<font size="+1">B5LR.com review of the telemovie!</font>
<font size="3">Check out our no-spoilers review</font>
This article is a no-spoilers review. We will still warn you that it contains some plot information, albeit it very little. This review is written so you can read it without ruining your enjoyment of the telemovie. If you've seen a trailer, for example, you know more about the telemovie than this review reveals.
<hr size=1>
Back when I created this site in March, I did so within days of the first news of a series. There was no cast, no show, just an announcement. Oh, and probably about 5 years worth of stories locked away in JMS's head. I created the site with blind faith. I had faith that this show would be good, regardless. I'm honored to say that B5LR.com has become more of a success than I ever thought possible.
My goal was to promote this show, to help in any way that I could. To cover the news on not only the show, but the cast and crew involved. A TV program is always more than the show itself, it's about the people.
Just like when I had news on the script as soon as I created the site (but published in a way not to undermine the telemovie), it was fitting that I got to see The Legend of the Rangers before its airdate, as I watched it in advanced recently. For this I changed from webmaster to mode to fan-boy mode—B5 was back!
After some not great reviews for B5LR, I did wonder if I was backing something not so great. For about 2 seconds. I would never expect it to be horrendous, names like JMS and Doug Netter indicate a level of quality from the start. I don't think it's genetically possible for them to do anything downright awful.
I was prepared to either write a good or a bad review of this telemovie. If I wrote a bad one, I wasn't conflicted. We only need ratings for this telemovie, not awards. Ratings will equal a series, which is when we can worry about developing good stories. If I wrote a bad review, you'd all still tune in. So I felt confident that I could deliver an unbias piece, even though it would be sad to have to say that I hated it.
Thankfully, my worries were unfounded.
Pilots are odd beasts. They have to be a little more show, a little less tell. At least that's my perception. You won't get any overly elaborate stories, you just have to draw people in and show all the characters in some rather broader strokes, so people can see who's who without getting confused and worrying about a back story.
My initial reaction was "oh oh", when I saw the B5 logo flash up for the first time. I don't feel it's especially good, maybe tacky being the optimal word, I didn't think it was part of the show at first, just something created for the version I was watching. Maybe they will get a different one, maybe not.
The first scenes get off to an unsteady feel, with not so great acting from a guest actor captain. The dialog sounded forced, and my worries increased. Again the tacky logo came up, but it was followed by some nice, smart and non-tacky credits.
It's then it feels like the telemovie starts up, and just needed some time to warm up. I felt the telemovie improved, got on its feet as it went on. That's odd, because things aren't filmed chronologically. The first scenes filmed could have been the last scenes of the telemovie. But if you told me that the pre-credit sequences were the first filmed, I would not be surprised.
Character wise, there were some instantly likeable people. You can see some of the familiar elements taking shape, and you can see where the characters fit together. However, they don't feel predictable. Whereas in Star Trek series you can see whom corresponds to whom in the preceding Trek series, the B5LR characters don't give me that impression. If this can be accomplised in the pilot, I think it's a great sign. Further individualization would come later in a series, so there's so much promise there.
The cast is headed by Dylan Neal as David Martel. Naturally, he gets the most screen time, and he pulls it off perfectly from start to finish. I could well believe Dylan has been playing this role for a while, he never seems unsure of himself. Obviously the "good kind of hero" guy, he is still interesting and thankfully not two-dimensional. He's humorous at times, and in combination with JMS's writing presents so much with just a glance or facial expression. There is no question that Dylan was the right choice for this role, and could certainly lead the series perfectly.
Alex Zahara pulls of a thoughtful yet powerful Dulann, but rather criminally is left in scenes that don't allow him to do much. When he is out and about, however, he's great. Quite Lennier-like, but probably with a more dry sense of humor and less standoffish, perhaps skills gained from being around characters such as David. He's more at ease with those around him, more the mixer.
