Babylon 5: The Lost Tales

It seems like most of the gripes aired here about TLT focus on one of four aspects:1. Budget and FX2. Writing3. Lack of "Kewl" Space Battles4. The ActingLet's look at each of these:1.and 3. Okay, the FX wasn't perfect out of the gate, but still, given the budget they had to work with, it was very good. Granted it was a little weak in the docking bay sequences, but how many of us remember the then-cutting edge of CGI technology back when B5 was on, and how much pressure Foundation (and later Netter Digital) were under to produce fluid and mostly believable FX work under a weekly deadline? And look at the strides in virtual set technology, which made it possible to even film TLT on the budget that it had. Without the FX capabilities we have now, it's possible that TLT might not have been filmed at all.And look at what they got RIGHT. What we see is a)consistent with the B5 we once watched, and b)in much finer detail than what we once had available to us. All they need now is the budget to continue developing high-res models for the remainder of the ships in the B5 universe and work on their interior set CGI design a little bit.2.I'm guessing that those who were disappointed in TLT were expecting the grand, grandiose space battles of S4, rather than the dialogue and character-driven set pieces that we've been given here.As a writer, JMS has said before that he tends to prefer writing small, almost theater-esque scenes where the dialogue and characterization drive the drama, rather than flashy FX, and TLT as a production comes straight from that belief.Quite a few B5 episodes, such as Eyes (S1), And the Sky Full of Stars (S1), Comes the Inquisitor (S2), Passing through Gethsemane (S3), Intersections in Real Time (S4), Rising Star (S4), and The Long Night of Londo Mollari (S5), don't focus on the big epic or depend on big-budget FX to carry the episode, but instead feature drama based on one or two characters' choices and convictions in the face of a real threat (namely, their professional or personal death), not to mention the consequences from those choices, which occur because of (or in spite of) those choices.The overall theme of TLT takes that theme a step further: there's always a third choice, and that the choice taken in both cases was not the one anticipated or offered ... there was always the third way of looking at the situation. In that sense, the writing is a worthy addition to the B5 universe, and thematically, ranks it up there with JMS' better writing efforts.The quality of the dialogue and the humor and the pacing? Granted, JMS has been knocked on all three in past efforts, but if anything, the dialogue, the humor, and the pacing in TLT were crisper and better written than a bit of his previous work and especially better than the last foray into B5 territory, with Legend of the Rangers. Heck, it was certainly better than 80 percent of what currently passes for shows on the Sci-Fi Channel (and before you flame me, I say this as a BSG fan, a nuWho fan, and a Stargate SG-1 fan as well, and I count those shows in the remaining 20 percent).4. The acting. Honestly, acting is a component of the material you're given, and in that respect, Tracy Scoggins' performance does seem a little bit "muted" in the first 15 minutes of her half, but I suspect that's because of the position she's been put in: in order to save time showing "what went before", a lot of her dialogue is voice-over or exposition, which really doesn't give her much to work with as an actress: she has to set up the backstory and explain the situation to Father Cassidy (and the viewers). After that speed bump, though, she nicely underplays Lochley through the rest of it.In part two, both Boxleitner and Woodward show their chops as actors; Boxleitner managing to do a quite passable Bill Clinton-esque turn as ISA President, and Woodward bringing a darker edge to Galen not seen in the spin-off, Crusade.One thing that seems to have been overlooked is the performance of Keegan MacIntosh as Regent Vintari, who managed to pull off something amazing: Vintari is supposed to be the son of the mad former Emperor Cartagia (played by actor Wortham Krimmer), and MacIntosh manages to evoke Krimmer's performance (and portray the son of the father) without copying it.All in all, it was an excellent return to form, and a worthy foray into the B5 universe. I hope that the sales allow JMS to continue making these and bring back more familiar characters.

Quite possibly the most concrete sci-fi TV series of all time is back! This is very exciting for Babylon 5 (B5) fans! If you are new to the series, please check the existing universe of B5 DVDs here at Amazon. Some of the spotlight reviews provide a list of the order in which to start watching.This is the first in a proposed series of anthology format direct-to-DVD releases. The DVD contains two interwoven stories featuring three B5 universe regulars (Sheridan, Lockley and techno-mage Galen (of Crusade)) and some new characters, including a Centauri Prince.This had a (working) title of "Voices in the Dark", but I don't see it mentioned on the DVD box cover.Originally JMS was planning three stories but the two stories ended up getting bigger, so the third story (involving Girabaldi) was postponed for a future release.Needless to say the decision on how many additional Babylon 5 DVDs to make and how frequently to make them will be partly affected by the sales of this one. So you know what to do, buy early and buy often ;-)Update 6/1: The official babylon5 website has posted a trailer (yes a trailer!) and two director's blogs under "The Lost Tales movie" segment... The trailer starts quietly but explodes halfway :)The DVD=======Ergonomics: The DVD is easy to slip in and out of the case. It comes out real easy, no need to flex or put pressure on the DVD like some dvd cases haveWhen you put the dvd in the dvd player and do nothing, playback starts with a two-minute promo for the direct to DVD animated release "Superman Doomsday".There is one audio track in english and subtitles in english. No other options.Voices in the Dark==================You can watch the two stories together or you can watch them separately. The separate titles are "Over Here" for the B5 story and "Over There" for the Sheridan story.I don't want to spoil the story or the plot or anything like that but the things I liked:* nicely done in-movie tributes to G'Kar and Dr Franklin (Beyond the Rim)* It was so nice to have brand new B5 universe stories!* A lot of subtle things in the movie were a treat for B5 fans. This shows that special attention was paid to make this true to the B5 spirit, and not yet another shoot'em up in space. Also I appreciated that it did not have the traditional tv/movie mentality of saving-the-world in the last 30 seconds of the show.* Nice views of B5, and some nice ship views (but never enough!)* The first story (Lockley/B5) was a bit over the top at times, and Lockley talked a bit too much at times. Not that I am complaining, I'm just pointing it out :)* The closing lines at the end of the movie could have an additional meaning: you could read into them that they are also talking about future of dvd releases - perhaps :)Bonus Features==============1) Beyond the Rim Memorials for Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar) and Richard Biggs (Stephen), duration: 13 minutes2) Fireside Chats: JMS answers fan questions on camera (almost 19 minutes)3) JMS Diaries, production diaries (with some funny moments (eg sock puppets instead of actors)), 21 minutes long4) Interviews with JMS and the three stars of the dvd (Sheridan, Lockley and Galen), duration: 17 1/2 minutes.*) Total of bonus features: Around 80 minutes longWhy buy it?===========If you are a hardcore B5 fan (and you know who you are), this supports B5 in a way that encourages the masters of the universe to fund JMS for more and more B5 universe projects!When looking at the price please keep in mind that this is a direct to DVD release, with no TV/cable revenue and no theatrical release revenue. Viewers like us can make a difference by buying it!

For a long time I have loved Babylon 5: it's a key part of my Science Fantasy/ Fiction constellation: Star Trek, Doctor Who, Babylon 5. Yet after I fell in love with Babylon 5 I could not help but feel a little betrayed by the sequel show Babylon 5 Crusade: a spin off that was (in my opinion) a bold brave swing sabotaged by a lack of support from its network. JMS (the creator of the Babylon 5 series) did his best but the network did not want to make the quality series Crusade could be: so he opted to cancel it. Then along came Babylon 5 the Lost Tales. These short stories are a return to form for Babylon 5: thought provoking, challenging and essentially stories about real human morality and the human condition. From Colonel Lockley's challenging confrontation with what may, or may not be demonic possession; to President Sheridan being asked by an old acquaintance to make an impossible decision, these tales remind us of what Babylon 5 was at its height and could be again. I highly recommend this package. I'm off to watch again....

rien à redire , le tout en parfait étatle seul point noir c'est le langage , seul le français n'existe pas même en s/t , la faute à qui ?mais je ne regrette pas mon achat

El proyecto original de The Lost Tales era mucho más amplio, sin embargo el creador de B5 no quiso seguir, es una lástima, tenía mucho potencial. Él único pero sería ese, se queda solo como en el inicio de algo que pudo haber sido muy bueno.

