Caprica is much better than I expected – CliqueClack Preview

Since Battlestar Galactica ended, many fans have wondered what to look forward to next. Most of us have known about the upcoming prequel series, Caprica, for some time now (guest clacker Ivey West did a pilot script review for us in January, in fact.) However, the previews for the pilot movie — which is available for purchase in stores and online tomorrow — have left a lot of us underexcited, to say the least. Described as “television’s first science fiction family saga,” it appeared as quite a departure from the deep themes and amazing action sequences of Galactica. In short, it really didn’t appear as something that would interest me, even if it had something to do with a series I loved.

I got an early copy of the direct-to-DVD Caprica “movie” last week, which is essentially the pilot episode, or at least whatever they deem the first 90 minutes of the series to be when it premieres next year. Unlike with any BSG DVDs I got ahead of time in the past, I actually sat on watching this one for a couple of days — that should give you some indication of my lack of excitement for the show at that point. However, now that I’ve actually watched it, I can say I was pleasantly surprised.

I won’t get into the plot too much, because it’s likely you’ve read enough about it already. In short, Caprica takes place on the colony of Caprica — the one from the Battlestar Galactica series — only 58 years prior, when young Bill Adama was only 12 years old. We see the emergence of the first Cylons, the ones even before the skinjobs, and what led to their creation. However, this show is about much more than that.

The main theme of Caprica is about moral choices, in particular the choice to leave dead loved ones alone and keep them alive only in memory, or bring them back at any cost. We see the dilemma faced by Daniel Greystone, the scientist behind the creation of the Cylons, and Joeseph Adama, a man Greystone looks to for emotional support and, eventually, unconventional help with Cylon development. We also start to see the repercussions of their choices, including those they try to bring back.

Though the series takes place on a completely fictional planet, in a time that’s many thousands of years in our Earth’s past, I found the technology involved refreshingly believeable. Much of the pilot movie involves the use of holo-bands that Daniel Greystone developed, which behave a lot like the virtual worlds people were placed into in the Matrix movies. Strap the headband on and you’re transported into a different, programmed world, one that we quickly find can be hacked and altered to include some pretty freaky shit.

Other bits of technology that were “believable”: computer interfaces on paper; “Surge,” the Rosie-esque butler; how incomplete virtual worlds are portrayed, consisting of black voids when no environment had been created, and how one needs to become accustomed to learn to walk and talk in this “world” when, in reality, they’re just sitting in a chair.

Zoe Greystone, Daniel’s only child, we quickly find has quite a knack for hacking the holo-bands. In particular, she’s able to create a virtual representation of herself, down to every memory, emotion and feeling that she experiences in the outside world. It’s this virtual representation of Zoe that sets in motion Daniel’s newfound inspiration for advancing the Cybernetic Lifeform Node project, which we all know better as Cylon. It’s actually presented in a much cooler way than I and the trailers make this sound.

There is, of course, the underlying theme of the “one true God” in all of this, which is also something that directly sets events in motion that lead to the Cylon development. It’s clear that, while the movie didn’t cover this as extensively as I thought it would (which, I dare say, is a good thing), we’ll be seeing a whole lot of it throughout the course of the series.

Something that surprised me is that this movie is rated R, mostly for the rather graphic nude and sex scenes in parts (though they’re only extras, if that matters to you). Obviously these scenes will be completely cut out or replaced once it hits network TV, but this must mark the first time a rated R movie was released that involved nude sex scenes but not one utterance of banned profanity. How frakking weird is that?

The 90-minute Caprica pilot movie releases tomorrow for around $18, and is available as both a digital download and on DVD. I can’t speak for what you get with the digital download, but the DVD includes the movie, some behind-the-scenes “video blog” featurettes, episode commentary (which I still need to listen to), a few deleted scenes and … an episode of Ghost Hunters … ? Yeah, I have no idea what that’s all about. Nice try Syfy.

If the Caprica trailers and the thought of this show being nothing about Battlestar Galactica’s awesomeness make you turn your nose away, you really need to see it for yourself first. This truly feels like something completely different, and done really well. It feels more like the beginnings of Terminator’s Skynet than what we saw as the beginnings of Battlestar Galactica Cylons, actually. The performances are great, the effects are top notch, Bear McCreary’s music is a warm blanket to wrap it all up in. Do I need to say more?

The only real down side I’ll give this movie is that it ends with a very blatant cliffhanger, one that we now have to wait nearly a year to see it progress. Making us pay nearly $20 for that privilege seems pretty cruel. Go try to pick it up for free by entering our giveaway instead.

Clacked by Keith McDuffee
on Apr 20, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT