Caprica DVD pilot review
Beware of some minor spoilers for CAPRICA.
Just a few weeks after the series finale of Battlestar Galactica we're introduced to a world before the fall of the Twelve Colonies - Caprica and the creation of the Cylons. Presented to us in DVD uncut form, Caprica serves as a pilot for a television series coming to the SciFi Channel, soon to by SyFy, in 2010. Why the long wait? It's the SciFi Channel - they do these things.
The series finale of Battlestar Galactica, Daybreak, is a finale that has many fans split in opinion. From what I can tell, the overall consensus of the finale is positive and I can tell you from my point of view, I loved it despite a few plot issues and character resolutions. You can read my review of Battlestar Galactica right HERE. As a science fiction series, Battlestar Galactica changed everything - It showed people that science fiction doesn't have to be cliche with all of the scifi elements that we've seen in so many television shows and films, although there have been some that broke those barriers like Babylon 5 even if it doesn't reach the level of Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica. More and more SF shows today are trying to model themselves after Galactica - meaning they're trying to create real human drama and experience with pain and success combined with all of the SF elements we love - some with success and some without success. So far, the closest thing I've seen today that can contend with the genius behind BSG is one of my favorite shows Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, however, the ratings game isn't helping the future of that series. Now, Ron Moore is at it again with Caprica by trying to continue that genius he began with BSG but doing it in a way that is completely different separating the two sister shows. As with the season finale of BSG, I can see that the series pilot is also going to have the same effect and probably split people opinions, however, I can tell you now that the Caprica team plans to continue that deep character driven story we saw in BSG - something that I love. In this series, however, we move from the true space opera of BSG to a more family oriented character drama which is something very rare for a science fiction.
Taking place 58 years before the fall of the Twelve Colonies and the exodus of the last survivors lead by the Battlestar Galactica, Caprica tells the story of two families brought together by religious terrorism - The Graystone's and the Adama's. Daniel Graystone is a wealthy scientist who creates the first Cylon, the mechanical race destined to destroy the Twelve Colonies. Joseph Adama is a boarder-line corrupt lawyer tied to the Tauron mob. Both men bond over the death of their loved ones who were killed in an act of religious fanaticism over a one god - Graystone lost his daughter Zoe and Adama lost his wife and daughter leaving him alone with his young son William Adama, the future Commander of the Battlestar Galactica. Here in this story of pain, obsession and religion Caprica delves into the hearts and minds of the human condition possibly bringing us another fantastic series that BSG fans and new fans alike could enjoy. The series pilot of Caprica was directed by Jeffrey Reiner from a script by Remi Aubuchon and Ronald D. Moore. Caprica stars a stellar cast with Eric Stoltz as Daniel Graystone, Esai Morales as Joseph Adama, Paula Malcomson as Amanda Graystone, Alessandra Toreson as Zoe, Magda Apanowicz as Lacy and Polly Walker as Clarice Willow.
The notion of Caprica is a concept that I'm excited to experience, A family drama - not the usual actionier SF series, which is always cool, but here is a real family drama set in an extreme science fiction world. I think with my overall love for Battlestar Galactica, I'm bias - I'm already going to watch the entire Caprica series because I know this world and I know that Moore won't let us down. Even so, the pilot of Caprica is more than enough to make me excited for whats coming because yes, the pilot of Caprica lives up to the work of Moore and co. I loved it for it's character driven story, mythology and many other things that I'll talk about below.
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- The casting of Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales is total genius. Just like when Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell were casted in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica hires some of the best actors in the business. As for a little history for both actors - I saw Stoltz for the first time in a film called Memphis Belle, a movie I love, and from there on I liked him. When he was casted as a lead for this show I was very happy and excited to say the least. Morales was in one of my favorite shows second and final season - Jericho. In Jericho, Morales had this intense bad ass character that had a fantastic arc but sadly couldn't conclude due to cancellation. When I found out he was casted has Joseph Adama, Admiral Bill Adama's dad, I was jumping for joy because Morales has the potential to be the perfect Adama and prelude to Edward James Olmos. Both actors are fantastic in the pilot of Caprica. I can't say enough about how amazing they are and I'm very very excited to see them continue the series. Just like Olmos and McDonnell, these two actors are going to make this series better than it's written.
- The rest of the supporting cast is also very good - specifically, Paula Malcomson is very engaging and from what the producers say in the commentary track she'll be in for some good story telling. Alessandra Toreson who plays Zoe is also pretty good although she seemed like she tried too hard to be awesome sometimes. Overall, however, she has a very complex part and I'm curious to see were she goes. Unrelated, she reminds me of Zooey Deschanel - it must have been the hair and her light skin.
