Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Series [Blu-ray] [2004] [Region Free]

BSG is a great show which I have watched through many times, first on DVD and now finally on Bluray - so how does this Bluray box set compare? Well the picture is absolutely beautiful and really enhances your viewing experience of this already mesmerising show. The sound too is excellent. If you haven't seen the show you really must, and if you're not a fan of Sci-Fi, don't be put off; this is a dark, gritty and daring show that deals with many controversial themes, particularly when you think back to when this was made. With story lines revolving around God, religion, genocide and the survival of the human race, and involving suicide bombings, prophecies and visions it could be considered to be quite controversial. The writing is excellent. The casting and acting is first rate throughout with (although Star Buck annoyed me), and the set design and production values are all top dollar. In fact, it's hard to fault anything about the show. The extras on the box set too are good, although some things have been missed and it could have been better. I would ave liked to have seen the inclusion of The Plan in the box set and as far as the extras go, although there are some nice additions they are some glaring missed opportunities. Firstly, one of the most enjoyable things about the show are the R&D indents at the end, and although there was a compilation on one of the discs of all the ones from seasons 1 & 2, a compilation of seasons' 3, 4 and 4.5 were missing. Also, the inclusion of Battlestar blips (little tit-bits of information about characters and back story which popped up on screen) was pointless as they added nothing and it was clear no effort or thought had been put into them, as they merely repeated what you'd just seen on screen 3 seconds earlier. However, these are all minor niggles and can't take away from the fact that this is an incredible show which looks great on Blu Ray. With that in mind I can't really fault it so it gets 5 stars. Giving this show anyone less just wouldn't seem right.

As some of you may or may not know; there is so much Battlestar Galactica related content out there in the form of spin-off series, additional minisodes, TV movies and other secondary content. When I was trying to purchase the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] for myself I was having trouble actually finding out what this box set contains, especially since Amazon combines reviews of both DVDs and Blu-Rays; the former supposedly not including alot of that secondary content and the latter supposedly including all of it. As well as various people saying this and that and other people saying the oppposite of this and that, I was getting rather confused. I never actually found out for sure what this box-set included so I caved and just bought it for myself regardless. The sole purpose of my review is to have one dedicated space in outlining what this box set actually does and does not contain! The Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] CONTAINS: - Battlestar Galactica (2003) (TV-Mini-Series) - Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) (the Main TV Series, All Seasons [1,2,3,4 and The Final Season] - ALL unaired extended episodes of specific episodes from the Main TV series (as well as the original broadcast versions) - RAZOR (TV Movie) (BOTH the original broadcast version and the unrated extended version) - Razor Flashbacks (Minisodes x7) - The Resistance (Webisdoes x9) - I won't list the special features as they are on the Amazon product page, but I will add that there are also audio commentaries for each extended episode! The Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] DOES NOT CONTAIN: - The Plan (TV Movie) - The Face of the Enemy (Webisodes x10) - Blood & Chrome (a seperate spin-off prequel series that shouldn't be expected to be included in this box set. Can be purchased seperately) - Caprica (another seperate spin-off prequel series that shouldn't be expected to be included in this box set. Can be purchased seperately) So the only content that should've really been included in this box set is 'The Plan' and 'The Face of the Enemy' as they are both set within the same timeline of the main series. Quite frankly I wouldn't allow their absence to prevent you from purchasing this set, especially at the now current bargain price of £29.99! I believe The Face of the Enemy wasn't included because of licensing issues or something or other, but they can be viewed online if you know where to look (p.s they're not that good!) and The Plan [Blu-Ray] can be purchased on Amazon for a cheap price if you desperately want it (p.s it's not that good either :) ) At the end of the day, all of the essential content is included in this box set! Conclusion. If you are a fan of Battlestar Galactica and simply want to own the fantastic show on Blu-Ray then get this product...NOW! If you are someone who hasn't seen the show before and are interested in it then get this product...NOW! Neither of you will be dissapointed. Hope this helps.