Myriam Sirois brings Sarah Cantrell to life, and has what are some of the most impressive CGI scenes ever. Myriam performs her role well when she gets a chance, but I don't think she was given enough to show off her acting talents. Being a CGI shooter is fine, but she was often isolated from the crew in her own little world (quite literally) and the dialogue given to her was sometimes clunky, I felt. I'm used to characters like Delenn, I suppose, giving us such sharp and blinding speeches. I know we always can't have Delenns, but I would have appreciated it if Sarah was given the chance to have more of an edge. Maybe I just have to acclimatize. Delenn was legendary, with great speeches. Ivanova was conflicted, quite closed in, and often harsh. Lyta was a Vorlon super weapon. Maybe I need to realize that sometimes a woman is just a woman, she doesn't have to have the weight of the universe on her shoulders.
The above three are the main focus, but it would have been nice to see more of the other characters (can we have a 3 hour telemovie next time?). There is finite screen time, however, and the other actors still get a chance to shine. Malcolm Bridges, played by Dean Marshall, is lively, which is great with so many drabs characters on TV these days. A scene with him and G'kar was priceless, and probably one of my favorite of the entire telemovie. Na'Feel, the Narn played by Jennie Rebecca Hogan, is probably the character that intrigued me most, and I would definitely like to see more of in a series. I imagine she could be a right troublemaker, given the chance (watch out David), and her scenes in the engine room were hilarious, and Jennie played off of Dylan Neal well. Kitaro Sasaki, played by Warren. T. Takeuchi, didn't get a lot of screen time, sadly. Again, he was a happy chararacter, he smiled, he enjoyed things, which is always a nice change. It will be great to see Warren's martial arts skills in action if a series goes ahead. Otherwise he can sit there and look handsome, something he achieves in the movie to great effect. However, a big annoyance is David calling him Kit. I kept expecting him to reply, "Yes, Michael"? Tirk, played by Gus Lynch, was very Drazi—and I do love the Drazi. Very gruff (I hope Gus didn't need throat lozenges after the role), he often raised a smile. One scene between him and another Drazi was simple, yet very funny, and I wish there were more light-hearted moments like these. Enid-Raye Adams as Firell isn't seen a lot, but is wonderful. My only question is how can a livewire like Enie play a calm character like Firell? Now that's acting!
All in all, the cast is wonderfully chosen, and fits together wonderfully. There's so much potential evident in all of the characters. The cast is also certainly younger than what we're used to with B5, and let's be honest, very good looking. Not the be all and end all of a show, but it's a bonus. It's something that will only aid the transference of B5 to more mainstream programming, and is good for the WB's calendars and other merchandise.
Finally, I have to give mention to G'Kar. Has Andreas even been away from this role? Does he do a G'Kar every night before he goes to bed, or perhaps he just is G'Kar. G'Kar was back, and was as wonderful as ever. His scenes were a delight, even if his inclusion didn't most of the time seem overly necessary. He just disappeared for a whole period of time, so he never felt quite integral. But hey, who cares about integral? He's a character that B5 fans will just enjoy seeing regardless, and it's a pleasure to have Andreas back on our screens.
Turning towards the story, it did feel very pilot-like. There's a lot to be built upon, and I think it feels like it's getting a series. If a series didn't happen, this would not be a good standalone story in my mind, as there's too much left open. But no series, surely not? We'll get one, I'm sure.
The whole 'ghost on the ship' story didn't seem to serve a lot of purpose. Yes, if it gets followed up in a series, maybe it will be interesting. But in a telemovie it was only a distraction, took up screen time, and served to separate Dulann from the story. Partially because of this, I felt the real center of the story came too late, and was finished too quickly. I would like to have seen more cat and mouse games, and more interaction between David and the enemy, rather than them turning up late in the telemovie and it all being resolved rather quickly.
I'd also like to have seen more use of Mackenzie Gray as Minister Kafta. There were some good scenes between Kafta and David, and there could have been more of them. Mackenzie is a great actor, and I hope we see him again in a series if one goes ahead.
The design aspects of the telemovie were wonderful. The sets were nicely done, and the visual effects were superb. It feels like B5 hitting the big screen, everything just that little bit more grand, and that little bit more impressive.
