CHANNE TAKES ON TO LIVE AND DIE IN STARLIGHT
Quotes from B5 Newbies who watched with me:
"That man - oh, that's not a man? Na'Feel? That's a woman?"
"Holy shit, did he tie a bomb to the alien? They don't do that in Star Trek!"
"If I hear 'we live for the one, we die for the one' one more time, I'm going to throw my coffee at your television." (A sentiment which I seconded, actually...)
Disclaimer: I’m a firm believer in the view that the only way you’re going to get an unbiased opinion out of a reviewer is if you kidnap that reviewer, plop him or her down in the chair, and show him or her a movie of which s/he knows absolutely nothing – and even that’s a high margin for error. So, I can’t be unbiased (as I’m a rabid, rabid Babylon 5 fan), but I can be brutally honest about what I thought of B5LR. After all, Dylan told me to, and I can’t exactly say no to the Captain, can I? FLAME NOT - LEST YE BE FLAMED.
And, yes, this is meant to be casually written. Those of you who are new to my reviews should know that.
Well, I saw the telemovie.
It was a lot of fun. It wasn't Shakespeare. It wasn't even some of the best B5 out there.
Like all B5, "when it was good, it was really, really good, and when it was bad, it was horrid."
TLADIS had its horrid parts; and I'll discuss them as well as discussing what I thought worked very well. Read on.
THE GOOD: CHARACTER
Unlike other reviewers, I was really taken in by the performances of the actors – when they were given lines that allowed them to work their mojo (rather than some, which I'll discuss later). There were some really priceless scenes traded between Martel and Cantrell, and they seemed quite comfortable near each other – lending more credence, in my eyes, to the interview’s insinuation that they might be more than just friends. Something that could be explored in the series? (No! I am not a shipper! I just thought it was interesting!)
You should all watch the ISA interviews after you see B5LR...
Similarly, I would have liked to see a bit more about the characters' backstory. It's obvious they know each other - why, four of them offered to get kicked out of the Anla'shok with him. That's loyalty engendered. And I would really have liked to see more about how David did engender that loyalty - all we hear is bits and pieces... this is slightly off, I think.
The characterization. That’s what matters, that’s what counts, that’s what I was hoping for.
So, going through the characters:
David Martel: Impressive. I can see immediately why Dylan Neal was cast in this role. Although my B5-newbie friend muttered something about him being in “soap mode” towards the beginning of the film (it definitely had something to do with the expository dialogue), it was quickly dropped. Very convincing, and I think he had some of the best material to work with.
Sarah Cantrell: Well, hell. I said I’d like Sarah months ago, and I’m glad to say that I still do. Tough, competent, and I’m glad to say that I absolutely loved the gunnery pod sequences (except for the video-game yell in the mine-field - sorry Myriam, that really made me wince!). Sarah had a good number of my favorite lines (and, unfortunately, a good number of the really bad ones too), she had attitude to spare, and I don’t think I agree with the reviewer who said she was “overacting.” Again, she did well with what she was given (see my comments about the script below). It would be nice to see her character evolve in the series.
Dulann: Well, here’s a character I definitely also want to see more of. One of the things I like about B5 is that the aliens have always been distinct personalities; Dulann is definitely par for that course. Dulann was interesting, fleshed-out as much as he could be for such a short time, and – Alex Zahara played the ghost sequences pretty darn convincingly. Which is a credit to the actor. I’ve seen too many bad ghost scenes in my life.
Firell and Kitaro Sasaki: One of the great tragedies of TlaDiS is that we didn’t see much of Firell, or of Kitaro. They didn’t get much character development (although watching Kitaro work was a lot of fun.) I want to see more of Firell, just because I felt cheated. All we know about her is that her heart speaks quietly and infrequently…
G’Kar: Oh. My. Valen. I swear. Andreas never left G’Kar, and G’Kar never left Andreas. That’s all I have to say about that.
