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proggrrlHi folks.
So I saw BSG RAZOR this weekend.
Meanwhile, I most definitely encourage all of you to NOT watch a shitty download of this film. Hang on for the final TV or DVD version. As usual for BSG, the effects and the cinematography are fantastic. You will MISS STUFF if you watch this as a low-res digital file!
So I saw BSG RAZOR this weekend.
RAZOR is an excellent double episode and a revisiting of a very dense, important time on the show. There was much more detail to be mined out of the Pegasus arc of BSG, and I was pleased to see them jump back into this. Additionally, RAZOR has added a very key point that ties in neatly with everything we learned about Starbuck's destiny in S3.
The revisiting of Cain's command was certainly fascinating for anyone who watched the entire series to date and has a firm grasp on the timeline. That she and Gina were lovers, allowing Gina immense access to all the battleships secrets, made sense. Shaw's execution of civilians, and the way it haunted her and eventually destroyed her, was very moving and well done.
Especially fascinating was the show's final scene between Adama and Lee. They are writing history; they will be the ones who record, for posterity, the apparent right or wrong that Cain has wrought. Did Cain put into her logs, I wonder, that she executed her XO in the CIC in front of the whole crew? Did anyone ever find out that Shaw was the one who pulled the trigger in the civvy ship? Adama's line, comparing himself to Cain, and flat out stating that without Lee and the rest of his familial unit with him, he might have acted just like her, was brilliant.
This time around, RAZOR paints many of Cain's actions in a new light - quite a change from our perspective on her during S2, where sympathies were placed squarely with Adama/Roslin. Whenever I think about the Cain we knew from S2 and that section of the season, I am reminded of how Roslin and Lee abandoned half the civvy ships they collected in the original miniseries. How similar are these events, in a time of war? Some fans I talk to feel Cain was an evil psychopath, and any sane military organization would have shunned her. But, when you are in the heat of a battle that may annihilate your SPECIES, are those judgements meaningful?
Adama seems to think not.
RAZOR's new characters and new interactions/ships were very engrossing. I really enjoyed seeing Cain with her original XO, Cain as she warmed up to Shaw, everything involving Gina, and Shaw's interactions with Lee and Kara. And, for us K/L shippers: now we know why Kara went back to Galactica, eh. Hard-frakking-core pilots...again.
My favorite scene that didn't involve shit blowing up and TOS cylons getting busy, was most certainly Starbuck catching Shaw about to take a hit in the mess kitchen. As Adama said, "I'd sell tickets to that dance."
I am very curious to see if Moore has decided to bring the BSG:TOS 'Beings of Light' into the picture somehow for the final arcs of his show, especially in regards to Kara's reappearance and Head Six/Head Baltar. RAZOR didn't seem to indicate anything in that direction. Unless of course that dying old hybrid was not what he seemed...
There is one issue I take with this stand alone 2-ep flashback...this "TV movie"... whatever it is. As strong as RAZOR's story may be, and as well-woven into the big-picture canon, I was really disappointed with how little all the other BSG characters had to do here. We don't have enough time to really get to know Shaw, or Gina, in a 1.5 hour show, with all the other plot bits that need time and attention. I wish RAZOR had relied more heavily on the rest of the crew - these are all characters that are previously well-drawn, and would not need as much screen time to make maximum impact.
This ties into one of the reasons I suspected BSG might not make the transition from TV show to movie with great ease. This is a heavily serialized show which is at its best when it is unraveling story slowly over 13/22-episode spans. Complicated plot threads involving over 25 characters weave in and out of each other. Distilling that into a 2-hour movie format boils away too much of the tasty bits that I get from BSG.
That said, seeing RAZOR not as a stand-alone movie, but simply early eps of S4, ties it all together.
Part of me is disturbed that Starbuck, my favorite character, is now being positioned as potentially the "herald of the apocalypse," the "harbinger of death" for the human race. Certainly, as all good BSG fans know, this could also be another cylon trick and/or twisted meaning. But it didn't play that way. I'll stay strong knowing it's a terrific new ripple in the story, despite my worries. Gods know I love a great story.
[I just went back and watched that intense S4 promo spot we got a month ago...Notice how right when you see Kara and Lee hugging, the voiceover is Roslin saying "it's a cylon trick!" *worries* ]
Final decision? RAZOR was fraktastic. I wish I didn't miss this show so much. "Get a life, lady!"
The revisiting of Cain's command was certainly fascinating for anyone who watched the entire series to date and has a firm grasp on the timeline. That she and Gina were lovers, allowing Gina immense access to all the battleships secrets, made sense. Shaw's execution of civilians, and the way it haunted her and eventually destroyed her, was very moving and well done.
Especially fascinating was the show's final scene between Adama and Lee. They are writing history; they will be the ones who record, for posterity, the apparent right or wrong that Cain has wrought. Did Cain put into her logs, I wonder, that she executed her XO in the CIC in front of the whole crew? Did anyone ever find out that Shaw was the one who pulled the trigger in the civvy ship? Adama's line, comparing himself to Cain, and flat out stating that without Lee and the rest of his familial unit with him, he might have acted just like her, was brilliant.
