Babylon 5: The Lost Tales

Babylon 5 is sorely missed, and this chance to walk the halls of Brown sector again is greatly appreciated. However, Brown sector is known for its foul odor. Babyon 5 Voices in the Dark suffers from both the best and worst of the epochal television series that predated it. Moments of brilliance are interwoven with corny, pedantic dialogue that almost leaves one with a foul aftertaste. However, in pure Babylon 5 tradition, there is enough brilliance to override the bad, leaving Voices in the Dark as a worthy addition to any B5 fan's DVD library. The first story, involving a bizarre decision to employ the services of a Priest for an exorcism, fails to make the grade as a good B5 story. It's JMS at his worst, which is odd. He's usually very good at making stories work logically, yet, there is no reason for Lochley to jump to the conclusion of an exorcism. In a universe that has seen the likes of the Shadows and Vorlons, many deep space creatures have been encountered that employ similar abilities as "the prisoner". The priest, brilliantly acted by lan Scarfe, delivers the most rational, and well written dialogue in the first half, making Lochley look a little off her rocker. Moreover, why does JMS always rush to the Christian Bible when dealing with Spirituality? There are a myriad of faiths on Earth that have terrifying demonic spirits in them, and to be honest, the whole "Omen" thing has been done to death. It smacks of writing in a closet. Finally, I would have wished the Priest would have interrupted Lochley's boring soliloquy near the end with "Okay. We get the idea." Talk about hammering a point to death. Fortunately, Tracy Scoggins handles the plodding dialogue expertly, and it is wonderful to see the character back in action, despite Lochley's religious irrationality. Fortunately, the second story, involving Sheridan's run in with Galen the Technomage is much more up to the quality of JMS at his best. We have a very tough moral decision forced upon President Sheridan, and he handles it in true Straczinsky fashion: If someone gives you two options, both of which you hate, do your damndest to find a third. And he does in a way that justifies both Galen's dark demeanor and Sheridan's brief but frightening detour from the moral high ground. Bruce Boxlietner is a delight as Sheridan, and he breathes life into a role that is dearly missed. Peter Woodward Shines as Galen, perhaps one of Straczynski's best and most complicated characters to emerge from the B5 universe. I was so relieved when the second story played itself out. It was emotionally satisfying in all the right places, and balanced out the weaker first half. The special effects are great, save for an obvious, painfully long CGI shot in the hang bay when Father Cassidy disembarks. Having a fixed perspective shot, to incorporate live action elements without moving the camera, is an old trick held over from the Matte Painting days. This ranks as one of the worst because the background is too detailed. Less is more (see the final shot of Raiders of the Lost Ark). Here, they tried to get as much movement in the shot as possible, without moving the camera (which would have required expensive motion control cameras on the green screen set). The result is a visual noise that distracts the viewer from the centre of action. At the end of the day what we have here is a great addition the B5 library, despite its obvious faults. The fans want more B5 and they will get it here. The casual viewer will have some work to do, however. Just as watchers of the original series had to endure the first season's horrible acting, so to will the casual viewer be required to do with the first half of this DVD. I am hoping for more stories from the B5 universe because there are many left to tell.

As a fan of "Babylon 5" I could go at this from several angles; as some others have done, I could express disappointment at not seeing more of the characters and situations that made B-5 so intriguing expounded upon in this new entry...

I could focus upon the pleasure at re-visiting this Universe in any form, no matter what limitations...

Then again, I could go another direction....

Well, certainly I would like to see more characters revisited, more stories told, and more of...EVERYTHING. But, all of that takes TIME. Hopefully, this new entry will succeed financially, and create that time for more stories to be told in the future (and about this future) in this format.

Bottom Line: I believe that the best standpoint is to NOT focus upon what is NOT there and appreciate what IS.... while hoping for what MAY BE.

The two stories on this DVD are essentially radio plays with minimal effects thrown in. The stories are mostly two, or occasionally three, characters conversing. The content of those conversations consist of some religious mumbo-jumbo and some musings on the nature of free will versus destiny. Not horrible, but we expect more from JMS. The sets are spartan and the CGI is frankly a bit crude, and only three of the series regulars are featured—obviously, there was very little budget allocated to this production. The DVD extras are only for die-hard Babylon 5 fans (well, that could also be easily said for the movie itself). Let's hope that this sells well enough for Warner Bros. to green light more "Lost Tales" with bigger budgets. With the success of Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, and other SF television, it seems there should be a market for a quality return of Babylon 5.

***The Short Verdict***

It's definitely made on a tight budget, but if you're a fan of Babylon 5 -- whether hardcore, or simply someone who enjoyed the series-long story arc while it was on -- I think you'll enjoy this if you pick it up.

***To Elaborate***

I loved B5 for its series-long story arc, and for the breadth and depth of its storytelling (the new Battlestar Galactica wasn't first in that regard), but I don't own the DVDs and I haven't watched an episode in years. It didn't matter. This disc gives you enough right off the top to remind you of what you should know, and to get you back in the groove.

If you're completely unfamiliar with B5, you should consider buying the boxed DVD sets, and then pick this up. :-)

***The Good***

It's essentially two stories in seventy-two minutes and it shows as a labor of creative love.

Babylon 5 Creator/Writer/Director Straczynski's trademark sharp writing (and humor) are in full evidence. The acting is solid, even from lesser players. Boxleitner (Sheridan) has improved as an actor with age, in my opinion. He's subtler in many ways; less "showy".

The visual effects are beyond what I expected for this sort of Direct-To-DVD project. Very nice, and well-used. Since there are no commercial breaks (hooray!), shifts in the story are most often signalled by a quick cut to an exterior shot.

The visual effects detail is markedly better than on the original show. When I heard that this (projected) series would be using CGI green-screen for certain backdrops, I sort of cringed inwardly -- we've all seen how wrong that can go -- but, to my surprise, it was well done, particularly in the crucial aspect of "light-matching". In one setting, you can sort of notice that the background and foreground lighting don't precisely match, but for the most part, I was surprised and impressed by how well the CGI backgrounds were implemented.

For the B5 fan faithful, there are extras on this disc: "making of" segments; interviews; and even memorial spots where creator and cast reminisce about the two actors in the ensemble cast who have passed on since the series ended.

***The Not-So-Good***

Creator Straczynski has said up-front that this whole direct-to-DVD distribution model for an SF series is a big experiment/gamble. He's also said that their budget (at least, if and until this proves to be a successful distribution format) is significantly less than what a regular, network-produced SF show would get.

To their credit, you don't see any "cheapness" here. I've seen cheaper-looking shows done by the Sci-Fi network in the US, for example. As above, the CGI visual effects are first-rate -- more than I ever expected.

The major way the lesser budget shows through is in the lack of physical sets. A lot of scenes take place in corridors, or smaller rooms. The C&C (Command and Control -- i.e. the "bridge") of the Babylon 5 station is mentioned, but we never actually go there.

Given the fact that this release is a "pilot project", I can understand the creators wanting to put their finite budget where it would have maximum effect, rather than spending money on building a bunch of standing sets which might potentially never be used again, should this distribution model fail, and we see no more episodes.

If this distribution model does prove a success -- and I hope it does -- I would expect to see at least a few standing sets built. I mean, how many times can station commander Colonel Lochley have meetings in her quarters, before it all starts to seem a bit odd? Still, what the episode lacks in physical substance, they cover with good lighting, inventive camera work, and solid editing. The score is orchestral and professional.

The only other place in which the lack of budget shows through is that both stories in the episode are very character- and dialogue-centred.

If you're looking for ferocious fights, with exploding scenery, and stunt people flying everywhere, it's not in this installment. We get some brief space-based CGI "blowin' stuff up real good", but nothing with live actors in fake peril.

The two stories here are all about character, and Straczynski's sharp dialogue. In fact, the first story in the pair is positively philosophical in tone -- bringing in topics like God, the devil, heaven and hell into the mix.

The actors are universally solid, so I found both stories interesting -- but if you're the kind of viewer who loses interest unless somebody's getting punched in the face, or something's on fire, this episode probably isn't for you.

***In Conclusion***

I hope this DVD sells well enough to deem its distribution model a success -- not only so we can see more Babylon 5, with (hopefully) bigger budgets thanks to profits -- but so that it opens the door for other quality direct-to-DVD series of this type. I can't be the only one who'd like to see a little more Firefly, for example.

For that reason, I'd say buy this if you're interested. Send a tangible message that you like the distribution model, as well as the specific content, in a way that renting or pirating the DVD won't do.

Will we see more Babylon 5 this way? Time will tell -- but I certainly hope so.

I was looking forward to this for a long time, and fortunately, was not disappointed. It's very different from the series, as there isn't a complicated plot arc, nor is there an epic tale of good versus evil. There are 2 short, fast stories.

The first story, with Lochley, reminded me of old sci-fi short stories that I used to read when I was little. It was an interesting take on religion in the future and differed somewhat from the way I saw it in the series. While not what I expected, it was still fun and thought provoking.

The second story with Sheridan and Galen was more traditional B5, but felt a little rushed in how it developed. Still, it was entertaining and had the humor and edge that I loved from the series. It's still a heroic tale about the effect one man can have, but its not epic.

Throughout the movie, the visual effects were mindblowingly better than the original. The station was glorious, the battle scene gorgeous, and the new designs were true to the original flavor while still being different.

There are some flaws, but nothing really made me cringe (except for one piece of techno babble).