Customer Reviews

Babylon 5: The Movie Collection

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This set will be awesome

For those of you new to all things Babylon 5, here is my run down of this set:

1. THE GATHERING - As the series pilot it is a decent effort. It's best to see this one before watching Season One but it's fine if you catch it anytime. In fact this one is worth viewing again after watching seasons 1-3 to catch A LOT of foreshadowing. You can't realize the of traps JMS has set just in this pilot. I give this one 3.5/5.

2. IN THE BEGINNING - Holy crap! 5/5. By far the best effort of JMS and his crew, second only to Severed Dreams (episode in Season 3). Anyone can thoroughly enjoy this this one without ever seeing one episode of Babylon 5 (like my wife) there are some big spoilers. So do yourself a HUGE favor. Do not watch this movie until after you have completed Seasons 1 through 3. Also, this one features Chris Franke's best score. This one alone is nearly worth the purchase price.

3. THIRDSPACE - I like this one more than many others might. It introduces a H.P. Lovecraft type of element to the Babylon 5 universe. Personally I really like this new wrinkle and wish that it received further exploration. Catch this one after about the 7 episode in Season 4. This one features a crazy (perhaps even ridiculous) battle scene and a girl fight at the end that is well worth seeing. 4/5.

4. RIVER OF SOULS - A story about the Soul Hunters (introduced early in Season One). Martin Sheen is in it (a bit of a miscast for some people). Watch this before the last episode of Season 5 (Sleeping In Light). I like Franke's score alot. This one focuses more on some of the peripheral characters like Lochley and Zach which makes for a nice change IMHO. Tracy Scoggins in lingerie = yummy! Also, another series regular has a terrific performance at the climax that should not be missed. 3.5/5.

5. CALL TO ARMS - This is meant to serve as the transition to JMS's next Babylon 5 series: CRUSADE. IMHO, Chen's score is totaly out of place and is a distraction. The effects are not as good as the other films as well. On other hand, there are some new and interesting characters (many which become part of the Crusade series) introduced that still make this one worth watching. Peter Woodward and Tony Todd really shine in this one. 3/5

The release of Babylon 5 The Movies on DVD marks the closing of the critically acclaimed Babylon 5 series, arguably one of the best Science Fiction series to date. Having said that, it's important to remember that this box set should not be viewed as a starting point for first-time Babylon 5 viewers.

As indicated by the editor's review, the only DVD that can be viewed first is 'The Gathering', the reworked pilot which is good as an introduction to the universe and the characters. The other movies were made either during or after the conclusion of the B5 series and as such contain many elements that would completely destroy a first-time viewer's experience of the five year arc.

The movies 'In The Beginning', 'Thirdspace', 'River of Souls' and 'A Call to Arms' are all welcome additions to the existing B5 universe, allowing us to see just how far the characters have developed through the series. Although the self-contained nature of 'Thirdspace' and 'River of Souls' in particular do not provide the level of mounting suspense that we're used to in the series, they're still worth watching and allow the B5 flame to burn just that little bit longer.

To summarise: If you are a first-time Babylon 5 viewer, you would be better off to purchase the single DVD 'Gathering / In The Beginning', watch ONLY 'The Gathering' and then work your way through the season DVD box sets before moving onto the movies. If you are a fan or have a good understanding of the B5 universe, this is an excellent companion to the five B5 season sets.

No self-respecting B5 fan wants to be without this collection, and no serious fan of SF can ignore this series that MIT dubbed The Most Important TV SF Series Since The Original Star Trek.

As B5 continues its path toward the 21st-century version of Star Trek, i.e. becoming more successful long after its first run, this grouping of the five B5-specific films (not including the orphaned The Legend Of the Rangers) is the perfect capper for the release of the five season sets. It's also a nice bridge to the soon-to-be-released Crusade DVD, the sequel series that died a horrible death due to the meddling of network executives.

A few helpful words to add to those already posted by other reviewers: In the Beginning should NOT be viewed by anyone who has not yet seen the first four seasons of the B5 series. For those who aren't aware, B5 is an ongoing story told in chronological order (with the occasional flashback and forward), and In the Beginning contains lots of information from all points of the story. Since the mysteries of the story, plot surprises, and development of the characters are such a huge part of enjoying this series, avoid ItB until after seeing the fourth season. It's kind of a recap, with many delicious twists that are best enjoyed by those who have followed the story to that point.

The Gathering, of course, is the pilot film. It gives the real beginnings of the five-year story arc, laying groundwork and introducing new fans to one of the charming aspects of being a Babophile: Watching J. Michael Straczynski and his crew learn how to make A Television Series. The early work is a bit raw (more than a bit in some places), and the consequent rough edges are being smoothed until late in the first season.

Although ItB type spoilers are not so numerous in the other three films, it's best to know that Thirdspace takes place midway thru Season Four, River Of Souls takes place six months after the end of Season Five, and A Call to Arms takes place toward the end of Season Five (prior to Sleeping in Light, the series finale).

Thirdspace is a story of a Big Bad Alien Race threatening to take over our universe, by way of a door from an alternate dimension. Sure, that sounds trite, but until you've seen it done the B5 way you haven't seen it.

River Of Souls deals with Soul Hunters, the ghouls of the B5 universe who collect souls of poets, artists, blessed lunatics, those whom they deem worthy of saving in their little globe-shaped prisons. They talk to their collections and learn from them. Nobody likes these guys.....and they're coming back to B5, having visited briefly in Season One. Very emotional, starring Martin Sheen as a Soul Hunter.

A Call to Arms takes place after all the several Big Bad Alien Races have been chased out of our universe.....but no, we forgot somebody, and they're aiming straight for Earth. A remarkable film that leads directly into Crusade.

Actually, I am going to disagree with other reviewers about one thing-new viewers need to watch "In the Beginning" BEFORE watching the series. The title says it all-the movie tells the beginning of the story, and yes it does drop in some things that might remove a little bit of the mystery later, but not very much. But the movie itself is so great, and sets up the meaning of the Babylon 5 station and the places of characters and races in the B5 universe so well, that it makes a great hook to get new viewers to watch the series. When this film originally aired on TNT, followed by the re-airing of the first four seasons starting a week after, it convinced ten people that I know to start watching the show. In the Begining is the hook, and a great one at that.

Follow your viewing of In the Begining with "the Gathering." This is really a great film that sets up the station itself and many of its principle characters. Now, like any pilot, the actors and crew are still getting their sea legs, and it shows, but the pilot clearly shows how Babylon is a lot edgier than other scifi shows. Plus, there is some great character stuff in it, especially for Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari), Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), and Michael O'Hare (Commander Sinclair).

"Thirdspace" should really be viewed sometime mid-Season 4 of Babylon 5, right in between the time of the Shadow War's ending and the time when the stuff with the unrest on Minbar and the Earth Civil war. It is a great story, reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Invaders from Mars, with great space sequences and chaotic and dark elements.

"River of Souls" should be viewed after "Objects at Rest", which is the episode of Season 5 right before the series finale. This is a decent film, but its the weakest of all the B5 movies. Martin Sheen is in it as a Soul Hunter, and there is some good comedy involving a holo-brothel on the station. Other than that, the plot is actually kind of slow in places, but its still worth viewing once in a while.

"A Call to Arms" is really the set up the for "Crusade" series. Its good to have with the others, but really belongs as the openere to the other show. Its a great film, though.

These are just my suggestions on where to watch these movies in the B-5 structure:

disc 1 - The Gathering: this is the pilot and should be watched before you start with season 1.

disc 2 - In The Beginning: This was aired after season 4, and should not be watched before that season is over, though I'd recommend watching it just before the final episode of season 5 (but after "River Of Souls" and before "Call To Arms", as explained below).

disc 3 - Thirdspace: This was a stand-alone story that took place during season 4 - watch it after the 7th or 8th episode (or 2nd disc) of season 4.

disc 4 - River of Souls: This was a stand-alone story that took place shortly after season 5, (but before the last episode of season 5). Watch this one just after the 2nd to last episode of season 5 (and preferably before "In The Beginning").

disc 5 - Call To Arms: This again takes place just before the final episode in season 5, so watch this accordingly after "River of Souls", but before the series finale, "Sleeping In Light". (though I'd watch "In The Beginning" before this)

Hope this helps.

The movies are worth buying -- mostly. The Gathering and In the Beginning are particularly worth it. As with everything else to do with Babylon 5, it's the bigger picture that matters, and there is surely a great hunk of the essential bigger picture here.

(listed in order of production)

THE GATHERING (the series pilot)- 3 Stars. Pretty darn clunky and quirky, The Gathering still has a lovely evocation of the station's alien environment - the best of the whole series, perhaps. Much of the acting is frustrating, but I have rewatched this movie the most of the bunch and it doesn't fail to continually please in atmosphere and implication of a great world-depth over time (mostly due to the art direction and the opening travelogue of the station.) Thank goodness the right half of this cast was replaced, though. And thanks, too, to J.M.S. for justifying those characters' existences anyway later on in the series with references and returns (particularly Lyta's.)

THIRDSPACE - 3 Stars. Trippy, almost great, but finally a big mess. Beautiful images of surreal universe-bending. Some awful, awful station mayhem scenes. Lovely, artful, ambitious CGI. Generally, a lot of nonsense plotwise. This feels like a TV movie made to have something to try out the CG artists' skills with... and to maybe suggest a B5 horror movie with sci-fi CG without actually being one. Contemporaneous Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within and Independence Day (the inside the mothership scenes) contain better CG images though, and of the same kind of eerie sci-fi/horror subjects... the suggestion of alien environment so threatening it seethes...

In the Beginning - 4 or 5 stars, depending on my warmongering mood - The epic Minbari War series prelude - essential to any Babylon 5 fan's appreciation of the show. Chapters of it are better than other chapters of it... for several reasons. The whole is pretty incredible. Lovely expressionist direction on the whole... Love that Vejar light-play. But parts that add up to the sum are fairly crappy in places, especially due to some peculiarities of the typically speechy J.M.S., so: Great Whole, Less Great Sum. The last chapters, especially, though fairly full of war-glory, are just awesome. Enjoy the tightly knitted plots and pieces of multiple series episodes into this one movie. Extremely clever and often quite moving stuff, this. (Despite its prelude status, don't watch this one until after season four of the series unless you want to be spoiled.)

The River of Souls - 1 star - a curiosity for drunk fans. Laugh, cry, have a pizza. This movie is CG-pretty, but, frankly, very dull and kind of pointless once Ian McShane's character gets possessed. A great big waste of potential with a pre-West-Wing Martin Sheen slumming it in a truly bizarre performance. Unless, that is, you are a huge fan of Captain Lochley, who has her brightest limelight in this film.

A Call to Arms - 2 or 3 stars (depending on how grumpy I am that Crusade didn't stay on) - The pilot to Crusade. This movie's got some really strange pacing, incredibly predictable plotting, dead time galore where suspense should reign, and a rather cheesy sensibility, as though it was made for less than your average episode... and it never gets a real momentum going, despite the high level of stakes in the actual events of the thing. Shame. However, the intro to Crusade is very valuable and the patience that it does have for such an introduction is firmly in step with the strange, ponderous, verging-on-majestic pace of that series. Don't watch this movie in a vacuum; as a Babylon 5 component, it's oddly very off key and off-putting. Notice the beginning of the weird, atonal and quirky Crusade incidental music style...

AND I still haven't seen The Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight and it's not in my DVD collection, dammit.

To speak of these DVDs, I'd say that this is a fine collection. There are commentaries to treasure (In the Beginning and The Gathering) and commentaries to avoid (The River of Souls and A Call to Arms ... unless of, course, as I said before, you're drunk and with friends... distracted.) The documentaries are fine and interesting, though.

And finally, really, I must heartily recommend this stuff, flawed as it is, flawed as the strange, occasionally brilliant series it comes from was. And... I also recommend Crusade, once you've suffered through A Call to Arms. Enjoy. Drink a little bit. Be Merry.

The casual fan can probably skip the movies with no harm done, but serious students of the Babylon 5 universe will enjoy these movies.

Two of the set are standouts: 'In the Beginning' and the Babylon 5 pilot, 'The Gathering'. Both offer background into the B5 universe and some insight into the characters...and interestingly, the behavior of the secondary characters is very different than their behavior in the series at the time TNT showed these movies. Both of these films are worth careful, repeat viewings to catch the foreshadowing of future events....and it's satisfying to watch a teleplay that is this careful about its plot development.

'Thirdspace', 'River of Souls', and 'A Call To Arms' give some zing to some tertiary characters, and are also enjoyable, though the occasional viewer may be a bit confused as to the motivation and actions of the characters.

Overall, a nice coda to the 5-season arc. Recommended.

Some reveiwers have indicated a specific order for watching the B5 movies. While "The Gathering" and "In the Beginning" are both essential at filling out the background of the show, they you can easily enjoy the 5 seasons of the series without having viewing any of these. On the other hand, it does fill in quite a bit of information on the series but, again, the events depicted in these two first TV movies are actually hinted at throughout the entire run of the series.

That said, the transfers here look and sound about as good as the last three seasons of B5. "The Gathering" improves slightly on the previous DVD release that, and the fact that it has a commentary track, should entice viewers that have it already. The same can be said for the static "In the Beginning". I personally found that this TV movie was a bit disappointing as it spelled out what had been hinted at and throughout the series. It also features some scenes that showed up later on in the series (particularly those involving the show's original lead Michael O'Hare). Both tend to look a bit grainy at times and the underlit scenes are not well served by the DVDs. It would probably have benefited both these (and the TV movie "Thirdspace")with transfers onto a dual later DVD with more space allocated to the visual part of the picture. "The Gatering" is the pilot episode of "B5" and the only movie presented in full screen. Commander Sinclair (O'Hare)presides over a ceremony greeting the Vorlon ambassador. It will be the first time humanity has had direct contact with the Vorlons. Unfortunately, ambassador Kosh of the Vorlons is attacked by a lone assassin. When Kosh's mind is read it appears that the assassin is....John Sinclair. Security Chief Michael Garabaldi (Jerry Doyle) and Sinclair have limited time to discover who is behind the murder and why they are trying to pin it on the commander. "In the Beginning" portrays key incidents from the Earth-Minbari war involving both Sinclair and John Sheridan who will inherit Sinclair's job as commander of B5 during the second season of the series. We see how the war began due to a miscommunication between two species that have more similarities than differences.

"The Gathering" has its moments but is the weakest of the TV movies. The film has the unenviable task of setting up most of the B5 world and ,as such, the mystery at its core really is designed to provide more details about the background of the world J. Michael Straczynski created for the series. With only three regular cast members carried over to the series (Sinclair and Garibaldi although and telepath Lyta Alexander), "The Gathering" mostly sets up the saga that JMS designed for the 5 year series. After the original premiere JMS upgraded the optical effects for the movie in preparation for a reairing of the TV movie and home video release. The pilot here is somewhat different from the original TV movie. JMS went back and made some minor tweaking including more character moments. The transfer looks slightly better than the first dual sided disc that featured this and "In the Beginning"

"In the Beginning" spells out many of the adventures and conflicts hinted at throughout the run of the series during the Earth-Minbar war. We finally see how Sheridan helped turn the tide in the war against the Minbari. We also see key scenes that show up later and are important to explaining the fate of Sinclair in the show. The transfer improves slightly on the previous DVD release but is still somewhat grainy and dark at times.

"The River of Souls" was actually the fourth movie produced and relates to a first season episode involving a race that collect the souls of the living after they die. They hope that they can preserve the essence of the person and allow them to share their knowledge and wisdom. The commentary track here, on "Thirdspace" and "A Call To Arms" are among the best. Since it involves JMS, director Janet Greek and actress Tracy Scoggins we get a whole bunch of neat tidbits. The image quality is, again, an improvement over the broadcast version but it has some of the same flaws as the other TV movies included. Overall, the visuals look pretty impressive here as with "Thirdspace".

The ones that interested me the most was "Thirdspace" and "A Call to Arms". Both were offshoots from the main story arcs of B5 and are excellent stand alone movies. Although the latter film was prepared as a "B5" "Crusade" bridge, it operates quite well as an open ended TV movie. Here's hoping that "Crusade" will follow and that JMS will tie up all the lose ends of that series. In "Thirdspace" the B5 crew discovera massive spaceship stranded for centuries in hyperspace. They bring the ship out and discover it has unusual properties including the ability to drain any ship coming into contact with it of all its energy. Meanwhile, resident B5 mindreader Lyta Alexander begins having strange visions of B5 destroyed by a massive power and overrun by creatures from another dimension.

In "Crusade" a deadly virus is unleased on Earth by minions of The Shadows. Without the cure, the people of Earth only have 5 years to live without a cure. Both look pretty good and are an improvement over the broadcast quality images but, again, a bit more care could have been taken with these occasionally grainy and dark transfers. Any scenes involving the opticals and live action appear especially effected by these transfer issues. On the whole, though, both look pretty good.

Overall, a great set and addition to the B5 universe. Of the five movies included here, only three are essential but all five are pretty solid in terms of the quality of the writing and performances. My only complaint is that I wish that Warner would take a bit more care in transferring these to DVD as they do share many of the same flaws from seasons 3-5 with somewhat murky images and grainy transfers. It's a particularly issue when it involves the CGI effects integrated into live action sequences. A very good set and an essential purchase for B5 fans. As with the previous sets you get a booklet with credits for each movie and the who is on the commentary track. There's also a touching note from JMS about the death of the talented actor Richard Biggs who played Dr. Stephen Franklin on the show. Tragic loss at such a young age. The single extra includes a featurette on how science effected B5 and visa versa. Pretty interesting but you probably won't watch it more than once.

J. Michael Straczynski (jms) created the space station Babylon 5 and spent years getting it produced and on the air. It premiered about the same time ST: Deep Space Nine did, and for a while, fans compared the two. It was almost "apples & oranges" time, but it was tried.

As a long-time Trek fan, I was surprised when I first saw the pilot ("The Gathering") in 1993. I was absolutely stunned. It was marvelous - a space station as a port of call and hope for interstellar peace with resident alien ambassadors who really looked ALIEN not just odd noses and hair. I had to recognize the wonderful character actor, Andreas Katsulas, BY VOICE! And why Babylon 5, not just Babylon Station? Well, #s 1 - 4 were sabotaged & destroyed; # 4 disappeared after going on-line. (Disappeared? It's 5 MILES LONG, for crying out loud!) Word was that this would be an on-going, progressive five year story arc, the likes of which hadn't been done before on US television. Risky. Okay, jms had my attention. When the series finally made it to the air, I (being cynical of tv production in general) figured it wasn't going to stay as good. It didn't. It steadily got better.

I repeat, I speak as a long time Trek fan (beginning with the original series - skip Voyager, I did). B5 is one of the best televison series ever produced. Note I did not say "science fiction series." (It is THE best s/f series ever put up to the audience.) I introduced several non s/f fans to the series, as a dramatic series and they all loved it. (So much for "only for space opera hounds.")

Crowd scenes were, well, crowded, with humans of all types and aliens as extras wandering through scenes. (The aliens, by the way, are much more than odd skin colours, strange noses and "hair.") The station wasn't pristeen, the population wasn't always picture perfect. We have shysters, homeless, personal problems, espionage, humour, betrayal, relationships, and deaths (being in the opening credits did not guarantee survival, and it didn't always happen at the end of a season). The plotlines are tight, and the threads are woven into five years of shows. The special effects are believable. (Yes, you could "hear" space battles, but hey, cut them some slack - NASA asked for plans of the Starfuries for reference for future space station repair vehicles.) B5 was the first show to rely on CGI effects, born out of budget necessity. More than once, watching the show, I found myself pounding the furniture with excitement - and we won't go into (here) what I did during series finale "Sleeping in Light."

Sinclair, Sheridan, Ivanova, Garibaldi, G'Kar, Londo, Lennier, Vir, Na'Toth, Talia, and Lyta came into our home as people with problems. The characters grew and changed and made choices and dealt with the consequences of those choices for good or bad. G'Kar (Andreas Katsulas) put it best: no one on Babylon 5 is exactly what they appear. There is no clear deliniation of good guys and bad guys - mostly it's all shades of grey. Acting (with the exception of one season five regular) is superb. What more could you ask! For the first four years, the hardest part of being a B5 fan was FINDING it. (Our local station played ping-pong with its time slot.) To own uncut, widescreen versions on DVD of the whole story arc was a dream we had.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS SERIES NEEDS TO BE SEEN IN ORDER, STARTING WITH "THE GATHERING" AND MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THE SEASONS. (Don't worry about where the movies fall in the arc just yet, and STAY AWAY from "In the Beginning," "River of Souls," and "A Call to Arms" until you have viewed the series through "Objects at Rest.") It IS a total story. Now the episodes and movies (all but the series "B5: Crusade" and "Legend of the Rangers," which are not integral to the main storylines) are available. This movie set is a "must-have" for any B5 fan.

The quality of these movies varies from average (Thirdspace) to excellent (In The Beginning). But that is not why I am giving this collection 5 stars.

Babylon 5 is a story told over five seasons. In this story we grow close to characters who grow and change like real people. The Londo and G'kar in season five is to see characters with strengths and weaknesses shaped by extraordinary circumstance.

These movies give us an added treat. JMS has given us the opportunity to step out of the regular schedule and learn in more detail about some of the back story we can only infer from the series. The Babylon 5 universe is of enough depth that I wish we could have had even more of these special movies.

As a bonus, we get commentaries by JMS. While it is always interesting to learn what he had in mind, Babylon 5 speaks eloquently even without commentary.