One of my favorite television series of all time. Like 'The Wire' this is a complex, Dickensian study of human nature, not afraid of asking big questions, and meticulously plotted like a great novel, so that each episode is a chapter in a much larger whole. Just as 'The Wire' used the overly familiar cliché' world of the cop show to jump off from and shatter our preconceptions, and 'Battlestar Galactica' uses the sci-fi series, and the idea of human versus robot wars the same way. This is thinking person's sci fi, in the tradition of Arthur C. Clarke, or Isaac Asimov. It's about why we are how we are, what it means to be a human being, morality under constant pressure in times of war, fathers and sons, impossible loves, metaphors for modern and recent politics and real world situations. My wife, far from a sci-fi fan was hooked after 3 episodes, and we tore through 5 years of shows in just a few days. It's that addicting. The acting is all at least quite good, and some cast members are remarkable, creating characters full of depth, complexity and contradiction. The writing is terrific, allowing the characters to change and grow, but always in ways that make sense, creating seemingly inexplicable conundrums, only to find surprising, sometimes shocking - but ultimately logical and satisfying - ways to explain where they've taken us. The special effects are generally very impressive for TV, even if they're not really why you watch this show. It also has some of the most tense episodes of television I've ever seen, and some of the season enders left me completely wrung out and blown away. I was sad to get to the last episode, just as one is sad to finish a great book. Speaking of ending, the one serious let down for me was the very last episode. Certainly no disaster, but for perhaps the only time in the series, some of the answers felt disappointingly flat and simplistic. But that wasn't enough to take away from the tremendous esteem with which I hold the show. One that is surely worth your time. Right now this is a great deal for the full set (as long as the current price lasts)

As a long time BSG fan, I took the plunge and decided to upgrade my entire DVD collection after purchasing Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Steelbook) [Blu-ray][Region Free ] (well worth buying as it is not included). Whether you are new to the show or a veteran Viper pilot you will not be disappointed... mostly. We all know the show is so good but the blu-ray is let down in places. Battlestar Galactica is an inherently dark show visually which makes getting all the detail onto disc a bit more tricky, and in places this can be seen incredibly well - Season 1 shots show beautiful detail, vibrant colours and a good balance of light levels. Get to Season 4 however, and many shots, whilst keeping the detail and the colour for the most part are just, well grainy and a bit too much for my liking. Don't get me wrong, it barely detracts from the visually stunning shots the show is known so well for, but it is there, and it feels like a little bit of a disappointment, especially when some seasons seem unaffected by this phenomenon. Purely a technical point and nothing related to the show itself, but you can't give it 5* for a show that relies on heavy hitting visual impact for many shots. Sound is a huge part of the show as anyone who has seen it will know, and the transfer to blu-ray brings a DTS-HD 5.1 sound profile that will make you fall in love with the show again just for the fresh perspective on the show. The orchestral pieces composed by Bear McCreary and the special effects of fleets of Cylon Raiders vs Vipers are particular favourites and make watching the show even more of a pleasure than it already is. It is worth noting here that this 20 disc set contains some of the most comprehensive and exhaustive extras features you will ever find on any boxset you will buy for a long time. It's nice to see a television show not only on blu-ray and in all its HD glory, but extras to match and give this already excellent value boxset a much more irresistible buy. Recommended!

Although there is a lot of fast forwarding through starting titles, this series is superb for sci-fi buffs. It is a highly creative remake of the original. Everything is excellent (sets, story, acting) with the exception of the cameo appearances of the character "Boxy" and the (lousy) actor Richard Hatch. The characters are well developed and interesting, the storyline is bittersweet and riveting, and the special effects are no better a decade later in the theatres - they are quite simply grandiose, spectacular. I put this series ahead of "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad" I absolutely loved those ones...I guess it is because it simply takes the viewer away from Earthly tragedies. This is the kind of TV that makes you wish you had the chance to have some of the characters a part of your own life. One imagines, if they act that way, they must have those types of personalities. The actors endear (or repel) their characters to the viewer. I'd love to meet people like Edward James Olmos - he plays such a solid Commander with strong ethics, values, wisdom, and foibles - and he grows. Aaron Douglas 'the chief' reminds me of how important non-symbolic leadership is...and he plays the part well. I know people like him and I respect them and wish I could be more like them. I want a Mary McDonnell to have as a friend - she breathes life into a strong character that is both maternal and determined to the last. I could go on, there are so many examples. This series was worth every penny.

Having just bought the Blu Ray editions I have to say this set is fantastic. I'm not too fussed myself about lots of optional extra's but it does fall short of what was advertised for the US. Most importantly it does deliver HD versions of the complete TV series, including the mini series and Razor (A shame that the Plan is not included, however it is not essential in the continuity of the series). Some might note the graininess of the pictures but some of that is down to filming in a low light. As for the series itself, it's fantastic! A true one of a kind series filmed in a documentary style set on the Battlestar Galactica as it helps a dying race flee across the galaxy in search of a new home. The series is set with a deep mythology, lots of action and tons of suspense. I can never just watch one episode with this series, the ongoing nature of the plots means that most of the storylines are spread over several episodes. It is not without its faults. During Season 3 the TV executives called for more episodic episodes to help new viewers to the series but soon was reversed in Season 4 as ratings dropped with these standalone episodes. Season 4 also started to feel padded, with alot of episodes using minimal budget and filling time until the outstanding finale (which in my opinion was brilliant but others have expressed discontent, much like any finale really). Overall, if you are a fan of science fiction, drama and progressive television shows, this is a must!

