!!!!WARNING WHILE MY FIRST POST WILL PURPOSEFULLY NOT CONTAIN ANYTHING I CONSIDER SPOILERS, LATER POSTS MAY, SO BEAR THAT IN MIND PLEASE WHEN READING FURTHER!!!!
Following on from the "Just finished Battlestar Galactica... my life now feels empty" thread here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17787432&highlight=galactica we now have the all-new, all-sdingin and dancing "Just finished Babylon 5 Series 1-5... my life now feels empty.", a sequel in its' own right.
So before we start... for those who have no idea what we're talking about...
Babylon 5 WIki page *CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS, READ WITH CAUTION*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5
Basically over the last few months since having Babylon 5 re-reccommended to me in the prior thread, I took it upon myself to watch the entire main series and movies, back to back, either on my business trips on or a night-time after work. The problem is that once I get into a series I just can't help it... I tend to watch it like a man possessed until there's nothing left to watch.
Particular attention needs to be paid to the viewing order of the episodes and movies, and the order I watched it in, which fits perfectly, is this:
So... what do I have to say about the veritable journey that has been Babylon 5? Amazing. Awe-inspiring. Epic. Almost humbling in its' scale. When I began S1 and watched through the first few episodes I couldn't help but chuckle to myself... the music was cheesy, the CGI effects were very basic, and some of the acting was hammier than a wedge of gammon. Yet it was still eminently watchable, and one thing I noticed that could not be faulted were the costumes and make-up... they are all bloody excellent and I think very realistically done, kudos to them for that. All-in-all it makes for one of the richest, most diverse Sci-Fi settings ever devised, and certainly for me one of the most 'believable'. They created some great alien races.
Anyway as the story started to develop I then began to get used to the characters. Commander Sinclair with his two-tone acting, Garibaldi with his cockatiel haircut and failure to pull off a serious acting face and Ivonava... who at first irritated me and then grew to love. However let me say now before I go any further that for me personally two performances stood head and shoulders above the rest (almost three, but i'll get to that), those of the Narn ambassador G'Kar, and the Centauri ambassador, Londo Mollari. Consistent throughout the entire series, no other actors for me proved so versatile and convincing. G'Kar who at first portrayed to be a spiteful hateful figure before becoming truly enlightened and delivereg some of the most moving lines i've ever had the good grace to hear, and Londo as the good-natured buffoon who develops almost unwillingly into a character tortured by his own conscience. Saying any more would ruin things, and I don't want to make this into a spoiler thread, but in all truth they were two of the finest character performances I have ever seen in my life, with the edge going to Londo (real name: Peter Jurasic) I think.
Also worth noting for a consistently good performance was the sinister Psi-Cop Alfred Bester, played by none other than Pavel Chekov form Star Trek! While he isn't seen half as much as the other characters, his performance was at all times convincing as a chilling telepath, completely ruthless but with a humorous, sometimes sentimental and emotional edge that served to completely lighten his character where it would otherwise sometimes have been overwhelmingly dark. You can't help but like him on some level. Of course than you have the main protagonist of the story John Sheridan, who despite at first thinking was the most rubbish actor since Hayden Christensen, I kind of got used to as the story developed, even garnering a bit of affection for him. Anyway, to cover every character would take pages and pages, there are other good people in there, but those are the ones which stood out for me.
So the story... how is it? Basically slow to start, but once it kicks in it becomes hpypnotising, gripping, so good you literally have to force yourself to turn the TV off and go to bed before you automatically flick on another episode. I revolves around politics, intrigue, heavy lashings of religion, and of course grand alien conspiracies to take over the universe muahahaha. Well, sort of anyway, but saying too much about any aspect of the main plot would ruin things. All you need to to bear in mind is one thing: Vorlons are hard. Very hard. The quality of some of the episodes (and even some of the 'movies' varies between "cack, used a as a filler between the main story episodes" and "Oh my god, this is so epic i've just spaffed on my remote". The saga is not meant to be viewed in terms of any one single episode, it is meant to be taken as a whole in order to appreciate how the story evolves and ties in, and watch questions be answered. Not everyone can follow that mindset, but those who can will be greatly rewarded, likely the same sort who enjoyed BSG.
It's hard to go into too deep a review without giving some things away, but I hope i've given some inkling of how majestic this series is, and I suggest that any of you with any remote interest in Sci-Fi who have the patience to sit down and really get "into" a series without expecting non-stop action every 5 minutes pick these up immediately, and treat yourself to one of the best television experiences you will get in this lifetime.
Now to start Crusade... I hear it's not too bad for a spin-off..
Following on from the "Just finished Battlestar Galactica... my life now feels empty" thread here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17787432&highlight=galactica we now have the all-new, all-sdingin and dancing "Just finished Babylon 5 Series 1-5... my life now feels empty.", a sequel in its' own right.
