Battlestar Galactica - The Final Season (Season 4, Part Two) [DVD] [2009]

I can hardly find words to state my admiration for the new Battlestar Galactica as a whole - and it is even harder for me to correctly describe the ending, which I loved and hated in the same time. But even if I absolutely hated one (and only one) thing in the last episode, as a whole I rate this final season five stars without a moment of hesitation. If you watched the previous seasons, you will probably understand how addictive and irresistible those series were. I swallowed all the seasons as if I was an alcoholic and if they were old scotch - gulping, slurping, crying and moaning, forgetting anything and everything else. If you did not watch the previous seasons, do it immediately! As a whole the new Battlestar Galactica is an incredible show, operating at a level much above the usual TV series - in my modest opinion, only two other shows, "The Shield" and "The Wire", reached the same level of perfection. There are many sad and heartbreaking moments in those series - I do not want to provide too much spoilers, but twice I almost cried. Death and suffering are everywhere and the story becomes even darker and more desperate that in the beginning miniseries. It would seem that it is very hard to do something darker and more desperate than a nuclear war and extermination of humanity - well, as you will see, it can be done. Some much beloved characters will not make it until the final credits. In those final episodes three are even more outstanding, reaching a quality that I simply can not describe with words. Two of them, "Oath" and "Blood on the scales", describe a short but extremely vicious and bloody civil war erupting in the human fleet. They are absolutely exceptional and I will not say anything more about them - you deserve to discover them yourself. And then arrives the very last episode, "Daybreak, part 2", which is twice as long than usual. I believe that the first 40 minutes of it are possibly the best TV science fiction I have ever seen and in fact I consider them as good as "Star Wars" (and this is a HUGE compliment coming from me). The only thing I will say here is that most of those 40 minutes are a battle... and WHAT a battle it is! Then comes the part I hated with my whole heart because it was SO INCREDIBLY STUPID and politically correct that I could hardly believe my eyes! If you really need to know what I am talking about, there is enough spoilers in other reviews here (especially the ones giving one star). I will just say that the final decision of humans and Cylons of the fleet defies reason and logic and guarantees to them and their descendants an endless supply of back breaking labor, inescapable misery, heartbreaking suffering and return to the most obscure savagery - provided that they survive at all (and in my modest opinion they would not). Many reviewers strongly objected to the Christian messages in those last episodes of Battlestar Galactica and it is clear that they are very strongly present. Being a Christian I rather appreciated it - but for atheists this final season can be indeed very upsetting. All in all, I loved the whole series and I loved the final season as much as the rest - even if there was ONE politically correct, New Age inspired and galactically stupid black spot, which made me howl with anger and disgust in the last 30 minutes of the last episode. But then, the VERY final punch line in the last seconds of the last episode made me immediately forget that bad moment... I recommend those series and this final season with my whole heart - I spend wonderful moments watching the new Battlestar Galactica and I think you will too.

How do I write a review without giving anything away? I don't think I can really, because I want to talk about how good the story arc becomes. Okay, I'll stick to general wording and leave out the spoilers... This closing chapter in the BSG story really is everything we've been waiting for. After the disappointment of the Humans and the Alliance Cylons to find a post-nuclear-apocalypse Earth last season you might wonder at how they can go on from there - where is there left to go to? As the series progresses you begin to see just how good a decision that was, for it paves the way for one of the best and certainly the most tense story arcs of all. Suffice to say that certain characters come into their element and it is just what you have been waiting for. Once that arc is finished, the series builds momentum, revelation after revelation, towards the finale - which is surely the best, most emotional and most poignant series finale I have ever seen. I had to see it twice, and I'm unashamed to say that I had to dry my eyes both times! You get some podcasts and deleted scenes in this 4 disc set, and a sneak peak at the prequel series Caprica (the pilot episode of which is out on DVD in America, so they missed an opportunity in not putting it in with the special features - it could have wetted people's appetites for the full series next year). The best thing is that looking back I can now see how everything that was unusual in the storyline (the final five, Starbuck's disappearance, Inner Six and Inner Baltar) make perfect sense within the story now that I can see the whole. I therefore give the entire series five stars out of five.

For anyone not sure, BSG has seasons 1 - 4 and then The Final Season. Season 1 has 4 disks and 14 episodes, 2 & 3 each have 6 disks with 20 episodes for each season, and Season 4 has 4 disks with 10 episodes, the BSG film Razor and some additional material. The Final Season has 4 disks with another 10 episodes plus some bonus material; it doesn't repeat any of what is in the season 4 set. Without giving any spoilers, I think it is safe to say that these 10 episodes do exactly what they should. Full of action, they bring the series to a fitting conclusion and tie up a lot of loose ends, not all of course and there are always a few unanswered questions and some suspension of disbelief required but this IS science fiction and damn good at that. The bonus material is also worth watching. The series could have ended on the dark conclusion of Series 4 but these final episodes are much more satisfying. If you've watched the rest definitely buy this set, it is well worth the modest cost.

