My LOTR review (SPOILERS)

[Maagic]

I wanted to like this movie SO MUCH...

It just didn't have that B5 "feel" to it. Don't get me wrong... if (when) the series gets picked up, I'll definately give it a chance and watch it.

First the pros: (AKA the Short List)

The Rangers. I love the Rangers and was thrilled when JMS spilled the beans about LOTR and the possible series about them.

G'Kar. Was good to see a familiar face (the ONLY one in fact besides B5 itself) but I was still disappointed by him which I'll go into below

and now the cons:

G'Kar. Yes it was good seeing him again but what irked me was the feeling that he was only there to spout exposition for a minute or so and then go away for a few minutes and come back and do the same thing again. His role could have been given to some no name Minbari.

The "Liandra". It wasn't a White Star... I just can't seem to get over that. To say nothing of the fact that we didn't even SEE any white stars nor did they even mention them.

The "Valen". Not the ship so much as the NAME... I find it hard to believe that they named this THING after the Minbari's holiest "figgers" as Marcus says. In short, it just didn't fit...

The "Liandra"s gun pod. It looks cool. However I just can't buy it's practicality as a actual weapons system. I'm hoping they have a more "traditional" configuration as a backup.

"The Hand". First off, the name... Just dopey sounding, to paraphrase Ivanova's quote about her saying "You are the Hand". Is there a connection there? Probably not, but you can't blame fans for being confused. Second, the "They make the Shadows look like insects" comment... if that's so then why do puny humans (and Minbari) pose such a threat and why did
we seem to dispatch their ships so easily?

The Minbari principle of not retreating. When did this become a principle? I just couldn't understand why they gave David such a hard time over not going after those pirate ships. They were outnumbered. They had NO weeapons and were barely holding the ship together. Why not call in reinforcements?
Also why were they the only ones going after these pirate ships? I'd rather
want to find out why they sent the Emfeeli after them by itself. A few WHITE STARS may have turned the tide...

The Uniforms. I REALLY liked the long Ranger coats... but now it seems they've switched to vests. Me no likey...

To sum up, it held my interest, and I'm not going to say it "sucks" and like I said I'll definately be watching if/when it goes to series. However there is room for improvement which I've come to notice is par for the course when a show pilot is involved. Also I'd like to say thanks to the actors from LOTR who post here. They did a wonderful job and I look forward to seeing them again in the B5 universe... To paraphrase what G'Kar said (and was my favorite line) "The (B5) universe... no place I'd rather live"

I give it 3 white stars out of 5.

-Maagic

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We are Gray. We stand between the
darkness and the light. I am Gray. I
stand between the candle and the star.
Is'hilzha venii... in Valen's name
Faith manages...

[This message has been edited by Maagic (edited January 20, 2002).]

 

[Tyger]

Hello, folks!

Well, I mostly lurk here, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on the telemovie.

I was overall impressed. Oh, sure, it had it's rough spots. The Hand was absolutely underwhelming(Stronger than the Shadows? I don't think so. Methinks that JMS has a thing about 'all powerful' races.) The FX got a little cheezy(the Mummy-ized dead guy in medbay). But these were relatively minor, in my opinion.

I'm a characterization junkie. The very *first* thing I ask myself when looking at a new potential series is: Do I like these characters? Are they worth the hour out of my time that this series is going to take? I've always believed that excellent characters(and by extension, actors) can carry a so-so plot, but if the characterization isn't there, forget it.

Happily, I found that I really liked the characters in 'Legend of the Rangers'. The actors have said that the set was 'like a family'--a lot of people say that, but here it shows. They have an easy, fun rapport on screen that I enjoy.

The movie has some problems(the plot was...there, and you already know how I feel about the Hand)but I'm willing to stick with it if it goes to series because I like these characters, I want to see them grow.

Other points:

*Humor! The humor was actually funny.

*Fantastic job by both cast and crew. I enjoyed all of the characters(although Dulann is inching up to 'favorite' status in my mind)
*Continuity! It's the little things. G'Kar of course, but more specifically--the mention of Pres. Sheridan, and that last shot of B5 itself(with G'Kar's line: "Just remember, no one there is ever exactly what they seem." Love that.) Yes, folks, this series does not live in a vacuum.

So, overall, a B+ in my book. The plotline needed some work, but the crew interactions more than made up for it.

I'll be there if this goes to series.

Anyone else like Rangers, despite it's faults?


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[Arrghman]

there were actually some whitestars in the background at minbar... they were up in the sky along with the backwards nials

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