jason-2281 Reviews

Caprica (2009–2010)

Caprica Review!

[10/10 · 12 May 2009]

I'm a huge fan of the new version of "Battlestar Galactica!" That show is one of the best TV shows I have ever seen. The story arc continued throughout the entire series and the ending of the show made complete sense, answered the questions I had, and left you with some mysteries of their past and future that made you hope for more. When I heard that a new show from the creators of Battlestar was coming out and would be set in this same incredible world, I knew I had to see it ASAP. They have released the extended pilot episode of "Caprica" on DVD this past week, however the show is not set to begin airing until the fall of 2009 or possibly the beginning of 2010. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this show, but what I saw on this disc was amazing! Caprica is set about 50 years before the events of Battlestar and takes place on the planet Caprica that has yet to meet or fear the Cylons. They live in a world much like ours only with more advanced technology and with eleven other sister planets and colonies in their galaxy. We get to meet Joseph Adama, the father of Admiral William Adama from the first show and we also meet William as a young boy before he ever fights against the Cylons or tries to save humanity when their planets are destroyed. We are also introduced to the Graystone family. The father, Daniel, seems to be a genius who is the owner of a technology company that is at the forefront of robotics and artificial intelligence. It seems that his love of all things computerized has been passed down to his daughter, Zoe. All indications point to the fact that this family contributes to the development of the Cylons and the birth of their resurrection technology. I felt that the origin story for this new series did a great job of tying together familiar names, people and history of the Capricans before there is ever a Cylon threat. It also opens the door to how the Cylons came to be and I'm certain that we will learn more of their development in the new show. The premise of the one god, told at length in Battlestar, is also explored further here and shows that many people followed this belief and religion before the Cylons came into the picture. I am eager to find out where the creators will take this story and how much of this history they will tell. Will they show the Cylon revolt that led to the first Cylon war? Will they explore how the 12 models were created? Are their other Cylons on the planet that we didn't know before or will we see familiar faces pop up throughout the series? I'm not certain how many new fans this series will generate. I would highly recommend you watch the entire series of Battlestar Galactica before venturing on to Caprica. Never the less, this story was very interesting, highly entertaining, thought provoking, well made, and would make a great place to start the Cylon saga. I can't frakkin wait to see where they go from here!

J.Chandler - http://comicbookculture.net

Star Trek (2009)

Review from comicbookculture.net

[8/10 · 2 May 2009]

Star Trek. When someone speaks this name, various images, ideas, characters and phrases come to mind. I know they certainly do with me. Characters such as Kirk, Spock, Picard, Data, Janeway, Seven of Nine; ideas like the prime directive; phrases like "Live long and Prosper", "Good God Jim, I'm a doctor not a….". I wouldn't consider myself a "Trekkie", but I do have a deep affection for this series and world.

To my great delight, I was fortunate enough to see an advanced screening last night of JJ Abrams re-imaging of "Star Trek". I must admit that I was skeptical at first about taking such iconic characters and recasting them, even in younger iterations, because most people think of the characters of Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov with the actors that originally portrayed them. These portrayals are engrained in the pop culture consciousness of the world and hence my skepticism arose. Fortunately, my doubts were unnecessary.

This is not your father's "Star Trek". From the moment the movie begins, so does the action and it never lets up. However, this movie has more than just incredible and intense action, it also pays homage to the series of old. Sure, they wanted to bring us a Trek for the 21st century, but they also realized that they needed to respect the source material and fans of a series that has been around more than 40 years. However, you don't need to know much about Star Trek to enjoy this movie. Each character has been given a background and history that lets you know a little something about each one. There's a lot to be told in an origin movie and it is handled deftly by both the writers and the director.

But, what really made the movies for me were the actors chosen to play these roles, especially Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, aka "Bones". This movie would not have worked if the casting of these three characters had not been spot on. Both Mr. Quinto and Urban uncannily channel their predecessors, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. They took on some of their inflections, mannerisms and expressions to really give you a sense that they are just younger versions of the originals. Chris Pine, however, takes on the most memorable role in Trek history and makes it his own. This Kirk is not only the womanizer, lover, and captain that you already know, but as portrayed by Mr. Pine also has a swagger, bravado, intelligence, and is a complete adrenaline junkie. We could not have asked for a better Kirk in this movie.

They have laid a solid foundation for a new series, with new life, perfect cast and a director with a true vision. If the first movie can be this good, my expectations for further adventures have risen exponentially.

This is my first review for our website and as such might not be very good since I have no experience at writing reviews. I intentionally didn't reveal any plot points so as to not spoil anything for whoever may read this. I may in the future reveal areas that may have spoilers but mark these sections so you can skip over them. I'll be seeing Wolverine tomorrow and hope to have a review up by tomorrow night. Until we meet again, "Live long and Prosper!"