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So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
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Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on November 13 2007 17:14:44 |
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...kinda meh.
Don't get me wrong; it's far better than the worst episodes the series has produced, but it's also not nearly as good as the best episodes the series has produced.
The narrative shifts back and forth between two timeframes: 10 months prior, when the Pegasus narrowly escapes being destroyed along with the rest of the Colonies and the Fleet, and to the days just after Lee Adama takes command of the ship in Season 2. Lee's first mission is to find a missing Raptor that had gone out on a science mission and never returned.
But here's the problem - the present day search and rescue story is completely overwhelmed by the Pegasus flashbacks. The bulk of the episode is given over to watching Admiral Cain slowly grow harsher and harsher, turning herself and her crew into 'Razors'. But none of this is new information; every scene we see we've already heard tales of during the Pegasus arc in Season 2. So it's interesting to see, but it completely overwhelms the other storyline of the episode, which is more interesting, and robs it of its impact. And once you get to the climax of the story and see why we watched all those flashbacks... you realize that the same effect could have been had with fewer and shorter flashbacks without the expense of the present-day storyline.
All that said, "Razor" features some pretty badass action sequences. It's not poorly directed, and the acting is everything we'd expect from this cast. There aren't any standout musical cues from Bear McCreary this time, though.
So the problems with "Razor" are entirely structural. It's still entertaining, and there are some great moments, but overall, I was left a bit underwhelmed.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
Edited by Brikar on November 13 2007 17:47:40
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Rich
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Posts: 491
Joined: 30.05.06 |
| Posted on November 18 2007 18:05:07 |
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MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW
(You won't learn about any new events, just how they happened)
It kinda bothered me that Cain didn't kill Gina on the spot in the same blind rage as she did the XO, especially since there was something going on there. I always figured that Gina was captured somewhere else and Cain would have had time to think it through.
"The way to a girls bed is through her parents. Have sex with them and you're in."
-- Zapp Brannigan
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Tupperfan
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Posts: 636
Location: Montréal, Québec
Joined: 10.07.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 02:45:53 |
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Well, it made sense from a tactical point of view to keep Gina alive. Cain seemed to think everything from that perspective, as Admiral Adama points out how that "from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did".
I liked Razor and I loved the door the old Hybrid opened towards the end with that cryptic statement. I enjoyed seeing old centurions despite not actually being a fan of the original BSG and I didn't think, unlike some posters at Trekweb, that the Cylon saying "By Your Command" was that cheesy.
Altough I agree with Ben that the flashbacks weren't always necessary and might have overwhelmed the current story, they were still enjoyable to watch, mostly to put them into "reality" and to see how the characters involved actually reacted to those events.
Just for the fun of nitpicking, we can see Thrace's "wedding tattoo" on her left arm in the Basestar scene. And it was kinda fun to see Baltar not saying a word (I think we only see him in that scene were they learn about the Guardians...)
And it would have been completely useless, but I would have loved to see Billy around the President!
tupperfan.blogspot.com
Edited by Tupperfan on November 26 2007 21:45:47
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
SpiritOne
Member
Posts: 192
Location: Tyler TX
Joined: 18.07.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 04:46:27 |
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wedding tattoo? a ring?
anyways...
I actually kind of thought it was just ok. All this wait time to me feels like build up, and it just didn't wow me like I expected it to. I felt like it cheapened Bill Adama's part in the first war because the flashbacks make it seem like he is a rookie pilot at the end of the war.
It's nice to get to see the events that transpired to put the Pegasus in the position she was in, but some of it didn't feel right. Her ordering the attack knowing it was a trap for example. I expected more from her. We know she shoots her XO but I just expected more from her. Although from a guys perspective, I love the insinuation that Cain and Gina were sexually involved. It also explains why the torture of that particular Cylon is so violent. Cain wanted her to suffer.
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
Member
Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 06:00:27 |
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Ultimately, I feel like they either should have made a Pegasus movie, or they should have done the Galactica story. But doing both and cramming them into such a short run time was a disservice to both storylines. I wanted to watch the Galactica crew fighting the old-school Cylons more than I wanted to watch the Pegasus flashbacks. It's nice to see and fun to watch, but, to borrow something from Jer, very "vanilla". And since whatsherface ends up dead in the end anyway and no one learns what she learns, I'm not really sure I can sign on to the importance of all this.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Tupperfan
Administrator
Posts: 636
Location: Montréal, Québec
Joined: 10.07.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 11:10:41 |
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I think the revelation was aimed at the audience...
tupperfan.blogspot.com
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
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Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 18:08:41 |
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It was.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Tupperfan
Administrator
Posts: 636
Location: Montréal, Québec
Joined: 10.07.06 |
| Posted on November 26 2007 21:44:16 |
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Yeah...I was being polite by saying "I think".
Oh, interesting thing I've just noticed, during the ceremony where Lee's taking command of Pegasus, a lot of officers don't even have their duty shirts buttoned up, while Hoshi is wearing his dress grays. Seems to show which ones already respect the new commanding officer...
tupperfan.blogspot.com
Edited by Tupperfan on November 26 2007 22:54:31
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Jeremy
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Posts: 1550
Location: Illinois
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| Posted on December 05 2007 04:31:07 |
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Got my DVD in the mail yesterday.
Great stuff. 
The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my
skin. But as the embers of the summer lost their breath
and disappeared, my heart went cold, and only hollow
rhythms resounded from within.
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
Member
Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on December 05 2007 05:09:48 |
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The DVD is certainly an improvement over the broadcast version; more action, more gore and swearing make it more entertaining to watch... but ultimately my problems with "Razor" remain. I hear Moore's commentary is excellent and he talks at length about how much "Razor" changed over the course of its production, so I'm interested in listening to that.
Best Buy's version is 2 discs with more special features, but I don't know how worthy they are.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Jeremy
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Posts: 1550
Location: Illinois
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| Posted on December 05 2007 05:21:29 |
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Didn't see the broadcast version. But the the notion of the DVD version being better than the one shown on TV is what I pretty much figured.
And, yeah, Moore's commentary is brilliant.
The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my
skin. But as the embers of the summer lost their breath
and disappeared, my heart went cold, and only hollow
rhythms resounded from within.
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
Member
Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on December 05 2007 05:38:27 |
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The broadcast version has a bunch of differences - Baltar doesn't speak with the imaginary Six, Shaw's introduction is aboard the raptor, not planetside, the young Adama flashback is ONLY the scene where he's inside the Cylon lab, omitting the entire space battle beforehand. The hybrid has less dialogue at the end; there are no young Cain flashbacks, etc. The DVD is something like 13 or 14 minutes longer, which is quite a bit of material.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Jeremy
Administrator
Posts: 1550
Location: Illinois
Joined: 26.05.06 |
| Posted on December 05 2007 05:47:30 |
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Interesting.
The broadcast version is on the disc too. I'll have to watch it, I guess.
The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on my
skin. But as the embers of the summer lost their breath
and disappeared, my heart went cold, and only hollow
rhythms resounded from within.
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Tupperfan
Administrator
Posts: 636
Location: Montréal, Québec
Joined: 10.07.06 |
| Posted on December 05 2007 06:41:17 |
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I need to see the "non-broadcast" version!
An I need to hear Moore's commentaries...there's way too many questions I have regarding Razor!
tupperfan.blogspot.com
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RE: So, "Razor" was... |
Brikar
Member
Posts: 745
Joined: 01.06.06 |
| Posted on December 06 2007 06:08:05 |
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The cut flashbacks for young Adama and Cain are obviously rather expensive sequences, featuring lots of CG effects... I think that makes it rather obvious that "Razor" was meant to be a DVD feature and not a TV broadcast, even though the broadcast came first. I wish the DVD version had been shown in theatres when I went last month; my initial impressions would have been higher.
Adama also calls a Cylon "cocksucker", which made me laugh.
"The proliferation of Christianity from an Asian point of view: it was huge, cuz they're so short."
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