Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
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Movie Reviews of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
Movie Review: A great return to Babylon 5... and I want more!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This new DVD release of 'Babylon 5-The Lost Tales' is a welcome return to a show that many consider one of the best Sci Fi shows ever to have graced television.
The "Lost Tales' of the title consists of two vignettes,if you will,that are held together by a thread of the narrative/plot.The first concerns the demonic possesion of a crew member which Capt.Lochley(Tracy Scoggins) with the help of a priest(Alan Scarfe,lately of Andromeda) has to contend with.This segment raises many philosophical questions about religion and the future of it and our place in it in the future.
The second segment concerns President Sheridans' return to B-5 to attend the 10th anniversary of the alliance.Along the way our/his pesky technomage Galen(Peter Woodward)returns with a view of what could be Earths' future demise.Sheridan is(delightful to watch!) peeved off at his return and tells him to get lost,but to no avail.It seems the "message" is too important and Sheridan must take steps to do something before it occurs.The technomage recommends a path but,as usual,Sheridan takes his own,much to his(the technomages')chagrin.Will it be enough,will it work?
The roughly 70 minute show ends as we all ponder his decision and he walks toward the anniversary celebrations on B-5.It leaves us with alot of unanswered questions and possibilities for the future of the B-5 universe and it leaves it wide open for more future B-5 movies(or another series?).
I have seen an interview recently at AOL with Mr.Straczynski in which he states that the bottom line as to whether or not anything further develops from this is dependant solely on its' sales and the response it garners.
Well I for one was left salivating for more after the 70 minutes of this movie came to its' very(seemingly) swift conclusion.So I can only hope all you B-5 fans out there will join me in getting this excellent and newest part of the B-5 Universe,you will not be disappointed.
As a footnote there some neat extras in this DVD.There are interviews with Mr.Stracynski,Mr.Boxleitner,Tracy Scoggins and Peter Woodward.There is a 'fireside chat' with the producer who answers a slew of fan questions and there are two touching memorial segments dedicated to the memories of actors Richard Biggs(Dr.Franklin) and Andrea Katsulas(G'Kar) who passed away in 2004 and 2006 respectively.Lastly there's a segment from the producer giving us a glimpse into the making of the 'Lost Tales'.Enjoy.
Movie Review: Babylon 5 Lives Again!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Lost Tales offers us a new look at the babylon 5 universe after a long time of fans asking. This is truly a monumental undertaking because it's the first time a quality presentation has been brought to the straight to dvd market. The future of science fiction could really go toward this innovative format if this works out (buy the disc!). Babylon 5 has always been ahead of the curve in terms of its innovative storylines and technology, and this DVD is no different.
A lot of people came into this expecting some sort of grand action piece, and that's definitely the furthest from what Babylon 5 is supposed to be, and also what this disc is. The concept proposed to the studio was that TLT would be an anthology series, a series of short stories if you will that focused around individual characters in order to give the characters more background and depth. It's really cool and well done from a writing perspective, and you have to go into it with the mindset that the show Babylon 5 was the novel, this is a short story that accompanies it. From that perspective, we couldn't have asked for more.
Galen and Lochley were two characters that really did not receive enough development given the time they had with the show, and TLT helps to remedy that situation. I really hope we get to see more about them and their stories in the future, becuase there is a lot of potential in both of those characters. This is anchored by the familiar, Sheridan, which provides a nice contrast because he *is* so established. Again, beautifully written.
The directing is also top notch, which is interesting to watch as the creator/writer fulfilled his own vision on this one.
This is something that's great for fans, but will be hard to follow if you don't know who these characters are. I recommend picking up the rest of the series first if you have an interest in the cool, innovative storytelling that Babylon 5 has to offer. This makes a nice appendix to the story, as it's supposed to do.
I don't know what the first reviewer was expecting, but he apparently didn't pay attention to the description of this product. Again, this is an innovative concept, and if it sells well, we're bound to see more and with higher budgets for bigger stories. Pick this up!
Movie Review: Theists vs. atheists!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit that I was never a fan of the TV series. I might have watched a few episodes when there was nothing else interesting on TV, but I never watched a complete season or felt the urge to buy or rent a complete season.
Since I love watching sci-fi, I decided to buy this movie. Wow!!!!!! I loved it.
This movie is really two different stories, and reminded me a little bit of the twilight zone. The first story deals with a demon, and was just amazing in its spiritual and religious message. The second story revolved around the ethical question of whether killing a person who might grow up to be a monster is ethical. If we knew that baby Hitler and baby Genghis Khan will grow up to be monsters, would it have been justified to kill them while they were still young and innocent? Can the future really be changed? Is hope always lean and on a diet?