Those are fighting words in that headline, but it has been 7 years since I binge watched this over the Winter 2008-Summer 2009 and to this day I still think about this peerless series or some aspect of it, a quote, an image, on an almost nearly daily basis. Yes I've watched The Wire, Sopranos, Breaking Bad and many others, and while excellent, in my opinion they were all living in the shadow of this. It's probably the most powerful story I've ever watched and I include film in that and I've (supposedly so they say) good taste. It starts off like a rocket and morphs quickly from a rather thrilling, gritty science fiction saga to an honest to god life changing (if you let it) study on what it means to be alive and human nature and how best to respond to the trials life throws at us and how we all are striving to get/stake out a small measure of peace. The show starts white knuckle and then gets wider/deeper than you could think of and soon realise this is one of the greats and how little known it really is. You'll feel like you're found hidden pirate's treasure and want to share it with someone else. The less you know the better. I began watching in late 2008 because I was standing in a store with a friend in 1st year of college and he said try this. I had never seen a trailer, a review, how many episodes, NOTHING. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement that is equal to saying what they dropped on Hiroshima was a grenade. It's now my favorite show of all time and I'm not really a science fiction fan. To put it mildly: It had everything I liked from various other great fiction mixed together but in perfect concoction. I never had a felt a series so made for me, but here it was: Politics, scenic planets, resource depletion, mental exhaustion and desperation, navy style military, but transplanted to a beliveable future society, characters of great warmth and duty but also questioning and self aware enough to learn from their mistakes and others. I loved how old and young characters interacted with each other across age gaps. The feel of living in a tin after losing everyone you know can being hunted across the universe after a genocide. Strong and weak male characters that are allowed to be men and strong and weak women characters that are not trying to be women, just humans keeping is from the brink all set in an atmosphere of cabin fever and paranoia. Its one of the truly great stories, ordinary people being forced to cope with a situation inflicted upon them as they get put through the most harrowing odyssey to find some small contentment (surrogate families become a subtle underlying theme of the series). The characters are so well drawn and so flawlessly and naturally acted that even by the end of the first season, you will feel like you understand, empathise them all even when not fully agreeing with their decisions, No show will make you feel more conflicted than BSG or put you in another shoes, and despite all this it never becomes a story of anti heroes, they really are trying to figure a way out of the mire and be decent people. They will remind me you of people know and inspire you to be better, I know that sounds cringey but this series was one of the reasons behind my choice of career I'm currently pursuing and changed my beliefs in some aspects of democracy and even religion. This is the kind of TV that makes you wish you had the chance to have some of the characters a part of your own life. It does all this while by being incredibly compelling, adventurous, immersive and having one of the finest thrilling and beautiful soundtracks you will ever hear in all of cinema/TV. It is godlike and I find myself listening to it whether its speeding dangerously down a motorway, typing out an Excel sheet or loading the dishwasher. It is a series both under seen and under heard, both intelligent, probing and life affirming. What does it mean to be human, to be alive, what do we fight for, you'll have to answer that for yourself, but this series will give you signposts and unearth some parts of yourself we rarely get in touch with. It is a show not of anti heroes, but of real people being tested far beyond what life had intended for them, revealing itself to have huge dramatic heart to match its vast brains. People and what's left of civilisation holding on to each other and their sanity, living in close proximity, in a facade of democracy, at the end of everything. What is there to live for? It has been seven years since it ended and to this day I have never seen characters (dozens of secondary and primary) and overarching and storyline feel so real, so true and despite the darkness, inspirational. It combines the intimate,cosy and the epic and does so with equal skill. J.R.R Tolkien would be proud. It is a treatise on the human experience that feels and looks like a 60 hour, 6 year cinematic film series. It is a universal fable which compels us to reflect on our own world, our own lives, our own choices, “since all of this has happened before, and will happen again”.Nothing is left untouched, and you'll feel that journey, oh lord you'll feel it. You'll live it. So enough of the hyperbole, I just felt that a lot of these reviews undersell it, and I do think that years from now it will be regarded in the same way Blade Runner, Lawrence of Arabia or Alien is now, some of the greatest productions of all time and with the longest legs it will age fantastically for it has a timeless setting. Well done Ron Moore, David Eick and company, you magnificent supersonic bastards.'

