Customer Reviews

Caprica: Season 1.0

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before watching this show i was a little hesitant to give it any credit as a legitimate show, because spinoffs never really seem to be as good as the original. However, after watching Caprica,i was blown away. I am a big Battlestar Galactica fan,but even for those who may not know much about Battlestar Galactica,it is still a very well thought out story of the origins of the previous series. There are some very interesting philisophical questions proposed in this show that really makes you think deeply about what it means to be human, and whether death is really the end of life. This movie is also a little grittier than the Battlestar series since theres more nudity and violence present,but it does not detract from the engaging story line. I am not sure if this show will be successful as an entire series, since alot of the major plotlines of the overall story are presented,but this movie is phenominal on its own. It's a definite must for any Battlestar Galactica fan, or those who like science fiction or for those who like to think about a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

"Battlestar Galactica" has barely ended, and already a spinoff series is being trotted out by the Sci Fi (or Sy Fy as they now call themselves) Channel.

Fortunately "Caprica" (a pilot to the forthcoming spinoff) is no quick cash-in on its parent series' success. Okay, the fate of humanity doesn't yet hang in the balance, and there are no space battles at all -- but it maintains the same suspense, intelligence and philosophical musings as "Battlestar Galactica" had, even as it shows how Adama and the Cylons came to be.

A pair of secretly monotheistic teens -- Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Toreson) and her boyfriend Ben -- are running away from Caprica to escape the decadent polytheistic culture. But then Ben turns out to be a suicide bomber, and destroys the lev train.

Two men are left to deal with their grief in the aftermath -- prominent cybernetic inventor Daniel (Eric Stoltz), and mob-connected Tauron lawyer Joseph Adams (Esai Morales), who lost his wife and daughter in the explosion. As the Caprican government starts ruthlessly hunting for monotheists, the two men bond. But then Daniel finds that Zoe is not completely gone -- in an orgiastic virtual rave, she left behind a virtual "echo" that has all her memories, feelings, and even experienced her death.

Believing that the avatar can bring Zoe back from the dead, Daniel is determined to somehow put her avatar in a robotic body -- and offers the same to Adams. At first Adams is desperate enough to agree, even to sacrificing his principles to get a vital piece of machinery for Daniel. But their ethics drive the two men in opposite directions, as Daniel's obsession drives him to spawn something terrible...

It's pretty obvious that "Caprica" is meant as the pilot of a TV show, because there are too many plot threads (the monotheists, Lacey's involvement, the Adama family's changes) left floating in the air with no resolution. Not to mention that final scene, which will leave you shrieking, "What next? What next? What's gonna happen next?"

That said, it has the promise of being a truly brilliant piece of work -- the writers deftly interweave topics of racism, religious oppression and misguidance, sorrow, and the existence of the soul (do our memories alone define us, or do we have something more?). And they spin up a totally believable world in Caprica, which is a wee bit more advanced than our world but essentially the same, with rebellious teens, Mafia-esque mobs, smooth downtown buildings and a seething undercurrent of sex'n'blood decadence.

The first half of "Caprica" is a bit slow, especially since it mainly focuses on how rotten Daniel and Joseph feel. But once Daniel discovers virtual-Zoe, the story blossoms into a beautifully tense tango between the two men, full of quietly poetic dialogue ("Sometimes faith can be a victim of chance") and some eerie horrific moments (Joseph's reunion with his dead "daughter"). The last ten minutes truly links "Caprica" to "Battlestar Galactica."

Both Stoltz and Morales do brilliant jobs here. Neither Daniel nor Joseph is portrayed as a bad guy, but one of them allows his obsessions to carry him into dangerous territory, while the other has lines that he's determined not to cross. Torresani is also quite good as a fierce young woman who wants to change the world, and her digital avatar, and Polly Walker gives a solid if brief performance as a serene young teacher with a secret.

"Caprica" is a solid start to the proposed spinoff series, although the wide-open ending keeps it from quite working on its own. Still, a little something to tide people over until the series really gets going.

Good story presented with the same intensity as BSG, making you eager to see the next episode to find out what is goung to happen next. Quite dark.

I started watching Battlestar Galactica on DVD the day the series ended, several months ago. I fell in love with the series and subsequently bought all the sets, and I was estatic to learn there was going to be a prequel. However, as time drew on, I began to worry that it would be entirely off base and not remotely similar to the tense, gritty, militaristic Battlestar Galactica.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Caprica isn't a ripoff of Battlestar, but it's a self-contained show in its own right that frequently references and incorporates events and themes that were present in Battlestar. It's more of a exploratory drama in a sci-fi setting, and I believe that is what the creators have gone for.

