Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition) | 
 enlarge | Actor: Edward James Olmos
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  220 reviews
Sales Rank: 1693
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 101
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: MCAD61101855D
UPC: 025195015059
EAN: 0025195015059
Theatrical Release Date: November 24, 2007
Release Date: December 4, 2007
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/26/2008
Amazon.com
Battlestar Galactica: Razor was an oasis for BSG fans--when the double-length episode aired in November 2007, it was the only new material broadcast during the 12-month gap between seasons 3 and 4. But although it sets up some events in season 4, chronologically Razor is a prequel taking place within season 2, when Galactica had unexpectedly met up with a fellow Battlestar, Pegasus. The central character is new, Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who becomes the XO after Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) takes command of the Pegasus. Shaw's promotion is controversial among Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and others because Shaw learned the trade under the previous commander of the Pegasus, Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes), who lived by her own wartime rules. The central conflict in Razor involves the Pegasus trying to rescue a Raptor crew from the Cylons. During the mission Shaw flashes back to 10 months earlier, and her experiences in the immediate aftermath of the Cylons' wipeout of Caprica influence how she handles this mission and its implications of a new Cylon-human hybrid. Razor is a riveting adventure, full of the top writing, great acting, and dark end-of-humanity vision that makes Battlestar Galactica the best show on television (that is, when it's actually on). Fans will also enjoy the appearance of old-school Cylons, and the revelation that Gaius is not the only one who fell for the wiles of Number 6 (Tricia Helfer).
The unrated and extended DVD runs 103 minutes, about 16 minutes longer than the Sci-Fi Channel broadcast. There's a brief bit of extra gore from Admiral Cain, and young William "Husker" Adama's (Nico Cortez, nicely channeling Edward James Olmos) mission in the last days of the first Cylon war is now 10 minutes instead of 5, including a spectacular aerial battle. In another new sequence, at the moment when Cain tells Shaw "Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on," there's a flashback to Cain's experiences in the first Cylon war. Among the bonus features is the complete 19-minute minisode version of Husker's Cylon encounter (previously viewable on Sci-Fi Channel's website) and two deleted scenes. Featurettes include "The Look of Battlestar Galactica" and "My Favorite Episode So Far" ("33" gets a lot of mentions from the cast and crew), and there are a trailer and 2.5-minute "sneak peek" at season 4 (mostly interviewing people who don't know what's going to happen, though Tricia Helfer mentions a new version of herself). In a commentary track for the extended edition, executive producer Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor discuss how the episode came together (they refer to Razor as episodes as 1-2 of season 4) amid some serious restructuring and bits of trivia, such as how they cast Stephanie Jacobsen in the pivotal role even though she had never watched the show. --David Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews: Read 215 more reviews...
 Surprise twist at the end, minisodes, season 4 preview, all in the format we love. November 21, 2007
43 out of 46 found this review helpful
First: Razor.
Razor itself is an episode that serves both as a prequel of what happened to the Pegasus from the attack on the shipyards to her meeting with Galactica through the viewpoint of a new character, Kendra Shaw (and a recap of everything leading up to Lee's command), as well as back story from the first Cylon War told through the viewpoint of a young Bill "Husker" Adama. All of these events serve to foreshadow a surprising revelation at the end that should tie in the cliffhanger of Season 3 with the beginning of Season 4. All of the story lines going on at once work surprisingly well together, though I found myself wincing that none of this had been referenced in the main series for the most part.
Was it worth watching? Oh yes. If nothing else this will tide you over as well as make you anticipate Season 4 even more. I was worried I'd be 'out of it' with such a long delay, but the twist at the end of this DVD makes you wonder what is really going on as Season 4 starts.
Second: The Extras.
Some of these I felt like I had seen, or at least experienced through Moore's podcasts. They basically dealt with the special effects of Battlestar Galactica, with discussions on where they got the look, the camera work, and other things anyone familiar with the series has probably heard by now.
The Webisodes/Minisodes deal specifically with young Bill "Husker" Adama and fill in more of what happened during to and prior to his place in Razor. This was enjoyable, though short, and showed the final battle of the first Cylon War, and the genesis of his dislike for the toasters.
