Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers

Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers

Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers
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DVD details

Actor: Alex Zahara, Andreas Katsulas, Dylan Neal, Mackenzie Gray, Myriam Sirois
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Platform: Linux, Mac, Mac OS 9 and below, Mac OS X, Windows
Model: 75725
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
  • Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers is a two-hour television movie created by J. Michael Straczynski (original creator of the Babylon 5 series) for the Sci-Fi Channel. The telefilm takes place in 2264 after the wars are over and a new age of space exploration has begun. The Interstellar Alliance has been organized to establish and maintain peace among its member worlds, including Earth. The Range

DVD Reviews of Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers

DVD Review: 1 Star, Barely.
Summary: 1 Stars

I am generally among the first to defend a Babylon 5 universe show or movie in the face of the inevitable negative reviews, but this is the exception. In most cases, the negative reviews come from either diehard trekkies/trekkers who reflexively hate everything in the Babylon 5 universe, or people who just don't "get it." The latter reviews are usually littered with errors and misunderstandings. In this case, the negative reviews of this DVD are 95% justified. As one person said, "Would've been better left off the shelves...". That pretty much sums it up. It is extremely unfortunate that this is probably the last thing in the Babylon 5 universe that will ever be produced (meaning for TV or the movies). Oh how I wish it would have ended on a better note.


The Bad:

The whole premise of the movie is flawed. No Ranger Council would have a policy of death before retreat, in all circumstances. That's utter lunacy. Without that policy, the rest of the movie wouldn't have happened. Indeed, it would have been better if this movie hadn't happened, because as it is, it's a pure Sci-Fi Channel Saturday Grade Z movie bad. If the Babylon 5 universe on TV had ended with "Crusade," as damaged by TNT-Atlanta meddling as "Crusade" was, that would have been far better, because there are some real gems in the "Crusade" 13-episode run.

Regarding the "Babylon 5 - The Legend of the Rangers" DVD (movie title: "To Live and Die in Starlight"), it's hard to tell at some points if the acting is bad, or if it's the script. Actually, it's probably a lot of both. For example, see the dojo scene with the captain, the crew and Tannier. Yes, this is the same "Tannier" (same character/different actor) from B5's "Learning Curve" except that here, Tannier's a pompous idiot. The part where Sarah is being held back, like a Yorkshire Terrier pup who is about to attack a fully grown German Shepherd Dog which has been trained as a guard dog, is visually, utterly laughable at the same time that the dialogue is painful to experience. Think, the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz ("Lemme at `em."). Later, Sarah's conniption fit in the VR weapons gizmo is even worse, and so bad that I have to FF past it or leave the room.

Overall, this movie feels like something that's not really in the Babylon 5 universe, or that was set in the Babylon 5 universe but was written and produced by somebody without previous experience in that universe. It just rings false. Part of this is because, all of the Babylon 5 and Crusade CGI computer files were "lost" (We'll never know what really happened.) by Warner Brothers, and there's no time or budget to re-create 5+ years of creative work for one low-budget TV movie. The only things the production team had from the past were the low-res stuff they'd given to Sierra for the aborted/never produced space combat flight simulator ("Into the Fire"). That's why all previous Babylon 5 ships and the station itself are only seen briefly, and from mid to far distance (e.g. B5 barely rotates, and the planet Epsilon 3, around which B5 orbits, isn't there.), and why the featured ships are ALL never before seen designs. Also, neither Foundation Imaging nor Netter Digital did the CGI for this movie. It was done by Gajdecki Visual Effects (GVFX), an FX company without previous Babylon 5 universe experience, hence the Minbari Nial fighters shown flying backwards (aerodynamically=backwards for Minbari Nial Fighters). Wish somebody would have caught that!

The Good:

Some of the characters/actors would make welcome additions to the Babylon 5/Crusade universe. Captain Martel is, for the most part, pretty good, when he's not making his way through awful or connect-the-dots-for-the-crew/viewer dialogue. He and Dulann have great chemistry together. One of the best exchanges of the movie is when Dulann causes Martel to do a humorous doubletake. Dulann is certainly a standout, and one of the best characters in the movie. Na'Feel (though I cringe at the unfortunate name which is obviously too close to "Dureena Nafeel" from "Crusade.") and Firell are also excellent in their roles. Na'Feel is a Narn in the mold of the fiery Na'Toth of Babylon 5 fame, and that's a huge compliment. Firell is more subdued, though with (I suspect) a wicked, understated sense of humor (Think of the Minbari seamstress who jabbed Zack with a needle when he was getting fitted for his Army of Light uniform.<G>).


Bottom Line:

No matter what, DO NOT let this DVD be your or anybody else's FIRST viewing experience in the Babylon 5 universe, because you'll be doing that person a grave disservice. This TV movie is NOT representative of the high quality of "Babylon 5" (the TV episodes or the movies) or "Crusade." Watch any of "Babylon 5" or "Crusade" first. Just don't START with this movie.
More Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers reviews:
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Description of Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers

BABYLON 5:LEGEND OF THE RANGERS - DVD Movie
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