This time around, RAZOR paints many of Cain's actions in a new light - quite a change from our perspective on her during S2, where sympathies were placed squarely with Adama/Roslin. Whenever I think about the Cain we knew from S2 and that section of the season, I am reminded of how Roslin and Lee abandoned half the civvy ships they collected in the original miniseries. How similar are these events, in a time of war? Some fans I talk to feel Cain was an evil psychopath, and any sane military organization would have shunned her. But, when you are in the heat of a battle that may annihilate your SPECIES, are those judgements meaningful?
Adama seems to think not.
RAZOR's new characters and new interactions/ships were very engrossing. I really enjoyed seeing Cain with her original XO, Cain as she warmed up to Shaw, everything involving Gina, and Shaw's interactions with Lee and Kara. And, for us K/L shippers: now we know why Kara went back to Galactica, eh. Hard-frakking-core pilots...again.
My favorite scene that didn't involve shit blowing up and TOS cylons getting busy, was most certainly Starbuck catching Shaw about to take a hit in the mess kitchen. As Adama said, "I'd sell tickets to that dance."
I am very curious to see if Moore has decided to bring the BSG:TOS 'Beings of Light' into the picture somehow for the final arcs of his show, especially in regards to Kara's reappearance and Head Six/Head Baltar. RAZOR didn't seem to indicate anything in that direction. Unless of course that dying old hybrid was not what he seemed...
There is one issue I take with this stand alone 2-ep flashback...this "TV movie"... whatever it is. As strong as RAZOR's story may be, and as well-woven into the big-picture canon, I was really disappointed with how little all the other BSG characters had to do here. We don't have enough time to really get to know Shaw, or Gina, in a 1.5 hour show, with all the other plot bits that need time and attention. I wish RAZOR had relied more heavily on the rest of the crew - these are all characters that are previously well-drawn, and would not need as much screen time to make maximum impact.
This ties into one of the reasons I suspected BSG might not make the transition from TV show to movie with great ease. This is a heavily serialized show which is at its best when it is unraveling story slowly over 13/22-episode spans. Complicated plot threads involving over 25 characters weave in and out of each other. Distilling that into a 2-hour movie format boils away too much of the tasty bits that I get from BSG.
That said, seeing RAZOR not as a stand-alone movie, but simply early eps of S4, ties it all together.
Part of me is disturbed that Starbuck, my favorite character, is now being positioned as potentially the "herald of the apocalypse," the "harbinger of death" for the human race. Certainly, as all good BSG fans know, this could also be another cylon trick and/or twisted meaning. But it didn't play that way. I'll stay strong knowing it's a terrific new ripple in the story, despite my worries. Gods know I love a great story.
[I just went back and watched that intense S4 promo spot we got a month ago...Notice how right when you see Kara and Lee hugging, the voiceover is Roslin saying "it's a cylon trick!" *worries* ]
Final decision? RAZOR was fraktastic. I wish I didn't miss this show so much. "Get a life, lady!"
Meanwhile, I most definitely encourage all of you to NOT watch a shitty download of this film. Hang on for the final TV or DVD version. As usual for BSG, the effects and the cinematography are fantastic. You will MISS STUFF if you watch this as a low-res digital file!
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 08:14 am (UTC)I think Razor could've benefitted from being longer, simply because it felt like there were a number of plot ideas that could've been explored but weren't. I was watching as I went through thinking "we could do with a scene of..." or "a scene showing this would be good..." just to make the story a little richer. I think we needed to see a scene where Cain's gung-ho attitude towards the war didn't result in a military disaster, to justify more her crew's loyalty to her in the original Pegasus arc and to justify Kara's comments at her eulogy. Razor showed Cain making all the harsh decisions, but it never really explained why her crew was so loyal - there's a world of difference between a leader who wins you a lot of battles and enforces rigid, unrelenting discipline and one who simply rules by force. I also wanted to see more interaction between Cain and Gina - for all the promise held out by the original details released and interview comments, it felt like there was a lot more that could've been done to show why Gina and Cain were so close, and to make Cain's actions towards her feel more... well, justified isn't the word, but understandable, perhaps?
