Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Jeff Conaway
• Directors: Janet Greek, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Michael Vejar, Richard Compton
• Writers: J. Michael Straczynski
• Producers: Douglas Netter, J. Michael Straczynski, John Copeland
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004
• Run Time: 471 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002B15UQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,856 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Television > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Babylon 5

• For more information about "Babylon 5 - The Movie Collection" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 6 in The Babylon 5 Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Babylon 5 pilot movie The Gathering was originally broadcast in 1993 a full year ahead of the regular show. A somewhat dull tale of an attempt to assassinate Koch, the Vorlon ambassador to B5, the feature served to introduce Commander Jeffery Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle) as well as familiarize the audience with the unique environment of a five-mile-long space station in the year 2257. Missing many of the main cast, and suffering from a leaden pace and mediocre music score, series creator J Michael Straczynski later improved The Gathering by tightening the cut for a special edition (the version released on DVD), adding some deleted character moments and commissioning a new score from series composer Christopher Franke.

Four new TV movies were part of the deal to syndicate Babylon 5. In the Beginning is a prelude set 10 years before Babylon 5, telling the story of the Earth-Minbari war. Told retrospectively, many of the mysteries revealed gradually in the main series are recounted, making the show a collection of spoilers for newcomers while adding little for established fans. It is effective to see events only previously talked about, and enjoyable to have most of the main cast playing younger versions of themselves. River of Souls is a self-contained adventure featuring a return of the Soul Hunters from Season One, while Thirdspace offers a spectacular Lovecraftian space opera which slots into the saga after the end of the Shadow War. A Call to Arms is the most important of the TV films, laying the ground for the future TV series Crusade. Set five years after the Shadow War, it tells the story of a Drahk revenge attack on Earth. A final showcase for Bruce Boxleitner as Sheridan, the story fits between fifth-season episodes "Objects at Rest" and "Sleeping in Light." The cliffhanger ending sets the scene for new starship Excalibur to boldly go on a five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and find a cure for the Shadow virus infecting the Earth. --Gary S. Dalkin

Product Description

First time on DVD! Initiate jump sequence for feature-length tales about key events in the B5 chronology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

261 of 268 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OH BOY! Is this GREAT..., July 21, 2004

By	S. Halander "Lem fan" (The Village) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable companion to the B5 season sets, May 30, 2004

By A Customer

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.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for Babophiles, July 29, 2004

By	Brian Hulett "okierazorbacker2" (Oinklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.