The Final Frontier #5 - Battlestar Galactica
Ah, this brings back memories. My father, not a man inclined to liking science fiction shoot-em-ups, dutifully took his son to see the original Battlestar Galactica pilot to the cinema (where it was released in Europe) to see what became a headache inducing, Dolby stereo assault on his eardrums. The son loved every minute of it, the father did not, and continues to remind the son occasionally.
The son has grown up, and while he does not embrace the Star Wars styled space opera as he once did (the 2003 remake TV series has eclipsed it) it's still an exciting venture and a spectacularly epic production, still rarely matched for a small screen yarn. It's Glen A Larson in charge, so the whole affair has a dumbed-down adventure feel, despite the downer story of the destruction of 99% of humanity.
The core actors are all well cast...Lorne Greene the father figure, Richard Hatch the assertive do-gooder and the genius Dirk Benedict as 'anything for an easy ride' fighter ace Starbuck. The effects stand up well, over 30 years on, and in some cases are better than the CGI junk the passes for SFX today. The spaceship designs are iconic (better than most of the stuff in the Star Wars prequels while the set design has a pleasingly retro feel with bulkheads, pressure doors and rivets defining the Galactica interior. The story is loaded with dread and menace that one associates with the near extermination of the human race and there's enough pro-active brinkmanship on the part of the good guys to ensure that excitement is on a par with the drama.
All in all a great pilot movie, even if it does sag in the middle third (well, it is 3 TV episodes stitched together). Who'd have thought this would lead to a masterpiece re-imagining 25 years later.
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