Friday, July 31, 2009

Caprica



I'll be honest. I'm not a fan of BSG. Not for any other reason than I never watched the old version when I was a kid and did not get into it this time around either. But, here's a little more honesty for you. When a friend told me that the new Battlestar would be Esai Morales versus Eric Stoltz, I replied, "I'm fucking there." If you've read my blog before, you know that I have the highest admiration for Esai Morales. I'll see anything he does as I have regarded him as a hero of mine since I was young. And if he would present me with the chance to jump head first into a new world of science fiction, well, I'm on board for that too.



Caprica is the story about the origins of the world of Battlestar Galactica. Taking place some fifty years before it resembles a world almost like our own where terrorist attacks are carried out by religious zealots. Only these believers believe in one God, our God. Called monotheists, they are willing to sacrifice themselves because of their belief in eternal life. When you start to see the uncanny similarities to our world, like religion, the unchecked advancement of technology and the influence of corporations on politics. But really, as I have been told about the series, the underlying theme of Caprica is about humanity and the what makes us human. It is love or anger? Is it compassion or desire? For all the inventions and effects, the show has been criticized by die hard BSG fans as being a soap opera. But those themes are what drew me into the movie, made it topical and will probably gain a little bit more crossover, mainstream appeal for non-fans of the series.



Added to that is the classic look of the show that reminded me of Blade Runner in a way, with a stylized world reminiscent of classic Hollywood instead of noir. The show was intriguing enough for me to watch in when it beings to air regularly in January and I will write about it again then to tell you what I think. Until that time, check out the pilot on DVD and you can follow this link to see the Battlestar Galatica panel at Comic-Con with appearances by Esai and Edward James Olmos.

2 comments:

schaggydog said...

I dug the movie too. I've just now started getting into the new BSG. I'm only into the first season but I'm really liking it. I think you should give it another try. Some of the themes and ideas it explores are similar to that of Caprica. It's really well written and worth a chance.

Film said...

Great film really nice thank you