Als ich diese DVD einlegte hatte ich gemischte Gefühle. Erstens hatte ich sowohl positive als auch negative Kritik aus den USA gelesen, und zweitens konnte ich mir nicht vorstellen das etwas das vor 10 Jahren so fantastisch geendet hatte mit der selben Qualität aufwarten könnte wie damals. Und das kann B5 TLT auch nicht, aber dazu später mehr.Der Film beginnt mit einem Intro das jedem Babylon 5 Fan eine Gänsehaut der feinsten Sorte bescheren wird. Denn nochmals wohnen wir der Zerstörung der Station in ferner Zukunft bei um dann zu den letzten Worten von GŽKar (ein wirklich sehr schöner Einfall) wieder ein Stück in die Vergangenheit zu reisen. Der eigentliche Vorspann ist ebenfalls phänomenal in Szene gesetzt und würde einer neuen Serie ziemlich gut stehen.Die beiden Geschichten sind wahrlich nicht das Gelbe vom Ei. Der Exorzismus kommt etwas lahm daher, die Hintergründe bleiben unerforscht und Lochley kann nur einen Bruchteil dessen zeigen was sie kann. Mir fehlt es da an Tiefe. Plötzlich haben wir ein hoch spirituelles Thema in einem Universum das bisweilen von göttlicher Intervention völlig frei war. Noch dazu entstammt das übernatürliche Wesen der Erde und soll tatsächlich ein gefallener Engel sein. Selbst wenn man den Bogen zu den aus der Serie bekannten Allerersten geschlagen hätte käme das einem Logikbruch gleich, haben diese doch in der vierten Staffel das Universum für immer verlassen.Und auch die Geschichte um Galen und Sheridan dümpelt leider nur an der Oberfläche vor sich hin. Immerhin sollen die Centauri die große Bedrohung der fernen Zukunft sein. Doch was ist mit den Drakh und der verseuchten Erde? Immerhin wurde die Storyline aus Crusade nie final aufgelöst.Aber vielleicht werden wir in weiteren Geschichten Antworten erhalten, wer weiß?Allein visuell gesehen lohnt sich der erneute Ausflug nach Babylon 5. Nie sah diese Station beeindruckender aus. Doch auch die Hyperraumsprungtore und Raumschiffe haben sich bedeutend weiterentwickelt. Schiffe der Valen-Klasse werden dem geneigten Fan wie Musik in den Ohren klingen. Außerdem bekommen wir endlich einmal einen Blick auf die Erde und das New York City in 2272 zu sehen. In der Serie waren wir auf unserem blauen Planeten immerhin höchst selten zu Gast und wenn dann nur in geschlossenen Räumen.Die Musik ist ebenfalls sehr gut gelungen und passt perfekt zum neuen Babylon 5. Immerhin hat sich dieses Universum entwickelt, warum auch nicht der Soundtrack dazu? Und doch gibt es noch genug alte Melodien im neuen Gewand um wieder das richtige B5-Feeling zu bekommen.Das Bonusmaterial besteht größtenteils aus Produktionsnotizen die bereits auf der Homepage zu sehen waren. Dazu reihen sich 3 kleine Interviews mit den Hauptdarstellern sowie ein kleines FAQ mit dem Produzenten JMS. Die Nachrufe für Andreas Katsulas und Richard Biggs halte ich für etwas lieblos. Erstens weil nur JMS, Bruce Boxleitner und Tracy Scoggins etwas beitragen und weil keinerlei Interviews, denkwürdige Szenen oder Rückblicke mit den Verstorbenen eingearbeitet wurden.Außerdem fehlt mir Claudia Christian als die unvergessliche Susan Ivanova im Vorspann. Ich weiß nicht welche Gründe das hat, als Fan ist mir das aber eigentlich ziemlich egal. Diese Frau hat B5 vier Staffeln lang mitgeprägt, sie verdient einen Platz an der Ehrenwand.Fazit: Für Fans ein Muss, der Neueinsteiger sollte sich jedoch erst auf die Serie konzentrieren, denn diese setzt selbst für heutige Standards immer noch Maßstäbe was Storyline und Charakter-Development angeht.

B5 may have been a groundbreaking series, but it hasn't had the best luck with spin-offs since it went off the air. Crusade was sunk by network interference before a single episode had aired, and the pilot for Legend of the Rangers didn't generate sufficient ratings to justify being picked up. This third attempt represents a new experiment in the way television is produced and delivered. The idea is to build up an anthology series as a series of straight-to-DVD productions, with each instalment focusing on a separate character from the B5 universe.This first disk comprises the first two instalments, each of around 35 minutes. Segment one focuses on Colonel Lochley, and sees her confronting a case of apparent demonic possession aboard Babylon 5. Segment two sees President Sheridan travelling to B5 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Alliance, and confronted with a moral dilemma presented to him by the enigmatic technomage Galen, who was last seen as a regular in Crusade. Extras consist of a series of amusing on-set documentaries and interviews with the cast and crew.The whole thing has been shot using high definition cameras and makes extensive use of virtual sets, with effects provided by one of the companies that worked on the Battlestar Galactica revival. In short, it makes full use of the latest technology and looks absolutely outstanding. J. Michael Straczinsky also seems to have advanced considerably as a writer in the intervening years, ensuring this is a wholly worthy addition to the B5 canon.Most important of all, future instalments have not yet been confirmed by Warner Brothers and will be entirely dependent on pre-orders and sales for this disk. In other words, if you want to see more B5 in the future, you know what to do...