Awesomely Horrible Netflix Instant Films: Caprica

The reboot of Battlestar Galactica is one of the greatest TV shows in the history of television. That is a fact and is not up for debate, (yes, the last season was a little goofy). The story of humanity barely surviving an attack by their former Cylon slaves was extremely compelling. It was the type of show that was bigger than its genre. You didn't have to be a fan of sci-fi to think that the show was amazing. So, Syfy thought that they could once again capture that same magic by making a prequel TV series about the rise of the Cylons. The problem is that rather than the subtle grittiness of the drama in Galactica, the show was an over-the-top mess, albeit a fun one. The show was called Caprica and it was awesomely horrible.

Caprica tells the story of Eric Stoltz and how he's not that great of an actor. He plays Daniel Graystone, the guy who invented the Cylons and a Google Glass-like immersive internet experience. The story takes place on Caprica, the most important planet in the 12 colony solar system where humanity lives. His daughter is played by hotty newcomer Alessandra Torresani. She's a monotheistic terrorist who is involved with a bunch of religious wackos that blow up a train, killing her in the process. Then her online self downloads itself into one of her dad's robots, explaining why the Cylons aren't polytheists like everyone in the 12 colonies. It's the equivalent of your Facebook profile possessing your toaster. The show also stars Esai Morales as Joseph Adama, who is the father of Edward James Olmos' character from Galactica. Rather than concentrating on the main story of the rise of the Cylons, the show goes off on tangents about the racism between the colonies, statements on terrorism, and a critique of internet culture. That's largely why the show only lasted one season.

The show is mildly entertaining but suffers greatly by comparison to Galactica. Maybe that's unfair but whatever. The main problem with Caprica is its lack of focus. I don't give a damn about the social problems of this fake civilizations and I certainly am not interested in the creators making analogies with modern society. I just want to see how the Cylons got to be the Cylons, how they were enslaved by humans, and how they rose up and killed Eric Stoltz. Still, it's a must see for fans of Galactica. It makes that weak last season look amazing.