Very disappointed :(

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Spoilers for both episodes:I tend to like sci-fi shows more than other kinds of TV shows. Doctor Who is currently my favorite show, but I think Battlestar Galactica might give it a run for it's money if these two episodes are representative of the show's overall quality. The fact that this was made in 2003 is really, really impressive- the directing, acting, writing, and music are all really good, and the special effects hold up very well. All the characters are really likable. Episode 1 is more action packed, and episode 2 is slower but much more intriguing. My favorite scenes are the ones between Gaius and Number 6, especially in episode 2- the producers do an impeccable job at distinguishing what's in Gaius' head and what is really going on with huge shifts in the music and in the camera work. I have to say, Boomer was a good character, and the cliffhanger at the end of episode 2 really shocked me. You can tell how much effort the producers put into making this as good as it could possibly be.I can't wait to see where this series goes next.

If you're like me, you think good sci-fi should be about more than merely bringing the old history or current politics to space, it should be in a more abstract sense about a world that extends from our own. And if you're like me, you never cared for Star Trek as sci-fi and you tend to avoid being drawn to as much TV as you can because even those with the best reputation are sooner or later mired by endless sidetracking and repetition for reasons that have nothing to do with the craft itself.So I'm glad to report this is for you. Oh it's a flawed piece for sure. It was meant to set up a subsequent TV series and it shows, we end this with a cliffhanger and all threads open. Trek influence is unavoidable it seems: the moral dilemmas about the many versus the few, human compassion versus rules, the weary captain and his brave crew. All through the thing questions are posed that the creators will most likely drag their feet through multiple seasons to try and answer: some mythology about the original exodus from Earth, a race of androids in communion with (some notion of) god. And the whole story hinges itself on the momentous writing gaffe of having the blonde girlfriend of a top scientist be allowed in top secret Defense area to tinker with things on a mainframe. But beneath that we have something worthwhile. It creates a sense of unfolding world. The passenger spaceship that returns to Caprica feels like what it would be for commercial spaceflight between planets to be a routine affair, we see people dozing off as out of the windows space rolls by, just as it will be one day. The top AI scientist, the one who triggers the apocalypse, lives in a house with a lakeview and trees surrounding it, a future scenery that is far more likely than the totalitarian dystopias of other scifi. We see him interviewed on TV. The old battleship is about to be turned in a museum. Life basically goes on.It's true, there are anachronistic guns and technology, and the SFX work in space leaves a lot to be desired by contemporary standards. And it was shot on video and they didn't make any effort to hide the artifact. Yet none of those things detract from the appeal, video in fact adds to it, because we're placed the right way: when later in the story Starbuck flies the mission to recon for nearby enemies, and just probes through the edges of the storm, the only view we get is from inside her cockpit at the fleet rolling past higher above, an anxious glimpse of higher machinery instead of the whole opera.And what great views and turbulent aerodynamics of space in the all- important ensuing fight. All in all this is great because we're grounded to have presence, and all the subsequent leaps are to equally grounded views, in both story (somewhat) and the spaces chosen it feels like this is a normal day in the future interrupted by the apocalypse. If they wished to be bolder, they would have made this a three-part miniseries, devoting one part each to the ordinary life, apocalypse and aftermath. But until someone else tries it again, this for the time being is some of the best work we have, just this miniseries.

I saw the original back when it was released in Australia at out local cinema (Bundaberg) in 79 or 1980(?) and loved that and the TV series even if the centurions heads wobble when they talk. Funny stuff! But the re-imagined series just blows my socks off. I like it so much I have bought the DVD's so I can watch them whenever. The casting is superb, the acting is sublime, the writing is sensational, the directors do brilliant work and as far as I am concerned the story line/plot remains basically true to the basic original concept with the obvious perfectly acceptable exceptions here and there. There is not one thing about the new series I can fault. IT ROCKS!! I also completely love the fact that they have changed some of the original male characters to be female. IT'S PER-R-R-R-FECTION with a capital P. I hope there will be many spin off stories. Keep it coming BSG creators!

I hate space. I've never longed to be an astronaut, I have absolutely no passion for solar systems and the sight of technologically advanced super spacecrafts does not give me a redwood in my khakis. So when a friend told me that I should really start watching BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, I was less than thrilled to do so. Sure, it's being lauded by critics and viewers worldwide - but so is Star Wars, and I never even made it through The Phantom Menace.Yet I have to come clean. While watching the miniseries I was thrilled, exhilarated, baffled and immensely satisfied. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA proved to be perhaps the most rewarding and instantly striking three hour television event I've seen in a while. Or... well... 'a while...' I can't remember the last time I have been sitting in complete concentration for three straight hours, with my heart skipping a few beats every five minutes. The show is pulsing with rich scenery, imaginative story twists and beautiful camera-work.The writing and acting are both superb. Within its three hour canvas, the show paints a striking setting with little gems of perfect craftsmanship. My favorite of these gems was the character of Laura Roslin, who is sworn into presidency when the real president is killed. There's so much you can read in her eyes, and feel in her dialogue. Throughout the show she struggles to find the perfect balance between selflessness, authority and courage of conviction. A lot of this should be credited to actress Mary McDonnell, who plays the character sublimely.And there is another gem I would like to single out, since it shows - in my opinion - that this show is more subtle and intelligent than the surrounding ethos would lend you to believe. When Captain Apollo visits his father (who he is having a difficult relationship with) to let him know he's still alive, there is a hug between the two which is so well acted and written that I was actually baffled by it's subtlety. The commander never even looks his son in the eye after the hug and their eyes tell the tales of a lifetime of heartache in a single moment.So why not a perfect ten? Well, 0,5 points are lost because sometimes BATTLESTAR GALACTICA seems to think it should dip into the space battle clichés to make its running time worth while. The other 0,5 points are lost because of the character of Gaius Baltar, who (although played beautifully by James Callis) manifested himself as the only character I wouldn't mind seeing killed off.BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Mini-Series (2003) Running Time: 175 minutesRating: 4,5 / 5