I did enjoy Razor though; in part, I think that's because it focussed so tightly on a small group of individuals, rather than trying to give everyone in the ensemble cast their 3 minutes of screentime. That, combined with the new viewpoint giving new perspectives on familiar characters really made it work for me. My download version was ok quality, and getting the chance to see it actually convinced me that I want to buy the extended DVD and watch it - but then thanks to some shenanigans going on with cable companies here, the only way I could see it legitimately is if I buy the DVD, and after S3 I wasn't going to drop cash on anything BSG related just on faith. I'm a little bitter that way ;)
One thing I'm definitely curious to hear your thoughts on - Sharon indicated that the Guardians and the first Hybrid had been gone for long enough that they were considered to be a legend (or should that be 'considered to be something apocryphal?') and has only just been discovered by the fleet... how did it even know Kara Thrace's name?
no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 09:38 am (UTC)I wish I could see a higher res version, but dl's all I got. That said, I enjoyed it greatly and will look forward to seeing it in better resolution one day.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 10:42 am (UTC)I would venture that the hybrid knows Kara's name, in the same way that Leoben knew Kara's name when he first met her in the interrogation room. I don't know if there's another explanation other than it's part of her "special destiny". We'll just have to see how it plays out.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 10:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-12 12:55 pm (UTC)I've written a bit of spec about the Hybrid knowing Kara's name, but I have the nasty feeling that BSG is simply going to use "prophecy" as a deux et machina to move everything along...
no subject
Date: 2007-11-14 02:30 pm (UTC)I am a bit confused about which version of RAZOR I just watched. My source was a review screener sent out by SciFi, so I assumed it was the version that is going to be on TV? The Razorettes were separate on the DVD. Either way, I still feel that Cain's goodness or badness was completely up for questioning in the cut I watched. Adama's line about seeing himself behaving exactly the same under other conditions was the cement holding that idea together.
I am still confused though, as to why Cain would shoot her XO point blank in that situation, rather than just firing and replacing him. I suppose she figures it will prevent further unruliness in her entire crew?
Razor could've benefitted from being longer...
See this is what I'm saying: BSG is by its nature not suited to the 2-hour film format. But hey, you can only cram SO MUCH into 2 eps!
If you look at it as 2 eps from S4, I think it was plenty dense enough.
My download version was ok quality, and getting the chance to see it actually convinced me that I want to buy the extended DVD and watch it...
Well I'm sure TPTB are happy to hear that! Writers get their cut, remember... ;-)
Sharon indicated that the Guardians and the first Hybrid had been gone for long enough that they were considered to be a legend (or should that be 'considered to be something apocryphal?') and has only just been discovered by the fleet... how did it even know Kara Thrace's name?
Well this didn't surprise me, as the hybrids seem to have strange powers...and both the Leobens and the Sharons seem to know about Kara Thrace's Special Destiny. If it's TRUE what this hybrid is saying, then Leoben's motivations for activating Kara's destiny-behaviors seem clear.
To me the bigger question is: what higher power was it that created all the events we witnessed in MAELSTROM, and Kara's reappearance at the end of the season?
Something tells me I am not going to get any pragmatic, definitive answer to these questions from RDM. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-14 02:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-14 02:34 pm (UTC)We all know it's very likely that Kara's end on this show will NOT BE PRETTY. It's BSG after all. I hope she goes out in style if that's the way they're gonna play it.
But I also hope that one of the greatest heroic female characters ever represented in SciFi or on TV won't end up being so inadvertently evil.
I'm glad to hear that the DL is just more reason for you to consume the "official" product - I want these shows to survive, so it's a concern of mine all this free DL'ing of pirated works. The WGA writers don't get any cut of piracy...obvs. Not trying to accuse btw!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-15 10:38 am (UTC)yeah, me too. And since I'm the only person in the world who thought she really died in Maelstrom, I feel I've lived it all already.
I also hope that one of the greatest heroic female characters ever represented in SciFi or on TV won't end up being so inadvertently evil.
Yeah I'd be way more there for a tragic HEROIC death. And I totally agree.
it's a concern of mine all this free DL'ing of pirated works. The WGA writers don't get any cut of piracy...obvs. Not trying to accuse btw!
Oh I only dl because I live in Aus and they don't screen it here on TV at all now. I consider dls to be an advance of the DVD, if that makes sense. ;) I own all of BSG so far on DVD and same holds on my other big fandoms (SV, BtVS, AtS). It's just that waiting two years or not getting it at all is frustrating as hell. I wish you could choose who to send the money to, the writers or the network. ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-15 08:28 pm (UTC)LOL
IF ONLY!
*dreams of a better day*
no subject
Date: 2008-05-23 11:28 pm (UTC)I have seen that comparison made elsewhere, and I think there is one enormous difference - if Roslin and Lee hadn't abandoned the sublight ships, they would have all died, every last one of them, because even the FTL capable ships weren't heavily armed war ships with fighter planes and giant guns (in fact, their only weapon really at this point, was Lee's disabled Viper!) As Lee said, it was a numbers game, but the threat was immediate and pressing and I think they really didn't have a choice.
Whereas it was clear to me that Cain had decided from the moment they encountered the civilian ships that she would take everything of value (to her!) off of them, and leave them to die even though there was no immediate threat from the Cylons.
And I think it comes down to the difference in their philosophies - Cain didn't have any hope for the future so she saw no reason to preserve what was left of humanity insofar as what was left couldn't further her agenda (revenge against the Cylons); Roslin saw, very early on, that her duty was to be the shepherd of what remained of humanity. And thankfully, Adama saw that too.