If you have seen the first three seasons plus part one of four, you are going to be salivating to get your hands on the final few hours left in the series. What a ride. Will the cylons conquer all, will the humans find their way home. Is Starbuck dead or alive ? What will happen to the final 5 ? I felt really sad at having to say goodbye to these characters but I was also relieved to get some answers. They may not have all been the ones I would have chosen, but I enjoyed the journey there. As many reviewers have said before this is one of the most original and compelling sci-fi programmes to date. It was so believable and adult in the way it didn't shy aware and showing some of the worst facets of human nature without trying to justify it. I even loved the music. I really hope there is more to come from the team behind the programme.

I think that I enjoyed the final season the most of the whole series. Albeit short, the final series really packs in a lot of action. There is everything from mutiny,glimpses into the main characters past lives,before the apocalyptic war with the Cylons in Caprica, kidnapping...I do not want to give too much away. Questions that have popped up in the earlier parts of the series, like why the Cylons went to war, why one of the Cylon models, 'Brother Cabol' [John] hates humanity so much are answered conclusively. Also, important questions like the creation of robotic life in society, and how much responsibility we should assign them is addressed. Well, look how dependant we are on our PC's...Also, our evolution and place in the Universe are glimpsed into. Those who appreciate close up action and special effects will not be disappointed either. They did a brilliant job. I recommend this, the whole series for anyone.

I now own all five series of Battlestar Galactica on DVD. I have come to care deeply for nearly all of the main characters in the show, and will miss them a lot. I will continue to re-watch the series on DVD, probably many times, because for the most part it's so damn good. The standard of acting throughout this series has been phenomenal, with no exceptions. The production values were also top-notch, incredibly cinematic. Even the soundtrack and title music was excellent. The character-driven stories have been compelling, to say the least, with no 'easy-out' predictible plot resolutions for any of them. I cried many tears over the characters' painful moments, and had my heart in my mouth during many of their gripping scenes and storylines. I can truly say I did not forsee the way things would turn out for any of the characters, and was both surprised and satisfied with the way their personal stories were eventually resolved, for good or for ill. That being said ...I do have a huge problem with the sci-fi elements of the show. It started strongly and believably ...a civilisation much like our own brought down by its own technological creations. So far, so good. However, once "Earth" was mentioned as a potential new destination for humanity's remnants, the whole shebang began to fall apart. If this civilisation (called Caprica or The Twelve Colonies) wasn't ALREADY Earth, how come everybody came dressed in Earth-contemporary clothing, called each other names like Hot Dog, Laura, Bill, owned pussycats and dogs as pets, drove around in jeeps, etc? And what was with all that Greek god stuff and all the other hocus-pocus which unfolded during the show? All these cultural references and icons have evolved here on earth as we know it, and would doubtless be very different if they'd evolved elsewhere. It's very hard to swallow this basic piece of nonsense, isn't it? If Galactica's writers had focused on the human/machine theme, and had started the show firmly on a futuristic Earth, they could, essentially, have told exactly the same story, without leaving us to wonder where the heck the characters came from in the first place, why they all dress like us, live in the same kinds of houses we do, talk like us, eat noodles and sushi, etc. The unnecessary mental gymnastics I went through trying to figure out how/when this story actually would mesh with 'our' own Earth distracted badly from the impact of the story. In truth, I had begun to fear, by the end of Season 4, that "Earth," as told by Battlestar Galactica, was the biggest McGuffin in TV history. Much of the 'Final Five' cylon stuff was frankly ludicrous from the moment they were first 'revealed' and their increasingly hysterical babbling didn't ultimately add much to our understanding of the universe either. They made a good cliffhanger ending to Season 3, but that's about it. Okay, so the writers did offer an explanation--of sorts--for their existence, during Season 5, but I still don't quite buy it. The 'Final Five's' reasons for ending up in the fleet in the first place left far too much to explain away in an already disjointed tale. I won't spoil the ending for anyone who has not yet bought this final DVD or seen the series on TV. I do think the writers finished the show more neatly than I expected, considering the crazy Final-Five-Cylon plot, wads of incoherent philosophy and unnecessary religious nonsense they threw at us along the way. However, it pains me that Battlestar Galactica is NOT the perfect piece of science fiction which it could have been. I really can't tell myself ..."hey, this story might actually happen!" Nope. Too much doesn't hang together. Unfortunately, believing that events portrayed in a sci-fi story COULD actually happen is a cornerstone of the genre. The story has got to be believable to be sci-fi. Anything else is just fantasy or a fairy tale--however well-told it might be. It's a shame. I do LOVE Battlestar Galactica. I just don't BELIEVE it.