Na’Feel: I have a mixed reaction to Na’Feel. I didn’t see much of her, so my opinion is colored with the very same trepidation I feel when discussing Firell and Kitaro. A bit Zen for a Narn, but then – this is B5, not Star Trek, and not every Narn has to be a revenge-filled international freedom fighter. I'm grateful for that.
Malcolm: Another underused character. We could not stop laughing after his encounter with G’Kar. What a hilarious scene! As my B5 newbies said: “Hey! I like him! The guy with the – with the suit!”
Tafeek: Ok, we saw him once. I think he had one line. What happened to Tafeek? Did I miss something?
Tirk: Spot-on. I had originally asked Gus on the messageboard if Tirk spoke in macros like the rest of the Drazi. How true! I loved Tirk, his pushing match with the Ambassador, and most of all, his truth. He had one of the best screen presences of the entire cast, and it'll be great to see this character's development.
One of my FAVORITE PARTS of the entire telemovie – the one thing that validated it all – was Martel’s decision to stuff grenades into Kafta’s escape pod. That was real, visceral, and necessary. None of this Trek moralistic nonsense. A war tactic.
Likewise, my other favorite thing about the movie was excellent cinematography - the Minbari vessel looked like it was constantly changing, and although the requisite smoke was venting, it wasn't as annoying as it could have been. I read an interview where Mike Vejar had discussed his photographic techniques, and they worked.
Similarly, the sets and effects worked for me. Although some of the effects betrayed B5LR's low budget, the sets were fine.
And I liked the roundtable setup on the Liandra bridge. Now, whenever I see people shouting at one another on Star Trek, their heads turned, their eyes not on the monitor, etc., etc., I'll laugh. Having the monitor in the center of the bridge and the command staff around it is very smart - not only can you catch eyes with one another and communicate rapidly, you're not pulling a Data or a Wesley and responding to your Captain entirely out of the blue ('cause you can't take your eyes off your console to turn around and talk to him in a battle situation.) Eye contact is worth a lot. I'm glad B5LR acknowledged that.
THE ENEMY
They deserve a section all their own. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I heard a lot of the same language used for Babylon 5 in Kafta’s words, and in G’Kar’s. “We have no name for them,” “billions of years old,” etc.
I don’t agree with the criticism saying that it was too easy for Martel and Company to destroy the Hand ships. No, I found that believable. This is B5. There are no shields. It’s entirely possible for a blast to go right through the hull of another vessel – not only is it good physics, it’s what would happen.
Unlike in B5, there was no time for this telemovie to give us a rundown on the equipment of the Hand, find out that they have a certain kind of armor. For all we know, those weren’t even Hand ships, and were the ships of Kafta’s race, in which case it would be perfectly plausible for all the grenades from the armory to blow shrapnel through the hull. After all, that’s how the Blackstar was destroyed by In The Beginning.
THE BAD AND THE UGLY: THE SCRIPT
The script, flawed and blunt, is heartbreakingly silly in more than a few places, with dialogue that is often clunky and obvious, expository lines that I would never in my life dream of giving an actor. I anticipated, three times, retorts that I actually said aloud directly before the actor – in scenes I had never heard before. At times, theatrical dialogue that normally worked quite well in Babylon 5 was grimaceworthy to the point of groaning – take, for example, Martel’s monologue near the beginning of the telemovie, which is a prime example of the “tell, not show” fallacy that any scriptwriter attempts to avoid like the plague. And that’s not the only expository dialogue in this movie, either – attempting to summarize the history of the Rangers, the character doing so sounds like a walking history lesson. People don’t talk like that in real life – it’s the Babylon 5 equivalent of “As you know, Jeremiah, fifteen years ago a plague killed off every adult over puberty, and we were forced to fend for ourselves in the burning remains of cities.” I just don’t think the script, on the whole, cut it. At least for me.
But then, I've been spending at least a year trying to fine-tune my ear for dialogue.
