Product Description

The Cylons began as humanity's robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #398 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2009-10-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Customer Reviews

You might be missing the point...
I am not going to preface this with any grand statements about being a BSG fan from day one. If I am taking the time to write this, you should suspect that already.

This movie really works in that it is a quiet story in a very noisy room. It is about how life finds ways to disrupt our plans but not always in a bad way. It is about reconciling what you think you want with what actually want. It is about learning "the truth" isn't always in the safe black and white places we create. It is about love in all its forms.

First, about the nudity. It exists. Get over it. BSG was never a "family friendly" show given its themes, so if you were expecting something different here, then you are about to be sadly mistaken. There are no basic cable broadcast guidelines to satisfy, so a story can be told in whatever way the storytellers wish. The nudity is not gratuitous or in your face, so deal with the fact it is just another adult theme that BSG can use without restriction now.

Here is the crux of it: at its heart, this movie is about how the Cylons intended on destroying humanity for their perceived wrongs against the Cylon race, and how that plan changed literally everyone. In the real world, it would have been nice to have been able to film scenes with all of the cast members, but monetarily that was not to be - everyone (including Lucy Lawless, contrary to another review here) is represented through previous footage in some fashion. Jane Espenson wound all their stories together in a beautiful fashion, and Edward James Olmos mixed the stock footage together with the new that it was at times hard to tell which was which. The story was engaging enough that I could suspend the fan's critical eye for the first running of the movie, and just enjoy the story Ms. Epenson and Mr. Olmos told.

Will you like it? Hard to tell, but only because I don't know you. If you sit back and let the story unfold, you will most likely find this an engaging work and a worthy addition to the BSG canon. If you are watching this to see (fill in your favorite actor here)'s story expanded, you might be out of luck - and you also might be missing the point. This is a quiet story not always about specific individuals, but rather about how an individual can affect others and how that ripples through even the most well laid out plan. It is an intimate story told on a grand pallette, and thanks to the people in front of and behind the camera, it works beautifully.

Not Your Typical BSG
I started watching The Plan really skeptical; I read all the reviews here, and thought it was going to be mediocre at best, as all the negative reviews seem to be saying that in unison.

However, I was really pleasantly surprised. I can understand how some people might be disappointed with The Plan, it doesn't, after all, answer some of the questions left hanging in the air after the series finale. It doesn't have the space battles or insane intensity of some of BSG's better episodes. It doesn't include some of the most important characters (Laura Roslin, Apollo, Starbuck).

But The Plan was never planned or written, I think, as a nostalgia film that is supposed to exploit our feelings for these characters to milk us for some cash. Instead, it has decided to do something bold: to tell an entirely new story that connects with what we already know, happening at the same time as what we've seen during the first two seasons of BSG.

It's the story of how the Cylons, each in different situations and living amongst different humans were in fact influenced by those humans. We see them developing genuine empathy, and utter hate. We see some renouncing their Cylon identity because of what they've done. We see them questioning their actions. We see them at their most brilliant, but also at their most incompetent. We see them for what they truly are: the imperfect creations of imperfect creations. In the end, the moral is simple: it's easy to kill someone from space with a nuke. It's hard to kill someone looking them in the eye.

If your going to watch The Plan expecting some grand revelations about the loose ends in the series finale, then you will come out disappointed. But if you watch The Plan looking for a really well written movie, with some terrific performances, some new insights into Cylon thinking, or just for a little nostalgia, you wont be disappointed.

So, if you choose to buy this DVD, judge it on it's own merits.

More Like Battle Star Galactica - The Character Study
Okay, if you buy this expecting big battle scenes, the answer to who is the cylon god, a full discussion of cylon religion/philosophy, an explanation of what the mental-Six and mental-Baltar were or an explanation of the intricacies of the grand cylon plan, then you will be disappointed.

However, if you appreciate the kind of character development and the intricacies of internal motivation and conflict that make BSG the TV landmark that it is, than you have struck gold.

We witness the unraveling, frustration and conflicts that arise as the cylons are forced to confront their humanity and their feeling of connections both to humans and each other. We see the cylons as conflicted, irritated, frustrated, noble and even incompetent on occasion.

Most of all we see Dean Stockwell, stepping up in his role as two separate cylons, each evolving into significantly different roles.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is the revelation that the One's seemed to be in charge until the war began, a role that they eventually lose.

So if you're up for a movie-length character study that will enhance your appreciation of the series, this is for you. However, if you are looking for action, or a stand-alone movie experience this isn't it.

In short, insiders will love this, but this is not the experience to use to introduce someone to the new BSG.