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We both agreed that as a stand-alone SF movie, it was pretty good. As a remake of the original Galactica, though, well...

Hurray! I'm glad you guys got a chance to see it finally. My thoughts and emotions were very mixed while watching it. But as time has passed, I've grown to like it more.... and I'm craving the series!

Things I didn't care for:

It was very confusing at first. There were so many nods to the original series that for a while it seemed like the story was taking place 40 years after the first one.
Parts of the story seemed rushed... as though something important ended up on the cutting room floor. ie... how did Boomer & Co. get aboard?
Music! Gimme something big and grand that swells in my soul and makes me want to fly through the heavens, too! Something worthy of the epic! The music that was there reminded me of what they did with Children of Dune: lots of drums with some Adiemus thrown in.
I didn't find the juxtoposition of technology credible ( not like laser cannons ever were!). You have non-networked computers, hard copies being printed out everywhere, "radio" communications, ballistic weapons... and faster than light capability on space ships? The ballistic weapons (missles and bullets!) were fun only because they weren't cliche. Perhaps the capability of developing ftl was abandonded after the cylon rebellion.
Ok, the cylons made the robots, the humans didn't! Grrrr... and that's gospel. JK. I think the cylons has human creations brings a lot of depth to the storyline.
All the sex- it was gratuitous to the point of silly. Is that all those cylons think about? Good grief!
Zack. I would have liked to meet him. Can't decide if I like the new Starbuck angle on that topic. Apollo is a bit of a pretty boy- came across as a weakling. And, hello? Where's Athena?

Things I liked:

It took a while, but I like Starbuck. The gal playing her looks like she could be Dirk's daughter! She did a good job. Boomer I can live with, only because of that nasty little twist coming up. I'm soooo glad they gave us the heads up on that instead of springing the lame "look what we pulled out of our butt this week" star trek trick on us.
I love the look and feel of the place. They kept so much of the architecture- especially Caprica City. I just love how everything you see allows the viewer to conclude that we share a common ancestral civilization.
Colonel Tigh, I can forgive the skin lightening only because Big'ol declared him to be the only "accurately military" character on the ship. Olmos was a good choice for Adama... tho I do miss the white hair. I hope they grow that character into the patriarch figure like the first one was.
The new edginess of it: the baby, the girl on the agri ship, leaving the non-ftl ships behind, blowing the hold, etc. Those moments added so much to the characters that had to make the call. Wow.
The new cylons rock. They just rock.
What a compelling character Baltar is now! You never knew what motivated him before and now, you don't know whether to hate him or pity him or both or more! Do you trust him? Who's side is he on? Can he play both sides?
The writers were very brave to leave the religious component of the story in- it adds so much to a story culture and no believable civilization is without it. The "priest" seemed a little out of place dressed like that. The faith theme was so deep rooted and matter of fact in the original, priests weren't needed. Everyone knew the essentials and having Adama as the "keeper of myth and stories of Earth" developed him as both a tactical leader and spiritual figurehead. I don't know how they're going to do that here, 'cuz I can't take the priest seriously- she's distracting.
I really liked the "documentary style" of filming. It made the events more credible and distanced the effort from the look of Star Trek and Farscape. I liked how crowded and busy the hallways were! All sorts of things going on- no uniformed crew with stern expressions walking around with datapads in hand. Galactica has energy!

Bottom line, I love this story universe. I love it! I love it! I love it! I hope the writers do right by it. Bring on the series!