A warning to the fans: I can see a few arguments before they begin. There are always people who will criticize something for the fun of it, and two arguments I feel will crop up when people go around posting their opinions on messageboards. The new race is just a rip-off of the Shadows. Admittedly, in the telemovie, they do appear to be very similar. However, I doubt that's the case, as we'd learn from a series. How much did we know about the Shadows when watching B5? Not much for ages. So people can't presume to know much about this new race from one telemovie. We have faith in JMS and can say things like this, casual viewers will not have this faith. Those who aren't fans but know a bit about B5 will start this argument, mark my words. Be patient with them, if you can. It's a rip-off of Enterprise. It seems a large part of the internet population loves B5 vs Trek topics, discussing (or rather stating) which is better, and which ripped off which. I find it all pedantic and boring. But there are some vague similarities between Enterprise's pilot, and "To Live and Die in Starlight." Timing is the problem here, as our telemovie wrapped ages ago but is now only just about to air. Just tell anyone who starts this kind of topic to go get a life, that's my only suggestion!
So, all in all it was an enjoyable telemovie. A shaky start, but it soon starts running. It has plenty of humor, and some bits which made me laugh out loud. It took a bit too much time to get to what I felt was the center of the story, and it was over a bit too quickly, and I felt the ghosts element only made that aspect worse.
So, it wasn't perfect. But when who said it would be? The good thing is that it's a solid telemovie, enjoyable and above all else has great cast with a great line up of characters. I don't particularly like B5's pilot as a standalone episode, but it served its purpose to get into a series which produced five mind-blowing years. I anticipate "To Live and Die in Starlight" being no different. This telemovie needs to get ratings, to get people watching, and you could do a lot worse with a couple of hours on TV. Once we've got a series we can worry about the finer elements that we know all too well JMS not only handles, but excels at. B5 is back, and long may it continue.
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers "To Live and Die in Starlight" airs on January 19 2002, on the US SCI FI Channel.
<font size="3">Check out our no-spoilers review</font>
This article is a no-spoilers review. We will still warn you that it contains some plot information, albeit it very little. This review is written so you can read it without ruining your enjoyment of the telemovie. If you've seen a trailer, for example, you know more about the telemovie than this review reveals.
<hr size=1>
Back when I created this site in March, I did so within days of the first news of a series. There was no cast, no show, just an announcement. Oh, and probably about 5 years worth of stories locked away in JMS's head. I created the site with blind faith. I had faith that this show would be good, regardless. I'm honored to say that B5LR.com has become more of a success than I ever thought possible.
My goal was to promote this show, to help in any way that I could. To cover the news on not only the show, but the cast and crew involved. A TV program is always more than the show itself, it's about the people.
Just like when I had news on the script as soon as I created the site (but published in a way not to undermine the telemovie), it was fitting that I got to see The Legend of the Rangers before its airdate, as I watched it in advanced recently. For this I changed from webmaster to mode to fan-boy mode—B5 was back!
After some not great reviews for B5LR, I did wonder if I was backing something not so great. For about 2 seconds. I would never expect it to be horrendous, names like JMS and Doug Netter indicate a level of quality from the start. I don't think it's genetically possible for them to do anything downright awful.
I was prepared to either write a good or a bad review of this telemovie. If I wrote a bad one, I wasn't conflicted. We only need ratings for this telemovie, not awards. Ratings will equal a series, which is when we can worry about developing good stories. If I wrote a bad review, you'd all still tune in. So I felt confident that I could deliver an unbias piece, even though it would be sad to have to say that I hated it.
Thankfully, my worries were unfounded.
Pilots are odd beasts. They have to be a little more show, a little less tell. At least that's my perception. You won't get any overly elaborate stories, you just have to draw people in and show all the characters in some rather broader strokes, so people can see who's who without getting confused and worrying about a back story.
