**WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD**
Battlestar Galactica fans, myself included, have been champing at the bit to catch Razor, the two-hour extended episode that serves to bridge the gap between season three, which ended earlier this year, and the show’s fourth and final season, which premieres in spring 2008, barring any Hollywood writers’ strike issues.
Airing Saturday at 9pm EST on Space in Canada and Sci Fi Channel in the U.S., Razor won’t provide many answers in regards to the stunning season three finale – the ending of which I won’t go into here for those who haven’t caught it yet. However, it’s a well-crafted and entertaining movie that stands up on its own even for non-fans of the superbly written and acted program. The only difference is that BSG watchers will get the more obscure references.
Razor’s story takes place on the Battlestar Pegasus, moving between the craft’s past, when the steely Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) was in charge following the Cylon attack on the Colonial Fleet, and its present, under Lee Adama’s (Jamie Bamber) command. Linking the two is a new character, Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who served as a lieutenant under Cain before being promoted to Adama’s executive officer (XO).
Shaw’s battle-hardened exterior masks an inner torment and drug addiction stemming from the oft-inhumane things she was compelled to do under Cain, for whom she developed respect and a strange sense of loyalty. As Adama’s Number Two, she has the chance to redeem herself. The thread between past and present, Shaw’s character is a welcome addition to the BSG story even if it’s destined to be a limited one. Jacobsen displays a convincing mix of Cain-like toughness with a sense of remorse over past misdeeds.
The audience also learns more about Cain’s motivations – seeing a slightly softer side of the bull-headed leader in some scenes – and why she made some of the brutal choices she did. Ultimately she still gets what’s coming to her – although the audience may feel a bit more sympathy for her than it did when she was smoked in the second season by Cylon Number Six (Tricia Helfer).
Jacobsen, Bamber and Sackhoff in a scene from Battlestar Galactica: Razor
For fans of the ‘70s series, Razor contains a humourous shot of the original ‘Toasters,’ as the Cylons are referred to by the Colonial soldiers, and a small side storyline showing snippets of a young Bill Adama’s (Nico Cortez) part in the first Cylon War. If anything the throwback just serves to underline how much slicker and more threatening the updated models are.
Focusing on the Pegasus’s past was an interesting way for BSG executive producers David Eick and Ronald Moore to go – but it was a wise decision. Even though we don’t see much of the regular characters like Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos), President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis), or my fave Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), the movie provides some interesting insight into Cain and the Pegasus, whose presence in season two was part of the reason it was arguably the show’s best season to date.
The movie ended with a dramatic pronouncement that lays the groundwork for the final season – and gets us fans revved up about what could be in store for Apollo, Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), and co. Sadly, all we can do now is sit around and wait for it.
For those who miss Razor on television the DVD hits store shelves December 4.
Hey, just watched Razor (advanced copy on DVD) and must say I was a bit disappointed. It's still good, but doesn't develop its characters or provide an interesting, cohesive story the way the series does. Read my review here... http://blog.filmjabber.com/2007/11/24/review-battlestar-galactica-razor-2007/
Posted by: Movie Review Guy | November 24, 2007 at 04:27 AM