the farms on Caprica where Kara Thrace was held, nor the plan to try and breed human/cylon hybrids. Nothing is explained surrounding the mysterious connection with Leoben, although it is hinted at with new scenes of Leoben painting the same colorful universe painting that Kara did during the original show. Bottom line, there are no interesting revelations to be found here, just hash and re-hash of old material and boring characters (seriously, Cavel is so irritating it is almost infuriating to watch. Petty, silly, and all too childish to really fear).
What follows the shocking revelation that the Cylon plan was to “Kill all humans” is about 90 more minutes of wasted time in which original BSG scenes are smashed together into something resembling a seriously long vignette of important parts of the first three seasons of BSG. This is done in shoddy fashion. The art direction of THE PLAN is far inferior to the original show. Cheap 3d rendered environments that look video game like (think of mid 2000s graphics), bad camera work (home camera quality at times) and no sense of style that made the original a feast for the eyes. This is just a BAD movie all the way around.
The show also re-write history (so to speak) by showing how Cavel was personally responsible for just about everything negative that happened on Galactica, the fleet, and even New Caprica. This sort of simplification damages the original story by making the Cylons (and especially their hidden operatives) look like unmotivated, error prone buffoons. By the end of THE PLAN you’ll wonder how the Cylons didn’t off themselves with all their silly mistakes and lack of insight.
It’s incomprehensible why they thought they needed another 2 hours to drudge through the same material. You can safely skip THE PLAN and not miss anything. Razer looks like Academy Award material compared to this.
1/5 Stars. Skip it unless you absolutely must watch everything with the BSG name on it.