My initial reaction was "oh oh", when I saw the B5 logo flash up for the first time. I don't feel it's especially good, maybe tacky being the optimal word, I didn't think it was part of the show at first, just something created for the version I was watching. Maybe they will get a different one, maybe not.
The first scenes get off to an unsteady feel, with not so great acting from a guest actor captain. The dialog sounded forced, and my worries increased. Again the tacky logo came up, but it was followed by some nice, smart and non-tacky credits.
It's then it feels like the telemovie starts up, and just needed some time to warm up. I felt the telemovie improved, got on its feet as it went on. That's odd, because things aren't filmed chronologically. The first scenes filmed could have been the last scenes of the telemovie. But if you told me that the pre-credit sequences were the first filmed, I would not be surprised.
Character wise, there were some instantly likeable people. You can see some of the familiar elements taking shape, and you can see where the characters fit together. However, they don't feel predictable. Whereas in Star Trek series you can see whom corresponds to whom in the preceding Trek series, the B5LR characters don't give me that impression. If this can be accomplised in the pilot, I think it's a great sign. Further individualization would come later in a series, so there's so much promise there.
The cast is headed by Dylan Neal as David Martel. Naturally, he gets the most screen time, and he pulls it off perfectly from start to finish. I could well believe Dylan has been playing this role for a while, he never seems unsure of himself. Obviously the "good kind of hero" guy, he is still interesting and thankfully not two-dimensional. He's humorous at times, and in combination with JMS's writing presents so much with just a glance or facial expression. There is no question that Dylan was the right choice for this role, and could certainly lead the series perfectly.
Alex Zahara pulls of a thoughtful yet powerful Dulann, but rather criminally is left in scenes that don't allow him to do much. When he is out and about, however, he's great. Quite Lennier-like, but probably with a more dry sense of humor and less standoffish, perhaps skills gained from being around characters such as David. He's more at ease with those around him, more the mixer.
Myriam Sirois brings Sarah Cantrell to life, and has what are some of the most impressive CGI scenes ever. Myriam performs her role well when she gets a chance, but I don't think she was given enough to show off her acting talents. Being a CGI shooter is fine, but she was often isolated from the crew in her own little world (quite literally) and the dialogue given to her was sometimes clunky, I felt. I'm used to characters like Delenn, I suppose, giving us such sharp and blinding speeches. I know we always can't have Delenns, but I would have appreciated it if Sarah was given the chance to have more of an edge. Maybe I just have to acclimatize. Delenn was legendary, with great speeches. Ivanova was conflicted, quite closed in, and often harsh. Lyta was a Vorlon super weapon. Maybe I need to realize that sometimes a woman is just a woman, she doesn't have to have the weight of the universe on her shoulders.
The above three are the main focus, but it would have been nice to see more of the other characters (can we have a 3 hour telemovie next time?). There is finite screen time, however, and the other actors still get a chance to shine. Malcolm Bridges, played by Dean Marshall, is lively, which is great with so many drabs characters on TV these days. A scene with him and G'kar was priceless, and probably one of my favorite of the entire telemovie. Na'Feel, the Narn played by Jennie Rebecca Hogan, is probably the character that intrigued me most, and I would definitely like to see more of in a series. I imagine she could be a right troublemaker, given the chance (watch out David), and her scenes in the engine room were hilarious, and Jennie played off of Dylan Neal well. Kitaro Sasaki, played by Warren. T. Takeuchi, didn't get a lot of screen time, sadly. Again, he was a happy chararacter, he smiled, he enjoyed things, which is always a nice change. It will be great to see Warren's martial arts skills in action if a series goes ahead. Otherwise he can sit there and look handsome, something he achieves in the movie to great effect. However, a big annoyance is David calling him Kit. I kept expecting him to reply, "Yes, Michael"? Tirk, played by Gus Lynch, was very Drazi—and I do love the Drazi. Very gruff (I hope Gus didn't need throat lozenges after the role), he often raised a smile. One scene between him and another Drazi was simple, yet very funny, and I wish there were more light-hearted moments like these. Enid-Raye Adams as Firell isn't seen a lot, but is wonderful. My only question is how can a livewire like Enie play a calm character like Firell? Now that's acting!