There were, however, brilliant moments within the script: the beginning scenes between Sindell and G’Kar, for example, were vintage B5, and I was completely convinced. Other scenes were similarly noteworthy: Malcolm’s scene with G’Kar, for example, had everyone in the room tied in hysterics. We giggled over Martel’s status as a waterboy (that was funny). There were other moments, too, that really struck me as great – Martel’s scene with G’Kar had all the tension and tautness of a typical B5 conversation, and although I was getting flashbacks to the conversations beginning the Shadow War with Martel’s scene with Kafta, that was another scene that stood out. Mackenzie Grey, although horribly underused, acted straight through that prosthetic. Neat stuff.
I just wish the script had been a little better, that's all.
(Author’s note: please do not take this section as a criticism of all of JMS’ work. I have a great respect for the man and his writing. Everyone has their off-days, and I certainly expect him to keep on blowing us away, especially once the series starts and everything gels a bit further. I don't want anyone to take this as JMS bashing, because I've been hanging around fandom long enough that I know someone will. Sigh. This is not JMS bashing. Thank you.)
CONCLUSION: SERIES POTENTIAL? SURELY.
Number one, flawed and failing as some parts of this telefilm are, they’re far outweighted with the potential this has for a series. If this were simply a standalone movie, I’d be much more negative; as it is, I’m psyched, stoked, and ready to rock and roll for five years of fun.
After all, you'll recall: G'Kar is still attending a security council, ostensibly to deal with the threat the Hand proposes. The Hand is still out there. And so is Kafta's race. There's a story arc here just waiting to be unfolded.
I think Rangers would work as a series, and work very well. The quality of this flick is very much around the quality The Gathering boasted in the early nineties. As a pilot, this works very well, introducing us to the world, the story, the universe, the characters – and what’s more, it leaves a number of things open. It’s not Trek; it could tackle a lot more than Trek, get off-planet, show us wonders. I think it could be fun. Just… oh, just fix up the script…
Here's to hoping.
------------------
channe@[url="http://cryoterrace.tripod.com"]cryoterrace[/url] | "I wonder," said Frodo, "but I don't know. And that's the way of a real tale."
[This message has been edited by channe (edited January 20, 2002).]
Quotes from B5 Newbies who watched with me:
"That man - oh, that's not a man? Na'Feel? That's a woman?"
"Holy shit, did he tie a bomb to the alien? They don't do that in Star Trek!"
"If I hear 'we live for the one, we die for the one' one more time, I'm going to throw my coffee at your television." (A sentiment which I seconded, actually...)
Disclaimer: I’m a firm believer in the view that the only way you’re going to get an unbiased opinion out of a reviewer is if you kidnap that reviewer, plop him or her down in the chair, and show him or her a movie of which s/he knows absolutely nothing – and even that’s a high margin for error. So, I can’t be unbiased (as I’m a rabid, rabid Babylon 5 fan), but I can be brutally honest about what I thought of B5LR. After all, Dylan told me to, and I can’t exactly say no to the Captain, can I? FLAME NOT - LEST YE BE FLAMED.
And, yes, this is meant to be casually written. Those of you who are new to my reviews should know that.
Well, I saw the telemovie.
It was a lot of fun. It wasn't Shakespeare. It wasn't even some of the best B5 out there.
Like all B5, "when it was good, it was really, really good, and when it was bad, it was horrid."
TLADIS had its horrid parts; and I'll discuss them as well as discussing what I thought worked very well. Read on.
THE GOOD: CHARACTER
Unlike other reviewers, I was really taken in by the performances of the actors – when they were given lines that allowed them to work their mojo (rather than some, which I'll discuss later). There were some really priceless scenes traded between Martel and Cantrell, and they seemed quite comfortable near each other – lending more credence, in my eyes, to the interview’s insinuation that they might be more than just friends. Something that could be explored in the series? (No! I am not a shipper! I just thought it was interesting!)
You should all watch the ISA interviews after you see B5LR...
Similarly, I would have liked to see a bit more about the characters' backstory. It's obvious they know each other - why, four of them offered to get kicked out of the Anla'shok with him. That's loyalty engendered. And I would really have liked to see more about how David did engender that loyalty - all we hear is bits and pieces... this is slightly off, I think.