The Deleted Scenes make for a very good backstory of Bill and Lee, and show when Lee first transferred into flight school, and his crossing paths with Kendra albeit briefly.
In all, if you have $20.00 to spare, this entry into the Battlestar series is worth it, though I hesitate to spoil anything about it beyond a general synopsis of the content. I was unsure what they were going for prior to watching, but I have to say that it fills in a lot of the gaps in the story, and ties quite a few things together. No small feat.
I Cain Dig It November 13, 2007
34 out of 39 found this review helpful
Razor is the type of experience that will remind you why you fell in love with newer iteration of the BSG universe. Superb acting, poignant cut scenes, mostly-seamless special effects, and haunting prophecies. Admiral Cain is completely believable as a hardened and somewhat reckless admiral. And believe it or not, her questionable decisions are adequately rationalized, though still not agreeable.
My only complaints about Razor was the look of the old cylons. I know they're from the original show, but they seemed a bit too shiny in this film - sort of like plastic action figures. Also, the brief scenes with a young Commander Adama were lacking. If you had no problem with this in the webisodes, you'll probably be fine when watching this film.
Great experience, and definitely better plot-wise and CGI-wise that many of the made-for-theater movies I've seen this year.
Another good episode November 3, 2007
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
OK. I've actually seen it. It's an hour and a half long episode that jumps between "present" days and 10 months ago, when the Pegasus was still docked and retrofit.
***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
Razor tells the story of what happened on the Pegasus right when the Cylons attacked. It has several sub-stories, one of them is the one that you've started seeing in the online flashback episodes. Another sub-story is that of Lee Adama's first XO on the Pegasus, and her relationship with Admiral Cain. Both are tough cookies. You'll learn about the brutality of Cain even more than what you've already seen. You'll also see how Gina,a number 6 cloned Cylon that was on the Pegasus in season 3, was captured. A lot of the actors from both ships are back again to reprise their role. There's some usage of the old Cylon models which I really liked, and their ships too. Finally, you'll get to see where "modern-day" Cylons got the real humans to model their clones after.
All About the Mission May 11, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This discussion is based on the extended version in the DVD and not the broadcast version.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
I just watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor (the movie-length extra that chronologically fits between Series 3 and Series 4 of one of the best TV dramas of recent memory) a couple of nights ago. Wow. This was certainly one of the most intense peices of TV I've ever watched in my life.
The stellar performances of Michelle Forbes as Admiral Helena Cain and Stephanie Jacobsen as Major Kendra Shaw just have to be seen to be believed. Forbes brings charisma and a riveting coercion to her role while Jacobsen is utterly absorbing. One of the interesting aspects of both these characters is the way in which they are played so internally. You feel more than see a lot of the tensions that each woman experiences and this is a very hard act to pull off. The kind of micro-expressiveness you have to use in body language as well as facial expression only comes from being able to mentally inhabit the world of the character you are creating.
"Razor" kind of works as a standalone episode but is much more effective if you have seen Seasons 2 AND 3. It is structured in a much more intelligent way than most TV episodes, and in some ways is more like "Memento" or "Mulholland Drive" in it's use of flashbacks and multiple points of view.
Much has been made of the way in which the movie brings alive the back story to Admiral Cain, and the way in which the main protagonist, Major Shaw evolves through her relationship both actual and inspirational with Cain to become the Razor of the title: an instrument with neither feelings nor volition other than the will to carry out the mission.
The obvious subtext to the whole Pegasus/Cain story arc is the notion of Military Necessity and what it means. Helena Cain believes so thoroughly in the pre-eminence of her goals that she will sacrifice anything and anyone in order to follow her purpose through to the end. She articulates layers of "truth" with one explanation for the crew, and one for her command staff and finally the need for revenge that blinds her to everything else in its path (her escalation of the raid on the "relay station", her execution of her only real friend among the crew, her deliberate handing over of her lover to the interrogator).
Of course Cain's anger and venom towards Gina is amplified, not only by the notion that Gina was a Cylon agent, but that she (Cain) was also literally sleeping with the enemy: a double or triple betrayal given Cain's own personal history with the Cylons.
In fact, betrayal and conflict in many different forms lurks throughout the whole episode. The actual gunfights with the Cylons are easy by comparison with everything else and this I think is another reason why BSG as a whole is such a rich literary milieu.