Though the second story was good but nothing really special, it is the first story of the demon that wins a five star rating. I have recently been reading a lot about religion, especially books by atheists. I am not an atheist, but I was very interested in how atheists think. Some of their arguments are pretty convincing. For example, why does God allow so much pain? The question of pain and suffering is what sways most people towards atheism. This movie tackles this problem wonderfully.
The plot of the first story is as follows: Since man has journeyed deep in space, and found no angels and no God, his faith diminished to the point that priests became rare. However, a priest is called upon when a man is suspected of being possessed by a demonic spirit while aboard Babylon 5. The dialogue between the priest and the commander of Babylon 5 about God and atheism is just inspiring. It pretty much sums up everything I have been reading about atheism. But as you will see in the movie, the story takes a sharp twist. Is the demon really a demon? Do demons live in space, or were they cast away somewhere else by God? What's God's divine plan in creating demons in the first place?
This movie will tackle many theological questions, and this makes it quite unique by sci-fi standards. This is a movie I'm sure I'll watch many times.
Movie Review: Best of the Spinoffs - You *can* go home again!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well this was a real treat for B5 fans! A spinoff of the original series that feels like the best of the original series. I was never all that fond of the spinoff projects (with the exception of the exceptional "In the Beginning") like "River of Souls", "Thirdspace" and (especially) "Legend of the Rangers". Despite having seen most of them 2 or 3 times, I found them unmemorable. And although "Crusade" had potential, it will always feel like unfinished business.
But these new "Lost Tales" standalone stories really took me back to what was best about B5 when it was at its best. I thought the two stories were exceptionally clever and compelling, and the theme that seems to tie them (don't take choices at face value) reflects J. Michael Straczynski's writing at its best. Turns out he a pretty great director too!
Other elements: video and audio quality was immaculate; visual effects were wonderful, it's so nice to see the B5 universe re-rendered with today's quality SFX; lovely score by Christopher Franke that has great subtle and epic moments; very good performances by most of the cast, especially Boxleitner and Woodward, who just slip back into their characters and feel like a comfy sweater; wonderful fanservice in the stories and in the extras (especially for our friends who have left us).
My only criticism: I think they need more extras if there are more TLT DVDs (yes please!). The scenes on the station itself feel very sparse, like everyone is on vacation or something. It feels "wrong", especially when so many of the scenes are character and conversation heavy, small intimate scenes in rooms between two characters. The scenes in hallways and on the hanger of the station needed to be a reminder of not only how big the station is, but how busy it is as well. I think that without "B stories" in these scripts, that visual element would have heightened the drama of the smaller, more important scenes.
I hope this is the first of many of these DVDs, thought I fear JMS is just going to be too darn busy with his exploding career to give us more. OTOH, the man is a workaholic, so perhaps the future is bright.
Movie Review: Wonderful - more please!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this, after nearly 10 years some new stories out of the Babylon 5 universe. Sure the small budget meant there were not a lot of actors in it but all those who were played their parts really well and JMS's wonderful story telling makes it a compelling and enjoyable watch.
Watching the special features it is clear that this is the first in what JMS (and all us fans) hope is a collection of new stories out of the B5 universe, only by buying this DVD can we prove to Warner Brothers that it is worth giving JMS the money (and hopefully more) to create even more and bigger episodes. Bring on the revival!
The new CGI is amazing - B5 has never looked so good - the models of the station and other ships are wonderful and it was really heart warming seeing the "shining beacon in space" again at the start of the episode. Also due to the advances in technology we get some nice scenes of some characters in the huge docking bays and some cool new StarFury angles and movement.
Christopher Franke is back doing the music again and the new B5 "Main title" score is really upbeat, joyous, and just generally uplifting with its trumpets, strings, and choir voices. First thing I'm doing after writing this review is buying the soundtrack.
As well as the 2-part story / episode on the disc there are a good number of special features with a memorial to Rick and Andreas, interviews with the three main actors, JMS answering some questions, and doing a bit of a diary with this whole sock puppet joke in it.
Remember that Warner Bros only gave JMS a small budget for this so the episode is not on a grand scale like some in the original series - this is a new beginning, a test of the water, and if this DVD sells well then we will get more.
Apparently there was to be a story with Garibaldi which has been held for the future, this I would love to see. Londo was great so it would be wonderful to see him again and while I'm asking, something to do with the telepaths (Bester especially) would be nice too.
As I said in the title, more please.