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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: 3 stars
Summary: Movie itself is great, DVD quality is not so great
Review: I rate Babylon 5 as one of the best scifi series' of all time. That being said, however, I have to rate this particular DVD much lower than I had hoped. The grainy picture quality is unacceptable in a DVD. And the lack of extra features is disappointing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but....
Review: Very well done, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the series on DVD. I just have one minor nitpick - I would have liked the option to see "The Gathering" with Stewart Copland's original neo-Rock soundtrack, rather than Christopher Franke's Jazz-Fusion soundtrack. Other than that, good job.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Babylon 5 is the future
Review: I'd like to write two comments about this DVD, but it is not to contradict myself in buying ot not buying this episode.
First off, Babylon 5 is the future of SciFi. Never have I seen such a well coreografted, balanced, and in depth series as this one. If you miss out on one episode you are left with gaps that are needed to understand the full series. I'll probably upset many Star Trek or Star Wars addicts, but those would be considered such a stagnat series in comparrison to how deep the plots go in Babylon 5 (B5). I'll warn you that the first seaason was a little slow, but once it gets tied into the rest of the four season it will blow your mind.

Now, my second comment is, I wish that Warner Bros. would do open their eyes and do their marketing research. This series is worth the extra marketing and formatting to appeal to the viewers and the hardcore B5 fans. I found this episode to be of equal if not less quality than vhs format that I taped off the tv. Wake up!! Do it right, or let another company take the time and finances to put into developing something good!!

All in all, by the series. Show them that there are people out there that are interested and that want to be a part of the future.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Babylon 5 Series
Review: I'll keep this short. Babylon 5 is he best sci-fi entertainment currently available. It's well worth watching.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Warner Bros. sticks their big toe in the water...
Review: At first look the lack of extra features on this disc is discouraging, but this is not necessarily representative of how we'll be seeing the whole series packaged.

This DVD is just WB's way of testing the market, so they can determine how much effort the series is worth. The more of this one they sell, the better the eventual series-release will be.

The most likely format for release is in the very successful hundred dollar season-sized boxed sets, like the X-files, ST:TNG, Stargate SG:1, and all the other popular TV shows being released to DVD.

In any case, it's well worth buying this DVD to make sure they know it's worth their money to give us plenty of extras on the series.

Also, the last reviewer seemed to think that this is the beginning of the series, with two episodes per disc, but that is not the case. This is a standalone release of two tele-movies, an hour and a half each, which is the time equivalent of 4 normal episodes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Television Series I Have Ever Seen
Review: "Babylon 5" by J. Michael Straczynski is the best television series I ever saw. This may seem like an exaggeration, but I never before saw a series that over five years displayed such kind of consistency in the storyline and strength in characters, story and actors. You discover many new aspects to think about when you rewatch the series. Really my favoured tv- and sci-fi-series. I look forward to see all episodes on DVD, maybe with some bonus material on the DVDs.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: This is the first and last B5 DVD I'll buy
Review: The DVD manufacturers are doing to us what they did for first the Star Trek original series and then the Farscape fans -- empty our wallets. How can you be serious about releasing just 2 per DVD? I will not collect any more new ones. I liked the series, but it costs too much to own.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't wait for the release of the series on DVD
Review: If this DVD is just a taste of what's to come, I eagerly await the release of Seasons 1-5 on DVD. I have my finger on the pre-order button. A must acquisition for any Sci-fi collection

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: And so it began....
Review: Warner Brothers has decided to test the market for Babylon 5 on DVD with this initial offering. It includes three hours of story on a two-sided disc.

Side A is the re-edit of the pilot as shown on TNT in 1998. Presented in its original full frame aspect ration, "The Gathering" is an introduction to the space station Babylon 5. When the last of the major races sends an ambassador to this port, someone tries to assassinate him. Things really heat up after station commander Jeffery Sinclair is accused of the crime, and our last best hope for peace just might become the starting point for another war.

It's interesting to watch this movie as a fan of the series. It seems slow, many characters didn't make it back when the series started, and the special effects aren't up to par. But I've used it to hook several friends on the show recently, and each time I'm amazed at the groundwork that was laid down and the story arcs that were introduced at this early date.

Side B contains the movie "In the Beginning." Filmed after season 4, it tells the story of the Earth-Minbari War. Presented here in its original wide screen, it combines all the stories of the war that we've learned over the first four seasons, from the misunderstanding that started it to the climatic Battle of the Line. But it's not all familiar; we get to see the entire story, not just the parts that were important to later happenings on the show. Along the way, we see Delenn, Sheridan, Franklin, G'Kar, and Londo in the time before the series started.

I hadn't seen this movie since its initial airing until I got the DVD. I was amazed at how much history and suspense JMS was able to put into the movie even though we knew the outcome. It is interesting to note that it was included here, since it contains major spoilers for the first few seasons of the show.

Unfortunately, Warner decided to test the DVD market for Babylon 5 with a product that features no extras. This is one series where I would love to see more behinds the scenes information. Commentaries and bloopers would make my day. Still, I found the picture and sound quality to be good.

Hopefully, Warner will get the hint and release more Babylon 5 in boxed sets with added features. Until then, we fans have this disc to remind us why we love the series so much.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: DVD? More like VHS on Disc.
Review: That's pretty much what they did. They somehow just COPIED the EXACT contents of the VHS onto a DVD.

I only gave the TWO star because the 2 movies. The rest of the stars should've been from the DVD itself. The quality, the sound, and the extra features. All of which (to me) are UNACCEPTABLE, for a DVD.

Come folks!!! GET IT TOGETHER!!! Geeez... How HARD can it be to fix up the sound a little bit, clear up the picture, and give us some features? ...

I kept asking myself WHY I paid so much for this "VHS on a DVD disc"?

My only answer is my love of Babylon 5 the series itself.

Actually I take some of that back. It's not a "VHS on DVD" because the picture is even BETTER on my VHS than it is on this DVD. The DVD is just WAY too grainy, and much too dark in some parts. As for the sound..... ha ha ha. Sounds better when I MUTE it.

If I wasn't so into Babylon 5, I wouldn't have bought this DVD - knowing what a terrible job they did with it. (They used the cheapo case, too)


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