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Babylon 5 - The Gathering (Pilot) / In the Beginning

Babylon 5 - The Gathering (Pilot) / In the Beginning

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Stories...
Review: These films are absolutely stunning. However, the DVD that presents them is so lacking that many fans have been left disappointed. Again, however, if you have not purchased these movies on VHS, this disc is well worh the price.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great
Review: Finally, the episodes are beginning to be available. This is a very good starter. I don't think that a Babylon 5 junky will be dissappointed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Beginning of a Legend
Review: Finally, one of the best sci-fi series ever on DVD. When I was introduced to Babylon 5, I was a die hard trekkie and saw it only as a ... of Deep Space Nine. Missing an episode and frequent out of order reruns made the series very difficult to follow. But watching the series unravel on the Sci-Fi Channel convinced me it was much superior to Star Trek in many ways. It was one of the first series to make extensive use of CGI as opposed to models and matte paintings and it produced beautiful results. The space battles were often more engaging; the characters have great chemistry; there is great dialogue (and one-liners); there is strong consistency and continuity in the stories; and there never seemed to be a bad episode...

Fans will like that the episodes are being released cronologically (in the order events occurred in the series) but all in all, this DVD can be a rather poor introduction to the Babylon 5 universe. To start, the DVD is virtually devoid of extras (TV spots and commentary would have been nice) and comes in that lousy cardboard snap case as most other WB titles do. The sound is only in Dolby 2.0 (and if I remember correctly "The Gathering" is just in Dolby 1.0 Mono) and although it sounds good I can't believe they didn't remaster it into 5.1. "In the Beginning" is widescreen but "The Gathering" is only full screen (I thought a widescreen version existed but I guess I was wrong).

"In the Beginning" is the best of all the Babylon 5 movies. It is an exciting movie that gathers all the hints from the series into telling the tale of the Earth-Mimbari War. It is a war that begins through a minor misunderstanding and takes thousands of lives before ending abruptly and mysteriously via a shocking revelation. It is a complete telling of events that were only gradually revealed through the course of the series. I recommend that those not familiar with Babylon 5 watch at least the first two seasons of the series before watching "In the Beginning". You'll appreciate the movie much more.

"The Gathering," the original pilot episode, presented here in a reedited enhanced version, is also a poor introduction to the series. It tells the story the events surrounding the attempted assasination of the Vorlon Ambassador Kosh on his arrival to the station. It is slow and overcomplicated (even though this edition has been improved over the original) and features many supporting characters who do not return for the series. "The Gathering" is not well representative of the quality of the series that follows. For those not familiar with Babylon 5, you should watch this one first, but don't let it jade you on the quality of the series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Season 1 DVD set on the way!
Review: The first B5 dvd was great despite a lack of extras for two reasons. One: there now exists a permenent DVD redording of two great, pivotal B5 movies. Two: because the high sales of this first DVD convinced Warner Home Video that releasing a B5 season 1 box set would be a profitable venture. An official announcment from Warner should arrive sometime in the next week or so (as of 7/15/02). The actual set may not be released until Fall.

From what I've read, the episodes will all be presented in widescreen, 5.1 surroundsound. There will definitely be extras, including interviews and commentary tracks on two to four of the episodes by creator JMS, himself. I, personally, intend to pre-order this box set from Amazon, the second it is made available. I hope you do to.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic Science Fiction Stories!!
Review: I'm a fan of Star Trek TNG/Voyager and X-Files. Babylon 5 is new to me and this DVD has brought Babylon 5 into the same level as Star Trek. This set is fantastic especially the "In The Beginning", it's so far the best science fiction story I've ever seen. I could accept the quality of the DVD since the story is so great, I even watched over and over....... Right now waiting for the complete season DVD to join my Star Trek TNG and X-Files Season DVD collections!!!! Highly recommend this to science fiction fans.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Just missed the target.. but it was close
Review: Ok. Loved it but it was missing bell's and whistles which normally come with a DVD (commentaries, deleted scenes and so on).

I'm pleased to have this one in my collection. The sound and video was good. I only wished they had released more of these to DVD by now (what are we waiting for???). I know many who would jump on it. I'm buying the Star Trek TNG DVD's as they come out (Season 3 July 2nd!!!) I'll be there in a cold minute should B5 make DVD.

I've already called WB. They mentioned there were no plans to release the rest on DVD. I asked "Do I resort to downloading them from the Internet?". I was told that while they have no plans, they are discussing the possibility. Hopefully more information as what they plan on doing :-)

Awaiting anxiously.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great film, awful DVD transfer
Review: I have been waiting so long to see one of the greatest stories to ever hit the TV come to DVD that when I got it I rushed home and turned on the DVD player and waited to be amazed. The transfer was worst that VHS. By now I am convinced that someone in WB doesn't like B5, since these days even a B movies transfer is far superior to this DVD.
I just hope some one in WB has a decency to have the transfer for season one box set (set to be released this fall) done by some one other that a summer intern.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More important than fancy tech DVD quality is B5 saga
Review: Even thoug I must agree with matter concerning with lausy DVD case and other technical aspects, I must say that Babylon Five is the most interesting novel/story ever done in TV. It does not matter if it is sci-fi or not. It has a lot of deep thoughts, amazing situations, outstanding imagination of JMS.

One important thing that WB future realeases in B5 is to offer overseas in SPANISH as well, since B5 production did a great job translating every single chapter to spanish. Therefore, no reason not to include this important language

So, I recommend everyone to purchase this DVD. It is just a very beggining of something really big, amazing and great, great, great.......

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THIS IS WHERE THE FUTURE IS HEADED
Review: B5 IS THE GREATEST SCI-FI SHOW SINCE STAR TREK NGT, THIS IS WHERE THE FUTURE IS HEADED.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Only Game in Town
Review: Aah, I know you. You have crammed as many episodes of this revered series onto videocassette as you could catch. But now you want more - you want DVDs. Sure, you tell yourself that with your computer and a bit of additional techno-frippery you can transfer those analog recordings onto disc. But this is a great deal of trouble and you are left with recordings of disappointing quality. So until the bean-counters wise up and issue the entire series on disc, this DVD and only this DVD is your last best hope for peace. You may consider "The Gathering" as the -B- side. It is a less than meticulous transfer and of interest only to the truly faithful. Buy this disc for "In the Beginning" and you will not be disappointed.


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