From first to last, the 'new' Battlestar Galactica is science fiction at its best. Visually, imaginatively and dramatically, it pushes boundaries and goes where the first BSG series did not, or dared not go. Don't get me wrong - I was a great fan of the 1978-1980 version. It was fun, and it was a great pity it didn't get finished. But it was more fantasy than true sci-fi and the characters were comic book heroes and heroines without any real depth. With BSG 2, the writers created characters that one could almost believe were real people with real problems and aspirations. The new 'Adama' is a compassionate man yet a tough rugged realist who takes no prisoners. 'Starbuck' and 'Boomer' are resurrected as women, the former a formidable and rebellious pilot and warrior, yet sensuous and appealing. The latter is now a Cylon, though she doesn't seem to know it at first. 'Baltar' is no longer the rather ridiculous and unbelievable traitor, but a brilliant but disturbed scientist. And James Callis is equally brilliant in the role. We know that a human civilisation 'elsewhere' is improbable and that there are no such things as Cylons, yet little in the plot and storyline is outrageous or totally beyond the bounds of scientific possibility. The series poses and answers questions about ourselves and the universe we live in. How would it be if Earth was destroyed by some catastrophe and the survivors numbered only 50,000 men, women and children? What would we, the survivors, do and how would we behave? What is life, and can an artificial intelligence be considered to be alive? Are there gods - or a God - and angels and if so what is their nature? In the story, the survivors of planet Caprica and its sister worlds flee the Cylon holocaust to find a new home. But when these galactic travellers eventually find 'Earth', it is not quite what they expect, neither first nor second time around. To say more would be a spoiler. Just watch the series; you will be entertained!

The final season of BSG is probably the best season of all in the complete series. Although, as with a few other serials post writer's-strike, it feels a little rushed towards the end - as if trying to get in every last needed detail with the restricted time they had left. Before we'd seen this, my friends and I had debated on how it would end and using the "This has all happened before and will happen again" stance; I'm pleased to say that my prediction was most accurate. However, without wanting to give too much away for those who haven't watched it yet, it's a well-balanced season with just the right mix of science-fiction intrigue and spiritual pondering - in the sense that, for the most part, all your questions will be answered but leaving just a little hint of intangible mystery. Excellent.

I was sent a version that can only be played in some other country .I tried it on 3 different dvd players as well as my computer and I get the same message that its the wrong region . I looked it up on the internet and sure enough my version is for europeon dvd players? honest mistake ? I say hell no ...

tres bon

Wo mich als Star Trek Fanatiker der Preis der NexGen Boxen immer etwas frustriert bin ich hier schon fast erschrocken, preiswerter muss nicht mehr sein. Inhaltlich fantastische Serie und mit Tricia Helfer & Co. sehr gut ausgestattet und optisch einwandfrei.

Une des meilleures Séries de science-fiction, très intelligente, esthétique, action mais aussi réflexion, et j'en ai vu et lu beaucoup 😄

J'ai déjà dit tout le bien que je pensais de cette série dans les pilote et les saisons 1 et 2. Mais la saison 4 est la fin de l'histoire et on peut maintenant commenter la série entière et pas juste une saison. Après une saison 3 qui passait pas mal de temps à examiner la psychologie des personnages, ce qui peut rebuter certains, la saison 4 arrive pour boucler l'histoire. Cette fois-ci, beaucoup moins de temps morts et on se concentre sur le scénario et l'aboutissement du voyage. Alors que les saisons 1 et 2 se concentraient sur les intrigues et le coté politique, ici, les révélations s'enchainent à une vitesse assez incroyable comparé aux épisodes précédents. Il est intéressant de savoir que cette saison a été marquée par la grève des scénaristes et que l'épisode 10 a bien failli être le dernier de la série. Pensez-y en le voyant, imaginez que ça aurait pu finir là, on aurait alors eu droit à une des séries les plus sombres de tout les temps. Au lieu de ça, la fin s'achève sur un optimisme un poil (mais seulement un poil) plus significatif. Et il y a l'épisode final, une vraie prise de risque scénaristique (rassurez-vous, je ne vais pas vous raconter la fin ici). Certains aimeront, d'autres pas, comme toujours. Néanmoins, l'épisode final reste marqué par une émotion forte qui fera verser leur petite larme à certains (James Olmos est décidément grandiose, qu'on lui donne un oscar de suite). Notons aussi que les moyens financiers étant plus important pour cette saison, les effets spéciaux sont plus présents et les scènes de bataille spatiale sont très belles, montez le son du home cinema : vous tenez enfin l'occasion de tester la qualité d'image et de son de votre système sans être obligé de lui donner à manger un DVD des pires bouses blockbusterifiées en circulation (non, pas de noms, vous les reconnaitrez tous seuls...). Et puisqu'on parle de son, signalons la musique.... Ah, la musique de Battlestar... c'est un véritable bonheur. Le talent de Bear Mc Creary est vraiment sans limite (je me suis d'ailleurs laissé dire qu'il allait faire la musique d'IRobot 2). Bref, je persiste à signaler mon amour pour cette série absolument magnifique qui, chez moi, a clairement défini un avant et un après. Les œuvres sont rares qui peuvent atteindre un tel niveau.