Battlestar Galactica
4 April 2004 20:49![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandragoraI watched the new Battlestar Galactica on tape, courtesy of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
foolme8 (many thanks). I really enjoyed it. Of course it's much different from the original (not in a parodic manner like Starsky & Hutch, which I enjoyed the hell out of) but compared to my admittedly dim memories of the original it's much better.
I don't recall the original as having much dramatic tension, or really making me feel much for the characters. I always knew that the good guys would win and I don't remember any character I liked dying. However, when Boomer's companion chose to stay behind and sacrifice himself for the good of humanity I was really rather moved.
On the plus side the original did feature three pretty men, two of whom are women in the remake, but in general I thought the remake was better scripted and better acted, plus the fact that Starbuck is female led to some interesting dramatic possibilities, I thought. The Starbuck trickster type of character is a familiar one, not to mention a type I'm rather fond of, but this archetype is rarely portrayed as a woman. So, I thought the new Starbuck was a refreshiong change. It does diminish the slashy possibilities, but I liked the relationship shown between new Starbuck and Apollo. Also, I loved new Apollo. I never really warmed to old Apollo, but the new one was a sympathetic and conflicted character. The fact that he's played by Jamie Bamber didn't hurt.
The conflict between father Adama and son Lee (Apollo) whilst straying close to cliche-land still worked IMO. Plus, not everything was resolved at the end, which again gave it more depth than the original, so far as I can recall.
Colonel Tigh a drunk? Oooh yeah, good twist. Great relationship set-up between Starbuck and Tigh. I love it when people loathe one another. *g*
Boomer I liked, although I thought that she could have remained a man, with possibly another female character being introduced for balance. Why not make the Chief a woman, perhaps, that would have worked. But still, the inherent tragedy of Boomer is gut wrenching. I was spoiled for it and it still got to me.
I was most keen to watch the new version for Callum Keith Rennie and he didn't disappoint. He appeared to be doing his patented scumbag routine initially but the Cylon twist means that he was much more than he appears to be. Plus, he could well be back.
The relationship between genius Doctor (who, naturally, had your generic upper-middle class English accent. Sigh) and gorgeous Cylon is strange and ever so slightly kinky. Doctor is a coward but a very lovely one.
Really liked Madam President school teacher, and the relationship between her and Adama is very promising. Adama kicked arse, too.
It left me keen to see more. Yes, the script was predictable in parts, and some of the characters were fairly stock types but on the whole I enjoyed it.
As with Starsky & Hutch I sympathise with those people who were great fans of the original and feel that the remake is a pale imitation, but I think the remake is better.
foolme8 (many thanks). I really enjoyed it. Of course it's much different from the original (not in a parodic manner like Starsky & Hutch, which I enjoyed the hell out of) but compared to my admittedly dim memories of the original it's much better. I don't recall the original as having much dramatic tension, or really making me feel much for the characters. I always knew that the good guys would win and I don't remember any character I liked dying. However, when Boomer's companion chose to stay behind and sacrifice himself for the good of humanity I was really rather moved.
On the plus side the original did feature three pretty men, two of whom are women in the remake, but in general I thought the remake was better scripted and better acted, plus the fact that Starbuck is female led to some interesting dramatic possibilities, I thought. The Starbuck trickster type of character is a familiar one, not to mention a type I'm rather fond of, but this archetype is rarely portrayed as a woman. So, I thought the new Starbuck was a refreshiong change. It does diminish the slashy possibilities, but I liked the relationship shown between new Starbuck and Apollo. Also, I loved new Apollo. I never really warmed to old Apollo, but the new one was a sympathetic and conflicted character. The fact that he's played by Jamie Bamber didn't hurt.
The conflict between father Adama and son Lee (Apollo) whilst straying close to cliche-land still worked IMO. Plus, not everything was resolved at the end, which again gave it more depth than the original, so far as I can recall.
