Movie Notes: Caprica

May 3rd, 2009

Synopsis

Set fifty years before Battlestar Galactica, successful technologist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) face some tough ethical choices regarding cutting-edge technology after their daughters perish in a terrorist attack.

= 4 stars

The Good

• Although Battestar Galactica was able to comment on current events (9/11, terrorism) it could only go so far because of its spaceship environment. Caprica’s world is more similar to ours: high school kids, tennis, lawyers, corporate intrigue, religion, racism, and crime syndicates, and sets the stage for more direct analogies.
• Decent motivation for the creation of humanoid robots. Above his defense contract, Daniel (wealthy creator of the holoband, who I imagined as a cross between Jobs and Gates) wants to provide a body for his dead daughter, Zoe, who exists solely as a digital avatar in virtual reality.
• The initial apocalypse of Battlestar Galactica hangs over everything like a shroud. The partying in a virtual world resembles the fall of the Roman Empire, Caligula style, references to the “one God” have a larger resonance, and the creation of the first Cylon can only be seen as sowing the seeds of eventual doom. Therefore, small moments — a prototype Cylon fires paint balls at Daniel, or three high school friends saying “so say we all” — are unsettling.
• Hints at a personally intriguing theme: technology is just a tool, and how it’s used by imperfect humanity that screws it up. There’s a great back and forth between Daniel and Joseph regarding whether Zoe’s avatar should even be resurrected. Joe calls it an aberration, while Daniel considers his plan a fatherly duty. Very appropriate that interactions with the avatars occur in complete darkness.
• The odd, Frankenstein ending is quite disturbing on further thought. There’s potential to go even darker than Battlestar Galactica, which would be a good thing.

The Bad

• Slow pacing, especially during the dialogue-heavy middle. It picks up again about an hour in where Daniel introduces Joseph to the holoband.
• Will the high school stuff become Gossip Girl in space?
• No space battles.

Conclusion

While slow at times, Caprica retains enough themes from Battlestar Galactica while differentiating itself in look and feel to be a separate, compelling series in its own right. It’s well positioned to make some interesting commentary on the use of technology in our own society. This is a world where technology lets humanity revel in our darkest nature (the holoband), people can be resurrected from the lives they lead online, and there is a great need for religion as savior. The pilot has a strange staying power, which is good, because the series proper won’t start until next year. This leaves plenty of time to watch this pilot again a few months hence, and I intend to.