Customer Reviews

Babylon 5

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This disc is simply a re-issue of the transfer originally used on the double-feature DVD that Warner Bros. used to "test the market" for "B5" on DVD a couple of years ago. (The other half of the double-feature was the Minbari War prequel, "In the Beginning")

Essentially they took the existing laserdisc transfers, digitized them, and dropped it onto a DVD. There were no extras, no Dolby Digital 5.1 remixes, nothing. The version of "The Gathering" used was not the 1993 original but a substantial re-edit that series creator and executive producer J. Michael Straczynski oversaw in 1998 when TNT picked the series up for its fifth and final season. This version restores footage cut by the director, deletes other material, replaces some CGI shots and adds a new score by series composer Christopher Franke. (Who had not worked on the original pilot.) The idea is to restore the film to something closer to JMS's original script, which was substantially altered to meet the demands of the studio, the director and the fledglig network. (Which, among other things, required that a total of 9 commercial breaks be written into the film, instead of the 6 that are standard for movies airing in a 2-hour timeslot.)

Now Warner Bros. is recycling the same transfer of the pilot as part of its "try it, you'll like it" series of low-cost discs designed to introduce potential buyers to its TV shows. (Some discs contain a TV movie, as in this case, others a couple of individual episodes of a series.) All come with a coupon good for $5.00 of one of the full season sets of the same season. They are intended as cheap "sampler" discs to promote existing series releases.

This disc has nothing at all to do with the remastered version of "The Gathering", with its Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and commentary track by JMS, which will be included with the boxed set of five "B5" TV Movies being released on August 14th. That's a version that will be snapped up by people who are already committed fans of the show. (And who probably bought the original release of "The Gathering" and "In the Beginnning" on DVD a couple of years ago, as I did.) This is for those who are just curious about the series and want a cheap way to check it out. Let's face it - at around $6.00 (less at some retailers) the disc costs less than a rental at a lot of video stores - and if you like it enough to buy the series it basically costs you a buck (or nothing at all) thanks to the coupon savings.

So if you're already a "B5" fan, give this disc a miss and pre-order the TV movie set. But if you're just curious, this isn't a bad way to sample the show - although I must say the transfer is a little darker and grainier than I think it should be. The episodes look a bit better.

And no, despite the way Sci-Fi aired it, "TG" is not and never was shot with widescreen in mind. Although that was already planned for the series, JMS and company decided to save time and money while shooting the pilot by going with the conventional 4:3 ratio, switching to the Super35 process which allowed them to frame for 4:3 and 16:9 simultaneously when the series started shooting, many months after the pilot was completed.

I bought this DVD in the store even though I have the original two-story release DVD The Gathering/In the Beginning and am planning to get the movie box set.

The reason I did so was because that it said on the label that it was the original pilot episode from March 8, 1993. That version was only ever released on VHS not DVD. I was skeptical but for a few dollars I decided to take a chance.

Not to my surprise it was the TNT Special Edition not the original. The Gathering Special Edition much like the Star Wars Special Editions added scenes, deleted scenes and redid effects and dialogue. Strangely the creator of B5 J. Michael Straczynski was praised by his fans for doing so whereas Lucas was condemned for his changes.

The thing though that made this DVD worth getting after all was that they have reformatted the movie which was only made in 1:33:1 fullscreen to a widescreen presentation like they did the Kung Fu TV series DVD's even though the labeling on the back says it is in standard format like it's original exhibition.

This tape of The Gathering is the revised version that Straczynski did especially for TNT, with new music and special effects, several new scenes, and several old scenes deleted. It is substantially better than the old version, but completists may want to get the old version, which is available from Columbia House.

I bought this DVD thinking they had finally released the original pilot shown in 1993 (as the package says) with Stewart Copeland doing the music... it isn't. It is the same version as the one included with IN THE BEGINING.

Having said this, even if the package is deceptive, it is still a well made murder mystery. It takes you on a tour of the station, and introduces all the characters without too much standing around talking as most pilots have.

It is a good start for the series... I just wish it was the original version... my recording of the original pilot on VHS (I took it off the television) is showing it's age!

This is not a wide screen version on this, because unlike the rest of the show, the pilot was not shot in wide screen. There will not be a wide-screen version unless they crop it down. Don't buy this unless you are a collector, because they are about to release a box set with all the movies including this one with commentary. This is a waste of a few bucks unless you are going to buy everything b-5 that was ever made. If not hold out for the Movie Box set due out soon.

With the release of the sixth Babylon 5 boxed set you no longer need this disk. After all the movie edition has a better sound track and better videa quality leaving this DVD in the dust.

Even at $5.00 Bucks it is still not worth it. Caughf up the $45.00 for the B-5 movie edition boxed set and get this episode and all the movies.

Safe travels:

David

As you have no doubt already read, this is *not* the premiere movie from 1993 but rather the 1998 TNT version. That irked me, and I hope that the distributors of this movie and amazon.com correct this mistake.

This DVD literally contains an ad for Season 1 on DVD and the TNT version of "The Gathering". Nothing else. There's not even a menu on this DVD. This is as bare-bones as it gets, but then again, you are paying a few bucks for it so you get what you pay for.

The only reason this merits two stars is literally the content. This is a editing of the movie that started it all for Babylon 5, laying the groundwork for a five year storyline. While it can seem a bit drab and drawn out, if you watch the show you will return to this movie and see things you never saw before.

My recommendation is to get Babylon 5 - The Movie Collection instead. You will get a much better experience with the same movie as part of that set.

A good pilot to an excellent series, Babylon 5 - The Gathering, brings to the screen the parallel stories of prominent people aboard a major station under Human control in neutral territory.
The setting is the Babylon 5 space station orbiting Epsilon 3. The date is 2257, nine years after the Earth-Minbari War (one year before the series begins), and representatives from the four major space-faring races, the Centauri, Humans, Minbari, Narns, as well as numerous minor races have all gathered at B5 in a last effort at maintaining galactic peace. The arrival, however, of the fifth major space-faring race's ambassador, the Vorlon Kosh, will result in quite a bit of turbulence...
Michael O'Hare, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Jurasik, and the rest of the cast, carry out their performances well though one can tell that they are a bit uneasy, as is the case with most series in the beginning. Eventually all the actors, without exceptions, will give it their 100% and it will really show!
My two questions are as to why the Centauri Republic is run by... an emperor, in which case it should be called an Empire since "republic" means the exact opposite, and as others have also pointed out, why is Chief of Security Garibaldi so similar in so many ways to Bruce Willis (!); was that coincidental or did it just turn out that way?
In any case Babylon 5 is a series definitely worth watching and one to seriously consider adding to your movie collection as it is without a doubt guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment.
You just cannot beat that wonderful feeling of being addicted to the show and wanting more!

This series pilot does a very good job introducing the major alien races, their history with the Earth Alliance, and their diplomats, all of whom will play an important part in the unfolding Babylon 5 saga. This updated, revised edition of the pilot gives a darker, more sinister edge to some of the plot and main characters, most notably, Lieutenant Commander Laurel Takashima (Tamlyn Tomita) and Minbari ambassador Delenn (Mira Furlan). Anyone who expects "Star Trek" may be disappointed, since the story is far more complex and thoughtful than almost anything I have seen in all the versions of "Star Trek". While this is not "Babylon 5" at its best, it offers the viewer much promise, along with tantalizing hints as to what will follow over the course of the five year-long saga.

It seems to me that Babylon 5 shows more creativity and realism than most SF series. I prefer it over the much lauded Star Trek. It seems grittier and more enigmatic than most.