Colonel Tigh a drunk? Oooh yeah, good twist. Great relationship set-up between Starbuck and Tigh. I love it when people loathe one another. *g*
Boomer I liked, although I thought that she could have remained a man, with possibly another female character being introduced for balance. Why not make the Chief a woman, perhaps, that would have worked. But still, the inherent tragedy of Boomer is gut wrenching. I was spoiled for it and it still got to me.
I was most keen to watch the new version for Callum Keith Rennie and he didn't disappoint. He appeared to be doing his patented scumbag routine initially but the Cylon twist means that he was much more than he appears to be. Plus, he could well be back.
The relationship between genius Doctor (who, naturally, had your generic upper-middle class English accent. Sigh) and gorgeous Cylon is strange and ever so slightly kinky. Doctor is a coward but a very lovely one.
Really liked Madam President school teacher, and the relationship between her and Adama is very promising. Adama kicked arse, too.
It left me keen to see more. Yes, the script was predictable in parts, and some of the characters were fairly stock types but on the whole I enjoyed it.
As with Starsky & Hutch I sympathise with those people who were great fans of the original and feel that the remake is a pale imitation, but I think the remake is better.
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Those Remakes
Date: 4 April 2004 21:38 (UTC)I really can't comment on the Starsky & Hutch movie. Probably won't see it until it's on cable as I'm not a fan of either of the lead actors. But I take heart from the reports that say it's an obvious parody. That makes me feel better as I'm a died-in-the-wool S&H fan from back when it originally aired. So, of course, I found it interesting to hear the other day that if there is a Magnum PI movie that George Clooney will not be playing Magnum. Apparently, according to TPTB for Magnum, there is only one Magnum and that's Tom Selleck. I cheered mightily when I heard that. :)
As for BG, I was not happy initially when I head of the changes that were occurring with the remake. But I decided that I would have no right to bash the Sci Fi version unless I watched it. So I watched it and . . . loved it. :) I guess I'll just treat it as an AU BG. *g* And I agree with you that the new version seems to have more depth. I think the original did what it could for its day in the same way that TOS did. TOS is rather cheesy looking nowadays but it was ahead of its time in its day and so was the original BG, for a TV-budgeted series. I'm looking forward to seeing more BG on Sci Fi, although I wasn't as enamored of the Apollo actor as you were but I think he's the sort that could grow on me. I don't know if it's the actors or character because I wasn't all that enamored of the original Apollo either. Definitely a Starbuck girl and even though Starbuck is now a female, I am, apparently, still a Starbuck girl. ;)
Re: Those Remakes
Date: 5 April 2004 00:26 (UTC)I'm not usually a fan of remakes. I have absolutely no intention of seeing the remake of The Italian Job, for example, because the original is a classic film that IMO there was no need to remake. A parody a la S&H is a different animal, though, I think. As is a big screen version of a TV series.
I must admit that I never thought of the original BG as being ahead of its time, except in the TV special effects department. TOS was ahead of its time, absolutely, and the best episodes stand up well dramatically even though the special effects are laboured by today's standards. But I don't recall there being anything particularly ground breaking about BG. It could be just that my memory is blurred, though.
I know what you mean about Starbuck. I always loved the character, and still do in her present incarnation. But it was a pleasant surprise to find that I liked new Apollo so much.
Glad to find another new BG fan and actually I think you might have been one of the people posting about it when it was shown a while ago on US TV. I know that several people on my flists enjoyed it, despite the advance wailing and gnashing of teeth when the changes to the original were announced.
S&H
Date: 5 April 2004 12:49 (UTC)A parady however I have no problem with and that is what the movie is. Sometimes it is more a parady of that type of cop shop in general rather than S&H specifically (either that or my memory of the characters was off) but it was definately a homage rather than a remake. And as a result really rather funny.
I wouldn't describe myself as a fan of either of the leads either (one I find annoying and the other I hadn't heard off) but they weren't bad in this.
And the slashy supertexts (opposite of subtexts?) were definately a plus.
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Date: 11 April 2004 14:21 (UTC)no subject