The characterization. That’s what matters, that’s what counts, that’s what I was hoping for.
So, going through the characters:
David Martel: Impressive. I can see immediately why Dylan Neal was cast in this role. Although my B5-newbie friend muttered something about him being in “soap mode” towards the beginning of the film (it definitely had something to do with the expository dialogue), it was quickly dropped. Very convincing, and I think he had some of the best material to work with.
Sarah Cantrell: Well, hell. I said I’d like Sarah months ago, and I’m glad to say that I still do. Tough, competent, and I’m glad to say that I absolutely loved the gunnery pod sequences (except for the video-game yell in the mine-field - sorry Myriam, that really made me wince!). Sarah had a good number of my favorite lines (and, unfortunately, a good number of the really bad ones too), she had attitude to spare, and I don’t think I agree with the reviewer who said she was “overacting.” Again, she did well with what she was given (see my comments about the script below). It would be nice to see her character evolve in the series.
Dulann: Well, here’s a character I definitely also want to see more of. One of the things I like about B5 is that the aliens have always been distinct personalities; Dulann is definitely par for that course. Dulann was interesting, fleshed-out as much as he could be for such a short time, and – Alex Zahara played the ghost sequences pretty darn convincingly. Which is a credit to the actor. I’ve seen too many bad ghost scenes in my life.
Firell and Kitaro Sasaki: One of the great tragedies of TlaDiS is that we didn’t see much of Firell, or of Kitaro. They didn’t get much character development (although watching Kitaro work was a lot of fun.) I want to see more of Firell, just because I felt cheated. All we know about her is that her heart speaks quietly and infrequently…
G’Kar: Oh. My. Valen. I swear. Andreas never left G’Kar, and G’Kar never left Andreas. That’s all I have to say about that.
Na’Feel: I have a mixed reaction to Na’Feel. I didn’t see much of her, so my opinion is colored with the very same trepidation I feel when discussing Firell and Kitaro. A bit Zen for a Narn, but then – this is B5, not Star Trek, and not every Narn has to be a revenge-filled international freedom fighter. I'm grateful for that.
Malcolm: Another underused character. We could not stop laughing after his encounter with G’Kar. What a hilarious scene! As my B5 newbies said: “Hey! I like him! The guy with the – with the suit!”
Tafeek: Ok, we saw him once. I think he had one line. What happened to Tafeek? Did I miss something?
Tirk: Spot-on. I had originally asked Gus on the messageboard if Tirk spoke in macros like the rest of the Drazi. How true! I loved Tirk, his pushing match with the Ambassador, and most of all, his truth. He had one of the best screen presences of the entire cast, and it'll be great to see this character's development.
One of my FAVORITE PARTS of the entire telemovie – the one thing that validated it all – was Martel’s decision to stuff grenades into Kafta’s escape pod. That was real, visceral, and necessary. None of this Trek moralistic nonsense. A war tactic.
Likewise, my other favorite thing about the movie was excellent cinematography - the Minbari vessel looked like it was constantly changing, and although the requisite smoke was venting, it wasn't as annoying as it could have been. I read an interview where Mike Vejar had discussed his photographic techniques, and they worked.
Similarly, the sets and effects worked for me. Although some of the effects betrayed B5LR's low budget, the sets were fine.
And I liked the roundtable setup on the Liandra bridge. Now, whenever I see people shouting at one another on Star Trek, their heads turned, their eyes not on the monitor, etc., etc., I'll laugh. Having the monitor in the center of the bridge and the command staff around it is very smart - not only can you catch eyes with one another and communicate rapidly, you're not pulling a Data or a Wesley and responding to your Captain entirely out of the blue ('cause you can't take your eyes off your console to turn around and talk to him in a battle situation.) Eye contact is worth a lot. I'm glad B5LR acknowledged that.
