Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome - Blu-ray

Movie: They were actually created to be companions and servants to humans. But now the Cylons have become the greatest danger to humanity. For ten years, the war against the Cylons has been raging, claiming many victims again and again. For the young pilot William Adama (Luke Pasqualino) from Caprica it is a matter of course to join this fight. On the simulator, he's already one of the best of the bunch. But will he be able to hold his own in a real fight? His new commander doubts it, which is why he only uses Adama for messenger flights. Even the first assignment sounds unexciting. But suddenly Adama and his small crew find themselves in the midst of bloody war, and the young pilot must show what he's made of - and will leave a lasting mark on the course of history.

With Battlestar Galactica, the remake of the 1970s cult series Battlestar Galactica, Ronald D. Moore has created a modern classic of the science fiction genre. After the series ended in 2009, there were attempts to follow up the success with a prequel (Caprica) and TV movies, which didn't quite succeed. Nevertheless, another prequel series was developed with Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, which would put young Adama at the center of the story. However, after the pilot was produced, plans to continue it as a series were put on hold. The filmed material was first released as a multi-part web series, before it was edited together with revised effects to a full-length feature film due to pressure from fans, which is now finally available in Germany.

To put it bluntly: this prequel can neither dramaturgically nor visually keep up with the quality of Battlestar Galactica. It was shot almost entirely in front of a green screen, which gives the film a very artificial and in places cheap look. Furthermore, the script isn't exactly free of clichés and stereotypes. Now that may sound arguably damning. But even though there are clear weaknesses and justifiable criticisms of this prequel, and it doesn't come close to matching the class of the series from which it sprang, Blood & Chrome offers overall solid sci-fi entertainment, some good effects, and nice references to the series, so fans will definitely get their money's worth here.

Even in the first few minutes and the final act, there's enough action to console over isolated weaknesses in the script. And in some scenes the makers around director Jonas Pate (Caprica) actually manage to create a real Battlestar Galactica feeling. And then, as a fan, you're just happy to be able to dive into this universe again, so that you're happy to overlook the fact that this prequel isn't really perfect. Therefore, if you lower your expectations a bit and don't despair that this pilot isn't followed by a series where the characters and stories could have been fleshed out and deepened a bit better, you'll be well entertained overall with this SiFi adventure. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Since the film was shot entirely in front of green screen, the digitally inserted environment feels very artificial at times. To counteract this, many so-called lens flare effects were used. They can conceal the digital effects a little bit, but at the same time they make the picture look a little bit washed out. The color scheme is a bit undercooled, which fits the atmosphere of the prequel. The sound is in a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, which has some powerful surround moments to offer, especially during the fight sequences. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, there are a few cut scenes, but they are in unfinished form. Here you see the actors mostly acting in front of green backgrounds, the digital environments and effects are not inserted at all, or only provisionally (approx. 29 min.). There is also a making of the special effects (approx. 23 min.), which shows in a little more detail how the digital backgrounds were inserted into the film.

Conclusion: Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is a decent prequel to the cult series that never reaches the quality of Battlestar Galactica, but overall provides enough good entertainment to satisfy fans. The Blu-ray is presented in decent picture and sound quality and offers a few extras that are at least worth watching once. Overall, all this is enough for a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp