The Plan is not going to convert anyone. If you weren't a BSG fan before it, you sure as hell won't be after it. And anyone that is looking to maybe get into the show should not start with the this either. The Plan is for us. The fans of the greatest Sci Fi show of all time..bar none. Bold statement? Perhaps, but I'm far from the only one who feels that way. Battlestar Galactica ran for 4 seasons and garnered huge praise from fans and critics alike..that is, until that season 4 finale. Many fans felt cheated by it..infuriated even. It failed to answer many questions and even raised a few more while it was at it. Personally I liked it..it could have been better but I get what they were trying to do, unfortunately it didn't really work out.
The Plan basically tells the story of the Cylon attacks on the human home worlds(as seen in the series pilot and first episodes) from the Cylon's perspective. More specifically, from the perspective of a Brother Cavill model(Dean Stockwell) who orchestrates the attacks and pulls the strings of his Cylon brothers and sisters to ensure the last remnants of the human race are wiped out afterwards. But he doesn't count on a growing sense of empathy and even love for the humans among some of the other Cylons. In particular, Boomer(Grace Park), who we see being manipulated by Cavill around the same times we had previously seen her unable to recall certain events in the series. As this is happening, we see how Samuel Anders(Michael Trucco)fairs against the Cylons back on Caprica with his team of C-Bucks. Of course, we know that Anders is also a Cylon! Another Brother Cavill infiltrates this group and begins to study Anders for any signs of a true Cylon nature. When he finds only heroism and love for his comrades he begins to understand something about his "father" and indeed the rest of the final 5, and even starts to question whether the attacks on humanity should have ever happened. Throughout this we also see snippets of the BSG crew..mainly intercut with moments from the pilot. We see why the Shelly Godfrey 6(Tricia Hefler) attempted to discredit and expose Dr Baltar(James Callis). We find out why Leoben(Callum Keith Rennie) develops a strange obsession with Starbuck(Katee Sackhoff). Basically, we find out exactly how and why some of the Cylons began to believe what they were doing was wrong.
Some have claimed this movie is pointless because we already know what happened . We know the Cylons had a change of heart and we know how it played out. Thats true, there is nothing new here plot wise. Its just a character study..but what a character study! The performances are typically excellent, especially from Dean Stockwell and Michael Trucco. The script is great, with some much needed humor in there too. There is not that much action though. In fact, most of the action beats come from moments we have already seen on the show, replayed here. But there are still some very shocking moments and high tension.
My biggest problem with it was that we don't get any references or allusions to that series finale. I expected to maybe discover a bit more about the phantom Six and Baltar that seem to represent "God" and are so prevalent in the last few episodes.
Anyway, like I said, anyone that thinks BSG is too ponderous or "talky", and thinks they skimp on the "splosions" will only have more ammo after this! Its not a thrill ride adventure roller coaster of fun! What it is is an expertly crafted, thought provoking, sometimes even frightening addition to an equally excellent Tv Show.
Oh yeah, and we get to see boobs and sex and Tricia Hefler half naked too:)
4/5 Stars
