Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Steve Bacic as Colonel Jurgen Belzen
Jamie Bamber as Captain Lee ‘Apollo’ Adama
Graham Beckel as Colonel Jack Fisk
Matthew Bennett as Aaron Doral
Chandra Berg as Little Lucy Cain
Jacob Blair as Squad Leader Banzai
Chris Bradford as Ops Officer
Peter Bryant as Frank Bruno
James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar
Fulvio Cecere as Lieutenant Alastair Thorne
Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen as Kendra Shaw
Nico Cortez as Young Adama
Aaron Douglas as Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol
Brad Dryborough as Hoshi
Andrew Dunbar as Marine DaSilva
Peter Flemming as Helena’s Father
Michelle Forbes as Admiral Helena Cain
Vincent Gale as Peter Laird
Tricia Helfer as Number Six / Gina
Michael Hogan as Colonel Saul Tigh
Alessandro Juliani as Lt. Felix Gaeta
Campbell Lane as Hybrid
Kandyse McClure as Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla
Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin
Edward James Olmos as Admiral William Adama
Shaker Paleja as Hudson
Grace Park as Lt. Sharon ‘Boomer’ Valerii
Eileen Pedde as Sgt. Mathias
Joey Pierce as Marine Riggs
Katee Sackhoff as Captain Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace
Stefanie von Pfetten as Showboat
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
The Look of “Battlestar Galactica”
My Favorite Episode So Far
Season 4 Sneak Peek
Season 4 Trailer
Minisodes (x7)
Commentary to the Unrated Extended Version with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official product description:
“Explosive, Unrated Extended Edition with exclusive footage and more action!
On the eve of a devastating Cylon attack, officer Kendra Shaw reports for duty on the battlestar Pegasus. When mankind’s future is forever changed on that fateful day, Kendra is reshaped into a “razor”a tool of warunder the ruthless guidance of her commander, Admiral Cain. Battlestar Galactica: Razor tells the untold story of Pegasus and provides chilling clues to the fate of humanity as the final chapters of the Battlestar Galactica story unfold.
The ‘Battlestar Galactica – Razor’ (Unrated Extended Edition) DVD contains an extended version of the explosive two-hour broadcast event that includes all-new characters and more action and visual effects than any previous episode in the popular series, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with the series’ creators. As an indispensable backdrop to events that take place in the Fourth Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ the DVD is a must-own for fans of the series.”
The Movie:
“Razor” was designed to tide BSG fans over till the new season begins. While it’s small consolation, it ends up being one of the more memorable “Battlestar Galactica” shows in the series.
“Razor” covers three stories. It shows Lee Adama in the present taking command of the Pegasus and leading it on its first mission against the Cylons. It also flashes back and shows Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen as Kendra Shaw just after the Cylon attack. We follow her as she gets acquainted with the Pesasus and its crew. Finally, we’re treated to another flashback where a young Admiral William Adama is seen in an early battle with the Cylons during the first war.
Out of the various subplots, my favorite was the one with young Adama. I suppose this is because I enjoyed seeing so much action and the retro Cylon Warriors and Raiders. We’re treated to a cool dogfight between Adam and the Cylon, then a freefall gunfight between the two. It ends up being one of the cooler action scenes of the series.
My next favorite was the scenes with Kendra. They make her an interesting character in very short order. While I thought a bit of the drama involving her and a civilian ship was forced, everything else about her was intriguing. But since she isn’t seen in the regular series, it’s not too hard to figure out her fate in ‘Razor.’
This unrated DVD features 20 minutes of extra scenes that weren’t in the version shown on TV. Most of the scenes seem to be those showing the background of Admiral Cain. We see her, as a child, being attacked in the first Cylon war. We also see her sister being kidnapped by the Cylons just as the cease fire is called. I’m surprised the scenes were cut because they featured a lot of cool action with the original Cylon warriors. They also make her character a little more sympathetic. In any case, if you just saw the version on TV, you’ll still want to see this.
The Extras:
Here’s what you’ll find among the bonus features:
Deleted Scenes – There are two deleted scenes. The first shows Lee Adama shortly before he’s about to ship out before the Cylon attack. (Kendra is seen in the background also waiting departure.) The second deleted scene shows Lee and Starbuck analyzing an attack run they made on a ship.
– The Look of “Battlestar Galactica” – This featurette discusses the look of BSG from the camerawork to the sets and more.
– My Favorite Episode So Far – Each of the cast and crew talk about their favorite episodes and why they liked them so much.
– Season 4 Sneak Peek – Unfortunately, there’s very little here. It’s mostly clips from Season 3 and “Razor.”
– Season 4 Trailer – Again, not much here.
– Minisodes (x7) – There is 20 minutes of minisodes included on the DVD. The vast majority of them are from the young Adama sequence in “Razor.”
Rounding out the bonus features is a commentary to the Unrated Extended Version with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor.
The Bottom Line:
If you’ve never seen BSG before, you should skip “Razor.” It requires too much knowledge about the series to be accessible to a newbie. But if you’re a fan of the series, this is required viewing for you. The scenes with the Cylon ‘Hybrid’ may hold clues to the upcoming season for you.