All in all, the cast is wonderfully chosen, and fits together wonderfully. There's so much potential evident in all of the characters. The cast is also certainly younger than what we're used to with B5, and let's be honest, very good looking. Not the be all and end all of a show, but it's a bonus. It's something that will only aid the transference of B5 to more mainstream programming, and is good for the WB's calendars and other merchandise.
Finally, I have to give mention to G'Kar. Has Andreas even been away from this role? Does he do a G'Kar every night before he goes to bed, or perhaps he just is G'Kar. G'Kar was back, and was as wonderful as ever. His scenes were a delight, even if his inclusion didn't most of the time seem overly necessary. He just disappeared for a whole period of time, so he never felt quite integral. But hey, who cares about integral? He's a character that B5 fans will just enjoy seeing regardless, and it's a pleasure to have Andreas back on our screens.
Turning towards the story, it did feel very pilot-like. There's a lot to be built upon, and I think it feels like it's getting a series. If a series didn't happen, this would not be a good standalone story in my mind, as there's too much left open. But no series, surely not? We'll get one, I'm sure.
The whole 'ghost on the ship' story didn't seem to serve a lot of purpose. Yes, if it gets followed up in a series, maybe it will be interesting. But in a telemovie it was only a distraction, took up screen time, and served to separate Dulann from the story. Partially because of this, I felt the real center of the story came too late, and was finished too quickly. I would like to have seen more cat and mouse games, and more interaction between David and the enemy, rather than them turning up late in the telemovie and it all being resolved rather quickly.
I'd also like to have seen more use of Mackenzie Gray as Minister Kafta. There were some good scenes between Kafta and David, and there could have been more of them. Mackenzie is a great actor, and I hope we see him again in a series if one goes ahead.
The design aspects of the telemovie were wonderful. The sets were nicely done, and the visual effects were superb. It feels like B5 hitting the big screen, everything just that little bit more grand, and that little bit more impressive.
A warning to the fans: I can see a few arguments before they begin. There are always people who will criticize something for the fun of it, and two arguments I feel will crop up when people go around posting their opinions on messageboards. The new race is just a rip-off of the Shadows. Admittedly, in the telemovie, they do appear to be very similar. However, I doubt that's the case, as we'd learn from a series. How much did we know about the Shadows when watching B5? Not much for ages. So people can't presume to know much about this new race from one telemovie. We have faith in JMS and can say things like this, casual viewers will not have this faith. Those who aren't fans but know a bit about B5 will start this argument, mark my words. Be patient with them, if you can. It's a rip-off of Enterprise. It seems a large part of the internet population loves B5 vs Trek topics, discussing (or rather stating) which is better, and which ripped off which. I find it all pedantic and boring. But there are some vague similarities between Enterprise's pilot, and "To Live and Die in Starlight." Timing is the problem here, as our telemovie wrapped ages ago but is now only just about to air. Just tell anyone who starts this kind of topic to go get a life, that's my only suggestion!
So, all in all it was an enjoyable telemovie. A shaky start, but it soon starts running. It has plenty of humor, and some bits which made me laugh out loud. It took a bit too much time to get to what I felt was the center of the story, and it was over a bit too quickly, and I felt the ghosts element only made that aspect worse.
So, it wasn't perfect. But when who said it would be? The good thing is that it's a solid telemovie, enjoyable and above all else has great cast with a great line up of characters. I don't particularly like B5's pilot as a standalone episode, but it served its purpose to get into a series which produced five mind-blowing years. I anticipate "To Live and Die in Starlight" being no different. This telemovie needs to get ratings, to get people watching, and you could do a lot worse with a couple of hours on TV. Once we've got a series we can worry about the finer elements that we know all too well JMS not only handles, but excels at. B5 is back, and long may it continue.
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers "To Live and Die in Starlight" airs on January 19 2002, on the US SCI FI Channel.