It is of course, as the series from the very beginning has been, an extended exploration of the ethical and humanist consequences of the so-called war on terror and the military occupation of Iraq. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who watches those who watch?) in the words of Juvenal. Invoking Military Necessity, Cain shoots her XO through the head on the bridge of her own ship. Invoking Military Necessity she has her crew cannibalize, massacre and abandon civilian ships and their passengers and crew. Invoking Military Necessity she grinds her officers down until they become what she imagines herself to be: efficient tools in the prosecution of military objectives.
Kendra Shaw stands here for the modern junior career military officer (and by extension, the eyes of the viewer): intelligent, ambitious, a bit cynical, yet anxious to show her superiors she has what it takes. A product of wealth, she nonetheless believes in the military, and when her home is destroyed she makes the military her home and military people her emotional and professional center. Cain looms large on Kendra's horizon as the charismatic and successful mentor many of us have orbited hopefully in the beginning stages of our professional lives. Cain strives for achievement and uses a Prussian style of discipline to run her outfit. She lets her personal side show only in brief unguarded moments, and for the rest, she is all about the mission. But what are her default parameters? In the end, Cain has nothing to hold her in the world of human relations. She has duty, purpose and determination, but the center is filled with nothing but homicidal rage.
Can there be a more stunning indictment in modern popular culture of the dangers of excessive commitment to "the mission"? This dilemma lies at the heart of any military engaged in an occupation. Or indeed in anyone whose career significantly involves the prosecution of the interests of one's leaders. Modern military training has emphasized the notion that military personnel cannot indulge in the luxury of second-guessing the civilian leadership. "If they say go, we go". And while this is a good idea in theory, like all theoretical positions, it is capable of cynical manipulation especially by those in ultimate command.
Cain did what she did because she believed it was the best way to achieve her goals and for the survival of her crew (as long as they did what she told them to). Too often, we confuse a concern for the mission with a concern for the soldiers who carry it out. If you show caring for people in order to carry out the mission, do you care about them or are you more concerned with being able to continue to succeed militarily? The same quandary flitted across the mind of Henry V on the eve of Agincourt, and must inevitably haunt the minds of any leader of conscience. What and who do you sacrifice in order to carry out your goals?
In a way, Cain's decision to hand Gina over to the interrogators was the last act in her slide away from humanity. For not only was she encouraging torture (even of a "thing"), she was aiding and abetting the destruction of her own desire for love and companionship. As Adama argues at the end of the episode, it was the notion that he would be accountable to his own people that kept Adama from going down the same path as Admiral Cain. This sense that we are part of something for which we have a moral responsibility is what separates tools from people whether they be human or machine, us or them, "Americans" or "terrorists". Without that sense, we become slaves to the mission and in the process, as RDM and the cast and crew of "Razor" show us so brilliantly, we lose what it is that makes us people in the first place.
Excellent, excellent! November 27, 2007
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
I'm so glad that loyal "Battlestar Galactica" viewers like myself were able to get our BSG fix before the holidays! It's been a long time since the Season 3 cliffhanger left us all with our jaws on the floor, and even though the new season won't begin until March 2008, "Razor" gives us a lot to look forward to.
This extended episode/movie is not a continuation of the last season. Instead, it offers a glimpse of events that occurred off-camera several seasons ago, back when Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) was in charge of the Pegasus following the initial cylon attack, and also when Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) took over as commander of the ship many months later. There are two stories that interweave simultaneously and focus on Cain's motivations, as well as her interactions with young officer Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who eventually becomes Lee's XO. Although Cain has generally been perceived by viewers as a ruthless you-know-what, "Razor" forces us to put ourselves in her shoes and think about how we would have acted if we'd been placed in similar situations.
There are some great moments in this movie, including an interesting revelation about Cain's personal life, a shocking appearance by the original cylons (I'm talking about the ones from the crappy 1970's series), and a cryptic message regarding Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) that never gets passed along, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways and is guaranteed to leave fans clamoring for Season 4 to begin.
"Razor" is yet another great chapter in the BSG saga. Watching it made me want to go back and watch every single "Battlestar Galactica" episode over again before the new season starts, just to guarantee that I get the most out of my BSG experience.
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