It has been many years since I started saying I would check out the remake of Battlestar Galactica. Despite being a fan of Star Trek, Stargate SG1 and all things science fiction, I never did get round to it. That was until we had to suffer through lockdown. I finally acquired the latest version of the series box-set and have finally finished it. My feelings on the series mighty be controversial to some fans and understandable to others. The first thing I'll say about this television show is that the latest box-set re-release is absolutely awful. All the discs are squeezed together in one large box. The entire four seasons worth of discs are stacked up and over lapped in designated slots and it makes it a bit of a task to get the desired disc out. A bit of a pain but at least it saves a little room. (I'll try upload photos) As for the actual show, I have a lot to say about that. I have to get this off my chest, I love the original show. It may be campy and dated by today's standards but there's something very refreshing about the positive nature of the series and it still leaves me coming back for more. This version of Battlestar Galactica is the complete opposite. I found it very pessimistic, very cynical and at times, it was down right frustrating. To explain why I felt this, I'll be making lots of comparisons to the original show and I can understand if that'll bother folks. I would like to tackle the actor's and the quality of their work first and foremost. I thought the majority of the acting throughout Battlestar Galactica was top quality, and I mean top quality. The series lead actor's Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Mary McDonnell (President Roslin), James Callis (Dr Baltar), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh) etc. are all very good and do their parts extremely well. Each character (with exception of the one's mentioned below) are all very well written and all have great storylines. The stories intertwine with one another, causing many dramatic situations and it's intense seeing how these characters can get through it all without breaking. The actors have all clearly put their hearts and soul in to their roles. You can feel the plight that these characters go through and I wanted to see them come out the other end in one piece. This is all with one big exception, and that is the two characters of Lee "Apollo" Adama and Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. These two characters are pushed as the two hot shot pilots and the big heroes of the show and to be honest, I hated nearly every scene they're in. Their characters are a hodge podge of over entitlement, self sympathy and selfishness. These two characters flip flop through the series' acting like the world owes them everything and it is VERY clear that the writers had no clue what to do with them, especially Lee Adama. The actors played their roles to the best of their ability but I very rarely enjoyed these two characters. They were a shadow of their formers selves from the original television show. Long gone are the days of Dirk Benedict and Richard Hatch as the charming viper heroes. Realistically, the admiral should have had them shot by the end of season one. I of course can not talk much about the story arc without spoiling it. I won't be doing that here, so don't worry. I will say that the main story arc is very well done. I enjoyed the struggle between humans and Cylon as they search for a new planet to call home. It was well paced and was finished reasonably well. The side stories were all a bit hit or miss, all for the reasons found above. There were some that were great, very exciting and were fun to watch. Others felt extremely tedious and just made us want to skip over the forty five minutes of Starbuck sobbing at everything in sight whilst Apollo galivants to his next stupid decision. Where I will give the show some credit is the overall production quality. The look of the show is very done and has a nice sense of consistency through out. There's plenty of shots where the camera perfectly captures the emotion on an actors face (usually Edward Hames Olmos stealing a scene). There's plenty of moments where the scenery looks great and the lighting fits the mood. The set designs are all very good, doing a great job of showing the differences between the humans and Cylons. This of course is all backed up by the awesome quality of this bluray remaster. The details are extremely clear and the colours look fantastic. This is a show that will always look good and will be easy to revisit thanks to its visual quality. Unfortunately, that fantastic visual quality also makes the CGI Cylons look awful. It's perfectly understandable to expect less of a television show when it comes to its budget. All my favourite scifi shows have visual effects problems but I did not like the utilisation of CGI Cylons. Men in suits (if practical) would have looked considerably more believable, for more obvious reasons. The actual design of the Cylons, base ships and raiders didn't look good either but that could just be me fan boying over the original. I enjoyed the music and the ambience created by the ships, especially during battle scenes and the later seasons when Galactica bones creak with every movement. It all creates a sense of excitement and tension where needed. Though, I do think they should have brought back the original Battlestar Galactica title theme. It's a beautiful piece of music, that is sadly forgotten with science fiction fans. The use of tribal beats and more folk based instruments is a great choice, especially for the more intense moments. But there's plenty of times where the show clearly needed a big enthusiastic theme song and we very rarely get it. Where it does pop up, it fits perfectly. Sadly, this is only in three or four scenes through out the show. Now, there is this big old argument of "is Battlestar Galactica better than the original?" Honestly, I would say it is not and for one simple reason. Whilst the show is very well made, the acting great and at times it's fantastically written, the pessimism is just too much at times. There's a clear need for a planet of the week episode or something to bring out the positivity in the human characters. Everything is doom and gloom, making everything look hopeless. The original show had the characters suffer but their optimism, drive and dedication to finding a new place to live was the number one goal and that is sorely lacking here. This may be a great show, but the true heart of Galactica is in the 1978 original. Now, don't get me wrong. I loved my time with Battlestar Galactica. I would almost definitely recommend buying this box-set whenever someone is looking for a great television show to watch. But I would also recommend picking up the original series too. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this review. So say we all!