As far as the plot, I can't say too much without spoiling. Suffice it to say that the movie (and the upcoming series) revolves around several elements, such as ethical concerns, cultural dynamics, and family life. It also deals with the creations of the Cylons.

The hard, hard, hard-core BSG-philes might not like the movie because it isn't BSG at all. And it's not trying to be. But it's a great movie, and will hopefully be a great show, and it is in its own way an homage to the groundbreaking Battlestar Galactica.

I'll try and keep this pitch short and to the point:

Caprica is a great show in its own right. It poignantly addresses contemporary issues of morality, technology, corporate ambition, ideological idealism and religious fundamentalism. These are all issues relevant to modern society, which we will continue to face over the course of the 21st century and beyond (if we don't all die in a horrible holocaust). If you don't know the premise of the show, I encourage you to read other peoples' fine reviews and synapses of Caprica.

That said, Caprica will never be Battlestar Galactica. Caprica, as its producers have said, does not attempt to be another BSG. People who complain that it's not as good as BSG are only doing justice to the fact that there may never be anything as original or well executed as BSG. The way I see it, BSG is God and Caprica is Deputy God! It follows the entirely new and different approach to the sci-fi/drama style that Ron Moore and David Eick introduced with BSG. I love good sci-fi, and this show is outstanding sci-fi/drama. I'm just overjoyed that I have something exceptionel to look forward to, given that BSG is over.

The DVD release of Season 1.0 is simple and efficient. You get 4 discs in one regular sized DVD case, which makes it lean and compact (very important these days). The extended pilot is included on disc 1. The anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) image and dolby digital (5.1) sound quality are top-notch. There are also new extras on discs 2, 3 and 4 including new video blogs and shorts on the production and cast of Caprica. The extras on disc 1 are the same as those on the original pilot release. There are unfortunately no insert sleeves, which is typical of the Battlestar line of DVDs, but whatever.

All in all it is priced a little too high for 8 hrs. 54 mins., but we've become accustomed to getting cheesed like this by Universal, as in BSG season 2.0, 2.5, 4.0 and 4.5. Once again, whatever. I chose to pay the full $40 (plus tax) at my local HMV since the Amazon.ca price was only $2.00 less (plus shipping), and particularly because I want to ENCOURAGE UNIVERSAL TO KEEP INVESTING IN THE SHOW. Some of you may know that there were rumours a few months ago of the show being cancelled even before Seasons 2.0 and 2.5. (in fact I think the rumours are still around). This terrifies me. I really want the studios to give Ron Moore and David Eick the ability to complete their vision for this show, so I think at this critical junction those of you who are fans should break open your wallet and dish out the cash for this product, not just to convince Universal that it'll make them money, but because you owe it to the show and yourself to have this wonderfullly creative original work in your collection.

Thanks for hearing my pitch!

This series is hard to pin down; some things are pretty cool, like the cyberpunk "V-World" reminiscent of William Gibson's Neuromancer. Some are hit and miss, like the whiny rebellion of the teenage main characters. And others either take a lot of getting used to or are just plain off-the-mark, like Jo Adama being a gangster, moreso than a lawyer.

Remember those old commercials with the irate Scottish guy, happily eating a box of oatmeal-flavoured cereal, but all the while still insisting that "IT'S NOT OATMEAL!"? To the discerning fan's Scottish tastebuds, Caprica is like the cereal and BSG is like a piping-hot bowl of oatmeal. That is to say, if you loved BSG, you're going to want to watch this. And you won't hate it.

But it is just not the 2004 series.

I knew this wasn't going to be another BSG, but considering how many of the same people worked on it, and the subject matter, I at least expected something watchable.
I tried to watch this. I fell asleep during each episode. It didn't matter, I could watch the next and know exactly what was going on because the story moves SO SLOWLY(if at all). You could watch the first and last episode, and not miss anything whatsoever.
If there's a season two, I will not be watching.

The producers in re-imagining BSG have painted themselves in a corner...they over-complicated the end of BSG and now they need a new project to pay the rent... this is it. And now they have come up that the cylons were born to make a dead teen ager come back to a cyberlife for grieving dad...

I give 3 stars...not bad in itself but a let down from BSG

This came up when I searched under "Caprica season 1". I already own it so I know, it's not the full season but just the pilot.

Features are deleted scenes, blogs, and an audio commentary.

I found this series a little difficult to get into, but as a BSG fan I persevered and was hooked by mid-season. So I guess I don't really recommend purchasing this pilot on its own, but I do highly recommend the entire first season when it becomes available.

Although this movie did provide the story of the origins of Cylons, the group of us that made an event of watching this movie (4 BG fans, 2 not)found the whole production a disappointment - story, acting, pace, visuals; all fell short of expectations. As a stand-alone movie (for the 2 non-fans), it did not have any redeeming qualities. Unfortunate....