THE ENEMY
They deserve a section all their own. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I heard a lot of the same language used for Babylon 5 in Kafta’s words, and in G’Kar’s. “We have no name for them,” “billions of years old,” etc.
I don’t agree with the criticism saying that it was too easy for Martel and Company to destroy the Hand ships. No, I found that believable. This is B5. There are no shields. It’s entirely possible for a blast to go right through the hull of another vessel – not only is it good physics, it’s what would happen.
Unlike in B5, there was no time for this telemovie to give us a rundown on the equipment of the Hand, find out that they have a certain kind of armor. For all we know, those weren’t even Hand ships, and were the ships of Kafta’s race, in which case it would be perfectly plausible for all the grenades from the armory to blow shrapnel through the hull. After all, that’s how the Blackstar was destroyed by In The Beginning.
THE BAD AND THE UGLY: THE SCRIPT
The script, flawed and blunt, is heartbreakingly silly in more than a few places, with dialogue that is often clunky and obvious, expository lines that I would never in my life dream of giving an actor. I anticipated, three times, retorts that I actually said aloud directly before the actor – in scenes I had never heard before. At times, theatrical dialogue that normally worked quite well in Babylon 5 was grimaceworthy to the point of groaning – take, for example, Martel’s monologue near the beginning of the telemovie, which is a prime example of the “tell, not show” fallacy that any scriptwriter attempts to avoid like the plague. And that’s not the only expository dialogue in this movie, either – attempting to summarize the history of the Rangers, the character doing so sounds like a walking history lesson. People don’t talk like that in real life – it’s the Babylon 5 equivalent of “As you know, Jeremiah, fifteen years ago a plague killed off every adult over puberty, and we were forced to fend for ourselves in the burning remains of cities.” I just don’t think the script, on the whole, cut it. At least for me.
But then, I've been spending at least a year trying to fine-tune my ear for dialogue.
There were, however, brilliant moments within the script: the beginning scenes between Sindell and G’Kar, for example, were vintage B5, and I was completely convinced. Other scenes were similarly noteworthy: Malcolm’s scene with G’Kar, for example, had everyone in the room tied in hysterics. We giggled over Martel’s status as a waterboy (that was funny). There were other moments, too, that really struck me as great – Martel’s scene with G’Kar had all the tension and tautness of a typical B5 conversation, and although I was getting flashbacks to the conversations beginning the Shadow War with Martel’s scene with Kafta, that was another scene that stood out. Mackenzie Grey, although horribly underused, acted straight through that prosthetic. Neat stuff.
I just wish the script had been a little better, that's all.
(Author’s note: please do not take this section as a criticism of all of JMS’ work. I have a great respect for the man and his writing. Everyone has their off-days, and I certainly expect him to keep on blowing us away, especially once the series starts and everything gels a bit further. I don't want anyone to take this as JMS bashing, because I've been hanging around fandom long enough that I know someone will. Sigh. This is not JMS bashing. Thank you.)
CONCLUSION: SERIES POTENTIAL? SURELY.
Number one, flawed and failing as some parts of this telefilm are, they’re far outweighted with the potential this has for a series. If this were simply a standalone movie, I’d be much more negative; as it is, I’m psyched, stoked, and ready to rock and roll for five years of fun.
After all, you'll recall: G'Kar is still attending a security council, ostensibly to deal with the threat the Hand proposes. The Hand is still out there. And so is Kafta's race. There's a story arc here just waiting to be unfolded.
I think Rangers would work as a series, and work very well. The quality of this flick is very much around the quality The Gathering boasted in the early nineties. As a pilot, this works very well, introducing us to the world, the story, the universe, the characters – and what’s more, it leaves a number of things open. It’s not Trek; it could tackle a lot more than Trek, get off-planet, show us wonders. I think it could be fun. Just… oh, just fix up the script…
Here's to hoping.
------------------
channe@[url="http://cryoterrace.tripod.com"]cryoterrace[/url] | "I wonder," said Frodo, "but I don't know. And that's the way of a real tale."
[This message has been edited by channe (edited January 20, 2002).]