- Just like Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is also VERY complex in story. We as the viewers know the outcome of the creation of the first Cylon but the story that they're telling us getting up to that point is excellent and revealing. We see in the pilot that the Cylon's were created from obsession - and it lead back to the mini-series of Galactica when Adama says "we tried to create life" and it makes more sense in the pilot of Caprica than what I though during the whole run of Battlestar. I suppose I was under the impression that the Cylon's were created just from a simple sense of technological evolution, and although that's still part of it, the Cylon's we all know (one god, independent) all comes because of Graystone's obsession with bringing his daughter back to life.
- For Battlestar fans and Adama fans, the backstory we learn about the Adama family origin is very exciting. We in this pilot get to see more mythology about another colony besides Caprica - the Tauron people. Indirectly we learn about their ideas, traditions, and their beliefs. I love that the Tauron people are portrayed as a sort of Latino, South American, tribal (Maya, Inca, Aztec) type of people. I like the style they portray (which includes the overall pilot style) as sort of 50s cliche mobsters. The best Adama moment in Caprica is without a doubt a scene which brings Caprica and Battlestar Galactica together - when Joseph Adams tells his son William that their real name is Adama. Then of course, the amazing Bear McCreary chimes in with the Adama Theme! (LISTEN)
- Speaking of score - once again, the composer for BSG moves on to Caprica and gives us another fantastic score both familiar and new. Most of the score is right out of the box but there's still the occasional throw back to BSG like the Adama theme and the combat drums during the Cylon Centurion testing.
- The first Cylon - I wish they had the budget to create a full robotic prop of a Cylon to use in scenes in the series (like McG did for Terminator 4). Full CG things in a live action setting is usually distracting to me - it's still, however, done pretty well and for a BSG fan, it's exciting. Two points I love - I like how the Cylon prototype has a yellow eye but when it becomes the bad ass Centurion we know it eventually becomes, its eye goes red. The other point is of course the voice, "By your command". Fanboy moment for sure!
- The overall visual effects are very good as it always has been for the BSG family. I love the computer paper, lol, that shit was cool. I supposed, the visual effects and the futuristic style together really gives us something very uniquely visual that gives Caprica a true SF feel. It also gives us enough to know that this era is a lot different to the era that comes after the Cylon rebellion. During the first Cylon War, given the tech we've seen on a Battlestar, the Twelve Colonies de-tech themselves because it's technology they're fighting. Pre-Cylon culture, however, is completely different - I guess if you take the real word of today, place it in the middle of say the technology you would see in a movie like Minority Report or AI Artificial Intelligence, you'd find Caprica.
- I honestly could go on forever about the pilot of Caprica but I won't and save you from my rambling. Let me just quickly mention other quick kudos - Polly Walker has a short part but a part that seems like it will get bigger - she's awesome; Sasha Roiz as Sam Adama is awesome and I'd like to see more of his character; basing the style of characters off of the 50s is intriguing - I like the 50s style hats; the overall chemistry of characters is really gripping; and I simply believe Caprica can go far as a series just like Galactica.
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When it comes to things that I didn't like about Caprica, I think it's safe to say that there isn't all that much I can choose from and say "hey, that sucks." I suppose if there is one thing, it's me missing the epic space battles that Galactica gave us. That isn't really an issue because this series is more than just space battles.
Before wrapping up, I'd like to quickly mention a couple of things I'd like to see with the coming of the regular series in 2010. For starters, I hope they continue with the heavy drama between the Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama characters. The drama that could unfold with the Graystone character, watching his Cylon creation rebel starting a huge interplanetary war is very fascinating. The drama we could see with the rise of Joseph Adama could also be a great story considering his son becomes a favorite character of many BSG and scifi fans. Hopefully we'll also see young Bill Adama transform into the young viper pilot we saw a little bit of in the DVD film Razor. When it comes to the Cylon race overall, they Cylon's shouldn't be limited to just simple machines that eventually try to destroy the human race. Just like in BSG I want to see the the drama unfold within the Cylon race and if the hints Ron Moore gives us in the commentary track for Caprica, we might just get that.
Caprica is the start and the continuation of something very special within the scifi community and something groundbreaking in story telling. I personally believe that Caprica will continue the tradition of BSG giving us complex, deep, human stories that will boggle the minds of fans everywhere. With all that said, I loved the pilot of Caprica but I have no doubt some fans hated it - I honestly can't see the reasons why they would. If you were someone that hated the pilot of Caprica, email me your thoughts and if those thoughts are legit enough, I'll make a post out of them. Or you can comment below and tell us your personal quick thoughts on the pilot. I'd like to hear them as would the other readers that visit this place.
Until 2010 and the series premiere of Caprica!
-Phil
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