So before we start... for those who have no idea what we're talking about...
Babylon 5 WIki page *CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS, READ WITH CAUTION*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5
Basically over the last few months since having Babylon 5 re-reccommended to me in the prior thread, I took it upon myself to watch the entire main series and movies, back to back, either on my business trips on or a night-time after work. The problem is that once I get into a series I just can't help it... I tend to watch it like a man possessed until there's nothing left to watch.
Particular attention needs to be paid to the viewing order of the episodes and movies, and the order I watched it in, which fits perfectly, is this:
- Watch the B5 movie "The Gathering".
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Watch Season 4 up to episode "The illusion of truth"
- Watch the B5 movie "Thirdspace"
- Season 4: continue with episodes 9-22
- Watch Season 5 up to episode "Objects at Rest"
- Watch the B5 movie "River of Souls"
- Watch the B5 movie "In the Beginning". This is a prelude set 10 years before Babylon 5. Against the logic of the title, I would strongly recommend seeing it at this stage. Should one see it before Season 1, much of the suspense in the main series would be ruined.
- Watch the B5 movie "A Call to Arms". This movie lays the groundwork for the spin-off TV series "Crusade".
- Season 5: watch final episode "Sleeping in light"
- Watch Crusade Series
So... what do I have to say about the veritable journey that has been Babylon 5? Amazing. Awe-inspiring. Epic. Almost humbling in its' scale. When I began S1 and watched through the first few episodes I couldn't help but chuckle to myself... the music was cheesy, the CGI effects were very basic, and some of the acting was hammier than a wedge of gammon. Yet it was still eminently watchable, and one thing I noticed that could not be faulted were the costumes and make-up... they are all bloody excellent and I think very realistically done, kudos to them for that. All-in-all it makes for one of the richest, most diverse Sci-Fi settings ever devised, and certainly for me one of the most 'believable'. They created some great alien races.
Anyway as the story started to develop I then began to get used to the characters. Commander Sinclair with his two-tone acting, Garibaldi with his cockatiel haircut and failure to pull off a serious acting face and Ivonava... who at first irritated me and then grew to love. However let me say now before I go any further that for me personally two performances stood head and shoulders above the rest (almost three, but i'll get to that), those of the Narn ambassador G'Kar, and the Centauri ambassador, Londo Mollari. Consistent throughout the entire series, no other actors for me proved so versatile and convincing. G'Kar who at first portrayed to be a spiteful hateful figure before becoming truly enlightened and delivereg some of the most moving lines i've ever had the good grace to hear, and Londo as the good-natured buffoon who develops almost unwillingly into a character tortured by his own conscience. Saying any more would ruin things, and I don't want to make this into a spoiler thread, but in all truth they were two of the finest character performances I have ever seen in my life, with the edge going to Londo (real name: Peter Jurasic) I think.
Also worth noting for a consistently good performance was the sinister Psi-Cop Alfred Bester, played by none other than Pavel Chekov form Star Trek! While he isn't seen half as much as the other characters, his performance was at all times convincing as a chilling telepath, completely ruthless but with a humorous, sometimes sentimental and emotional edge that served to completely lighten his character where it would otherwise sometimes have been overwhelmingly dark. You can't help but like him on some level. Of course than you have the main protagonist of the story John Sheridan, who despite at first thinking was the most rubbish actor since Hayden Christensen, I kind of got used to as the story developed, even garnering a bit of affection for him. Anyway, to cover every character would take pages and pages, there are other good people in there, but those are the ones which stood out for me.
So the story... how is it? Basically slow to start, but once it kicks in it becomes hpypnotising, gripping, so good you literally have to force yourself to turn the TV off and go to bed before you automatically flick on another episode. I revolves around politics, intrigue, heavy lashings of religion, and of course grand alien conspiracies to take over the universe muahahaha. Well, sort of anyway, but saying too much about any aspect of the main plot would ruin things. All you need to to bear in mind is one thing: Vorlons are hard. Very hard. The quality of some of the episodes (and even some of the 'movies' varies between "cack, used a as a filler between the main story episodes" and "Oh my god, this is so epic i've just spaffed on my remote". The saga is not meant to be viewed in terms of any one single episode, it is meant to be taken as a whole in order to appreciate how the story evolves and ties in, and watch questions be answered. Not everyone can follow that mindset, but those who can will be greatly rewarded, likely the same sort who enjoyed BSG.
It's hard to go into too deep a review without giving some things away, but I hope i've given some inkling of how majestic this series is, and I suggest that any of you with any remote interest in Sci-Fi who have the patience to sit down and really get "into" a series without expecting non-stop action every 5 minutes pick these up immediately, and treat yourself to one of the best television experiences you will get in this lifetime.
Now to start Crusade... I hear it's not too bad for a spin-off..
Last edited:
