Customer Reviews

Babylon 5: The Gathering/In the Beginning

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Reportedly the version of the two-hour pilot movie "The Gathering" on this DVD will be "Version 2.0", if you will.

The version that aired in 1993 was considered by many to be dull and muddled. B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski later placed the blame on director Richard Compton, who he felt chose the wrong takes in an attempt to emphasize the station itself rather than the actors' performances.

"Version 2.0", released in 1999, was heavily revised by JMS and producer John Copeland. They tightened up the storyline, upgraded the effects and, most importantly, dug up from the archives alternate takes that showed stronger performances by the actors. Some scenes that slowed down the pacing have been dropped, while other scenes that emphasized the characters and the plot have been restored.

If you can get hold of the original version, compare it to "Version 2.0" and enjoy a clinic in the right (and wrong) way to edit a movie.

Like any pilot, though, the actors have yet to find their characters and the writer/creator is still finding their voices. That's the point of any pilot, so don't unnecessarily bash it just because the look of some aliens changed later in the series. A pilot is supposed to sell the show as a series, and that it did. But "The Gathering" is also important because of B5's unique structure -- a five-season "novel for television", and "The Gathering" is the opening chapter. Plot lines established in this episode resonate throughout the next five years, sometimes not even paying off until late in the series.

If "The Gathering" is Chapter 1, "In The Beginning" is the prologue. Told in flashback by one of the primary characters years after the events seen in the series, the story takes place ten years before the events seen in "The Gathering". Throughout the B5 saga, we hear about the Earth-Minbari War and even see snippets of flashback. But this film finally lets us take the ride in total.

Another interesting advantage of comparing these two films is to observe how JMS's storytelling skills improved with experience. Early in the series, episodes tended to bog down with expository narrative as he struggled to find an effective means of planting with the viewer certain information that would be needed down the line. (In fact, if you go back and watch the first season episodes, virtually every one contains some plot point that pays off down the line in future seasons.) With four years under his belt -- and freed of the need to story arc plot points -- he's free to tell a whopper of a story.

"In The Beginning" does have some inconsistencies with what was established in the series -- in particular, a rather improbable adventure involving several of the series' regulars who don't seem to have any memory of it when they reunite years later on the station -- but in typical Straczynski fashion we're entertained while at the same time reminded of the conseqences of our own human foibles and arrogance.

Finally, I'll chip in with a message for WB. As others have posted, I've held off on buying the VHS series because I was waiting for DVD. Please, release the series season-by-season in box sets. With commentary by JMS. His people are waiting.

My wife and I were really impressed by the Babylon 5 series. We caught it as a Turner rerun on satellite. We followed each and every section in proper sequence, which is the ONLY way that this wonderful screenplay can be seen. We want our son to see it the same way, only with the benefit of DVD.

Thus, are you listening? We and, apparently many others, will pay for the complete boxed set of the entire story. What do you want $130, $150, $200? Do you understand that we, in the most expansive plural, want every piece of the puzzle, not some edited best of compilation...

It truly is amazing what your company is wasting VHS tapes and DVDs on, when Babylon 5 is a "sure thing". I will only buy the DVDs. And I would buy all, including sections edited out of the original, in the case of Babylon 5. I can think of no other movie or series where I would do this!

Babylon 5 represented some of the best television science fiction ever available. At it's worst, it was merely mediocre. At it's best, it was absolutely amazing. On the average, it was excellent.

I think this DVD represents some of the best of Babylon 5, and some of the... well, not the best. The pilot episode, while much improved with it's "special edition" release, is still less than a perfect example of what the series was able to do. But it's still better than any Star Trek series pilot ever did :) It wraps the feel and background of the series in a murder mystery that sets the pace for the action and political intrigue that was to continue for the run of the series.

"In the Beginning" is something of a spoiler for first-time B5 viewers, so beware. Many of the surprises of the series are re-revealed here, along with many new discoveries. However, it also represents Babylon 5 at its best. It's a thrilling re-telling of the backstory of the Babylon 5 universe, as told by a dying emperor, full of regrets, many years later. One of the axioms of the TV series was that "nobody is ever exactly who they seem," and in this made-for-TV movie, this hits home very squarely. It's an action-packed two hours that remains fun after repeated viewings.

The DVD release of Babylon 5 has been eagerly awaited by fans for several years.

Although I cannot yet speak for the quality of the DVD or any special features that WB may deem to add, I can offer a synopsis of the two movies included on this first disk, and comment on what special features Babylon 5 fans would WANT to see included on this and future disks.

BABYLON 5: THE GATHERING:

When it was originally aired in 1993, "Babylon 5: The Gathering" was simply titled "Babylon 5". It was a movie that served as a pilot for a new science fiction series. It was also the culmination of a dream for writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski to create an epic science fiction "novel for television". The movie had the daunting task of introducing viewers to the large cast of humans and aliens populating the station, exposing their personal motivations and the political machinations of their respective worlds, planting the seeds of some of B5's trademark mysteries, and perhaps above all else, differentiating itself from that other science fiction series - Star Trek. It accomplishes this while in the midst of a fairly standard "whodunit".

The movie begins with the fifth and last Babylon station becoming fully operational. It is a port of call, located in neutral space - an orbiting cross between Casablanca and the United Nations. The five major space faring worlds have all sent their Ambassadors here to better understand each other and "create the peace". These races are the Minbari, the Narn, the Centauri, the Humans, and finally, the most mysterious and powerful of all known races, the Vorlons.

The Babylon Project was co-sponsored by the Minbari government. Several years earlier, the Minbari were at war with Earth. At the end, their forces advanced all the way to Earth itself, then on the eve of Earth's total annihilation, the Minbari surrendered and the war was over. Babylon 5 is commanded by Jeffrey Sinclair, a decorated war hero who was there at that fateful battle, known as "The Battle of the Line". He is plagued by survivor's guilt and a 24 hour gap in his memory......

The drama begins in earnest with the arrival of Kosh, the Vorlon Ambassador. But when the command staff arrives to greet him, Kosh is found to have been poisoned and near death. Soon after, the primary suspect turns out to be Commander Sinclair himself!

This version of the movie is actually the "Producer's Cut", completed in 1998. Several changes were made from the film that first aired. Some effects scenes were redone due to rapid improvements in the CGI effects technology that Babylon 5 pioneered. Some scenes were removed completely, others restored in their place, and overall the film was edited to improve the pacing. Finally, Babylon 5 series composer Christopher Franke was brought in to score the new version so it would have a more consistent feel with the series (Stewart Copeland scored the movie originally). All of these changes worked to great effect, making the special edition of "The Gathering" a vast improvement over the original. The movie is still a little clunky from time to time, the acting a tad rough in spots (some actors were replaced before the start of the series), but the potential was undeniably there. The story had begun.

BABYLON 5: IN THE BEGINNING: This a glorious film filled with all the drama, joy, pain, and sorrow that fans of Babylon 5 have come to know and love. If you could take the entire series and distill it, put it into a bottle, this movie would be it. Like The Gathering, this movie first aired in 1998, when Babylon 5 had been purchased by cable channel TNT. In addition to buying the rights to run the series, they commissioned two new 2 hour tele-movies. The first to run was "Babylon 5: In the Beginning".

It is a prequel of sorts, although portions of the movie take place 17 years *after* the principle events of Babylon 5. It was designed in such a way as to bring new viewers into the show quickly, as well as giving long-time fans what they wanted to see; the events at The Battle of the Line. It begins with the aged Centauri Londo Mollari telling the story of the Earth/Minbari War. Clearly things are not well on his world, but I won't spoil the story by telling why. He goes on to tell the story of how the war began, the attempts to stop it, some of the major battles, and the reason for the Minbari surrender. Then in a strange twist, an element is introduced at the end of the film to let you know that the story is not yet over.

This film is damn near perfect. The music, the special effects, and story are all spectacular. Peter Jurasik gives another great performance as Londo Mollari. Almost all the characters from the show make some sort of appearance in the film. Of course, it's not without a few flaws. First and foremost, this movie *blatantly* provides spoilers to mysteries that were not resolved in the series until Season 3. Also, the movie focuses heavily on the character of John Sheridan, played by Bruce Boxleitner, who took over the lead role after the departure of Michael O'Hare (Jeffrey Sinclair) in 1995. O'Hare was not brought back to film any additional scenes due to budgetary concerns and as a result, his pivotal appearance at The Battle of the Line, using previously filmed scenes from the series, has a rather "tacked on" feeling. New viewers would be likely to say, "Who's HE?"

So all in all, two good fun movies that will hopefully inspire folks out there to buy those Babylon 5: The Series DVD BOX SETS (hint hint). It should be noted too that some of the best story elements of Babylon 5 the series are not even hinted at in these two movies. So there's plenty more out there to see.

As for special features: What would B5 fans like?

1. Audio commentaries from cast and crew. 2. Behind the scenes documentaries, effects vignettes. 3. Bloopers, outtakes, deleted scenes. 4. Anamorphic widescreen, surround sound, and captions.

Thanks to Warner Bros Home Video and DVD for finally bringing this product to the fans.

Warner Brothers has decided to test the market for Babylon 5 on DVD with this initial offering. It includes three hours of story on a two-sided disc.

Side A is the re-edit of the pilot as shown on TNT in 1998. Presented in its original full frame aspect ration, "The Gathering" is an introduction to the space station Babylon 5. When the last of the major races sends an ambassador to this port, someone tries to assassinate him. Things really heat up after station commander Jeffery Sinclair is accused of the crime, and our last best hope for peace just might become the starting point for another war.

It's interesting to watch this movie as a fan of the series. It seems slow, many characters didn't make it back when the series started, and the special effects aren't up to par. But I've used it to hook several friends on the show recently, and each time I'm amazed at the groundwork that was laid down and the story arcs that were introduced at this early date.

Side B contains the movie "In the Beginning." Filmed after season 4, it tells the story of the Earth-Minbari War. Presented here in its original wide screen, it combines all the stories of the war that we've learned over the first four seasons, from the misunderstanding that started it to the climatic Battle of the Line. But it's not all familiar; we get to see the entire story, not just the parts that were important to later happenings on the show. Along the way, we see Delenn, Sheridan, Franklin, G'Kar, and Londo in the time before the series started.

I hadn't seen this movie since its initial airing until I got the DVD. I was amazed at how much history and suspense JMS was able to put into the movie even though we knew the outcome. It is interesting to note that it was included here, since it contains major spoilers for the first few seasons of the show.

Unfortunately, Warner decided to test the DVD market for Babylon 5 with a product that features no extras. This is one series where I would love to see more behinds the scenes information. Commentaries and bloopers would make my day. Still, I found the picture and sound quality to be good.

Hopefully, Warner will get the hint and release more Babylon 5 in boxed sets with added features. Until then, we fans have this disc to remind us why we love the series so much.

The double dvd, B5: The Gathering, In The Beginning, suffers from a lack of value. There are no extras on the dvd, which is acceptable, but what is unforgivable is the sound. Neither title is rendered in 5.1. One of the points of buying a DVD is the sound reproduction.

In terms of content, the first side of the DVD contains the B5 pilot entitled "The Gathering". This is in fact a "Special Edition" of that piece. Some of the effects have been redone (in the case of an absolutely cartoonish breaching pod, not redone to the degree that they should have been), some voice overs have been added (one for Kosh, and a surprisingly successful sampling of sound from the Season 1 episode "And The Sky Full Of Stars" in a scene made particularly poignant by its addition).

This piece is Babylon 5 at its best and worst. It has the worst acting and worst pacing of any episode of the series, but it gives you an interesting taster of what is to come. Remember that in 1993, when this aired, nothing like this had been seen on American TV. Some of what you will see is jaw dropping - like the beauty shot of the interior of the space station, covered in gardens. Other things, like the previously mentioned breaching pod are so ridiculous that it is impossible to reconcile that they are both visuals in the same piece.

The main difficulty is that many people became so disgusted with the acting in this pilot, that they gave up on the series before it began. To be fair, the returning cast needed time to become acclimated to their roles. The Gathering was produced very quickly, and the acting suffered from that.

The sister piece, In The Beginning, suffers from none of its predecessors weaknesses. Top notch acting, excellent visuals. Like The Gathering, it is a truly interesting story and a great intro to the series, even if it spoils a bunch of the great B5 mysteries.

Considering the price, perhaps the value is not as bad as I originally let on. They should have fixed the sound though, and the addition of the original version of "The Gathering" with Stewart Copeland's soundtrack would have been a nice addition.

Alright, enough has been said about the movies themselves. I'm going to focus this review on the DVD itself.

The Good: I'm absolutely thrilled that I have ANY type of Babylon 5 DVD content right now. Based on the word around the net, it appears that this DVD has been a hot seller in the past week and I hope that sends the right message to Warner. As much as I am dying for extra scenes, commentary, excerpts from the Lurker's guide, or whatever, I will gladly purchase all of these DVDs if they have reference quality video, 5.1 surround, and season boxed sets (with extras on the last disc).

The Bad: These DVD's look like they slapped a badly converted Laserdisc onto a DVD, and said "here you go" to the B5 community. The live action video is extremely grainy, while all of the CG work is beautifully rendered and looks fantastic. I'm not completely sure how to explain this disparity, since the live action shots are inherently anamorphic widescreen. If this is the way the video is going to look for the series, Warner will have done their customers (and JMS) a HUGE disservice.

I would have ranked this at 5 stars based on the movie content alone, but I had to remove 1 star for the apparent lack of effort on Warner Bros part.

P.S. For future releases, I would like to recommend something done on the recent Star Trek: The Motion Picture DVD, where the Lurker's Guide info could be a subtitle track that provides scene specific information for the viewer.

This DVD was a great disappointment to me.

I am a big fan of "Babylon 5". I love what writer/producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski accomplished with his 5 year epic. Sure, the show was a little slow to get going (he had a lot of build up to accomplish) and it stumbled in the first half of the final season (the telepath war wasn't everything it could or should have been), but when you take the long view of the structure and the impact of the story being told, it's one of the best novels ever produced on television.

This DVD presents the re-edited two-hour pilot movie "The Gathering" and the backstory feature "In the Beginning."

This version of "The Gathering" was produced for TNT when that network picked up the series for its fifth and final season. It was re-edited, with updated special affects and a new score added. It is a better movie in this form than the original. However, what is odd about it is that the series was produced in letterbox format (and was shown as such on Sci-Fi). However, as TNT didn't show it in letterbox format, this transfer of the film is in 1.33:1 ratio.

The plot involves a space station that serves as a meeting place for various alien races where they can work out their grievances on neutral territory. The first ambassador from the fifth major space faring races (Humans, Minbari, Narns, Centauri, and Vorlons) is due to arrive. He is Kosh, a Vorlon. The Vorlons are the oldest of the races known. When an assassination attempt is made on his life, suspicion falls on the station's commander, Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). The story is a mystery, and it serves to introduce many of the main characters and themes that would run throughout all of Babylon 5.

It's impressive to see how much groundwork Straczynski laid out right from the start. His universe and the story he intended to tell were already in sharp focus in his mind, and it shows. If you see "The Gathering" and follow the series to its conclusion, you can see many things alluded to in the initial pilot pay off years down the road. It's impressive.

It's also interesting to see what ideas and cast members were shed along the way. Michael O'Hare was never a particularly charismatic presence, and his departure at the end of the series' first season allowed for the more dynamic actor Bruce Boxleitner to come in as John Sheridan. However, Mira Furlann as Delenn, Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar, and Peter Jurasik as Londo make it through to the end of the show and the three of them gave consistently interesting and intriguing performances. Unlike many TV shows, these characters grew and changed. Jerry Doyle also stayed with the show to the end as Michael Garibaldi. He's always adequate (and sometimes excellent), but he's never been able to shake his Bruce Willis image sufficiently to make an impact of his own.

"In the Beginning" is the story of what happened before "The Gathering." As a movie, it fills in the backstory of what happened in the days before the Babylon 5 station was established. It was originally produced between seasons 4 and 5 when the show moved to TNT. As such, it has always been a bit of a puzzlement to me. Now, this is not to say that it is a bad movie. It's actually an exciting story in and of itself that goes a long way in explaining the suspicion with which the Humans and the Minbari view each other during the entire run of Babylon 5. However, it also reveals some secrets that viewers weren't privy to for years while watching the series in real time. I'm never sure when to recommend that new viewers should watch "In the Beginning." Should it be watched in storyline chronological order--before "The Gathering" or after the final episode of season four "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" so that none of the surprises are ruined. It's a tough call, but Warner Brothers has released it with "The Gathering" so there you go. They seem to think it should be watched here and now.

Personally, I love "Babylon 5" and I'm glad to see this DVD. I hope it will lead to the release of the entire series. However, as a DVD, it's very disappointing. There are absolutely NO extras. I've read what Straczyski has written about the creative choices he made while producing the show and about his theories of storytelling. I would have loved to have a commentary track from him detailing the production process. I have little doubt that additional commentary from the cast, from conceptual consultant Harlan Ellison, and from co-producer John Copeland would have been of great interest. Unfortunately there isn't any. Because of this, I have very mixed feelings about this DVD. I want the entire series, but I feel a little cheated. I don't want to say "Don't buy this DVD!" because I don't want to ruin the chances that the rest of the show won't follow. But I want more and I want Warner Brothers to know that. If we're going to invest in 5 years worth of material, they should give us something extra. It will be no small investment to buy all of "Babylon 5". Make it worth our while.

If you like "Babylon 5", I highly recommend "Farscape" now being released on DVD.

(C)2002 Joe Edkin

In my humble opinion, Babylon 5 is one of the greatest series of all time. While I agree with the other people here that these two movies spoil the series a little bit, I still think that people who haven't seen the series should buy them. Seeing the movies is a great way to know if the rest of the series will appeal to you.

Babylon 5 is a series set on a space station at the cross-roads between several empires. The show often takles issues such as religion, foreign relations, totalitarian governments, slaves, etc. It lacked the budget and support that Star Trek DS9 did; however, Babylon 5 still comes out on top in overall plot and storyline.

These two movies deal with a war that happened years before Babylon 5 was created, and with a terrible incident just after Babylon 5 opened.

I would like to go more indepth about what happens, but to do so would give away too many spoilers. Sufficent to say, Babylon 5 is a series where characters undergo very real evolutions over the course of the series. Events in one episode effect events in the others. If you're tired of series where nothing even changes year after year, Babylon 5 is for you.

I also hope that they release the rest of the series as box sets, or at least with several episodes per disc. If they release only two episodes per disc (as some people here seem to think they will do), it will take years to get the entire series. It will also be quite expensive to get them all, and will turn off more casual buyers. Director's commentary, deleted scenes, and other such things would be much appreaciated on *each* disc, not just one or two.

Here's a treat for taking the time to read this. Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, is a new movie that will be released Jan 2, 2002 on the Sci-Fi channel. If the movie gets high enough ratings, they may do another series.

The first B5 dvd was great despite a lack of extras for two reasons. One: there now exists a permenent DVD redording of two great, pivotal B5 movies. Two: because the high sales of this first DVD convinced Warner Home Video that releasing a B5 season 1 box set would be a profitable venture. An official announcment from Warner should arrive sometime in the next week or so (as of 7/15/02). The actual set may not be released until Fall.

From what I've read, the episodes will all be presented in widescreen, 5.1 surroundsound. There will definitely be extras, including interviews and commentary tracks on two to four of the episodes by creator JMS, himself. I, personally, intend to pre-order this box set from Amazon, the second it is made available. I hope you do to.