Subject: REVIEW: BABYLON 5

From: [email-masked] (Mark R. Leeper)
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 19:57:58 GMT

[Followups directed to rec.arts.sf.tv since most discussion of this
made-for-TV movie seems to be in that group.  It's probably worth noting
that the Moderator believes that made-for-TV movies are movies, and
their review is suitable for a movie review group, which is why this is
included here.  -Moderator]

                                 BABYLON 5
                      A film review by Mark R. Leeper
			Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper

     So far this year we have seen the premieres of SPACE RANGERS, STAR
TREK: DEEP SPACE 9, and TIME TRAX.  For each I have written a somewhat
tongue-in-cheek review of some of the sillier aspects of it.  Unfortunately,
there is a distinct shortage of silliness in BABYLON 5.  In spite of the
fact that the pacing is a little lethargic, this is the most intelligent of
the new series.  I am afraid that without the STAR TREK organization behind
BABYLON 5, it probably will not succeed.  Yet this is certainly the more
engaging series.  Where DEEP SPACE 9's idea of an intriguing mystery is
where the shape-changer Odo came from, BABYLON 5 is built around a far more
interesting mystery.  It seems that humans in BABYLON 5 are just coming back
on the rebound.  Ten years earlier an unstoppable alien race, the Nivari,
had totally massacred the humans.  All that remained was the final coup de
grace and the universe would have been less one species of ape descendents.
Then suddenly the Nivari unaccountably declared they had lost the war and
surrendered to the humans.  A decade later still nobody understands the
sudden reversal.

     So here is BABYLON 5, the meeting place of hundreds of species.  Like
James White's hospital ship, it has provisions for a wide variety of alien
species requiring different atmospheres at different pressures.  The ship
functions as a sort of United Nations and interplanetary hotel in space.
There are five major powers as well as many minor cultures interacting.

     The look of the future is perhaps the best thing about the series.
There are no silly or gimmicky wipes between scenes.  The space effects,
created with computer ("Video Toaster") graphics, ar genuinely exciting.
They take their inspiration from the characteristic art on British science
fiction paperback covers.  The effects in the "Star Trek" series seem
three-dimensional and have a sort of realism not present here.  The space
effects here are closer to artists' conceptions and are much more
intriguing.  Ships open and spread wondrous wings like huge moths would or
grip other ships like beetles do.  The effects have a real sense of wonder,
all this reportedly at one-quarter the cost of "Star Trek"'s effects.

     The first story told in BABYLON 5 is a rather prosaic whodunit which is
even a little less suspenseful since we are told the villain at the very
beginning.  The characters are not really interesting yet, but clearly will
become more three-dimensional with future episodes.

     BABYLON 5 deserves a chance to prove itself.  This is adult science
fiction with a hard edge.  I will continue to watch STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9,
but I will actually look forward to the next episode of BABYLON 5.  For that
matter, I will trade you two episodes of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9 for every
episode of BABYLON 5 I can get.

					Mark R. Leeper
					att!mtgzfs3!leeper
					[email-masked]
					Copyright 1993 Mark R. Leeper