Babylon 5 - Terzo spazio

Of the feature films stemming from the B5U, this is my favorite. Looking at it 22 years on, it's amazing how well it has held up. The way its various influences (HPL, Triplanetary, Quatermass, etc) are almost seamlessly incorporated into the mythos of B5 contributes the film's quality, its storytelling and its endurance. Despite the preponderance of CHI and plot-driven action, there are still some great characterization moments, in particular the elevator scene with Zach and Lyta, further establishing Zach as the hopeless romantic always finding (and losing) hope.

An excellent movie for all B5 fans, quite interesting plot-wise and in the spirit of 2nd Season. I watched it with pleasure, and it definitely adds another dimension to the B5 universe. I thought the opening was quite majestic, and there were some hilarious moments too, mixed with much tension, which is quite typical of Babylon 5 material. The movie can stand on its own, although a viewer who has followed Babylon 5 storyline right up to the Second and the Third Seasons will be able to appreciate it best. This is not so much due its content and story, but to realise certain implications that are discussed in the film, which may not stand out otherwise. A good addition to the genre.

Enjoy!

A reasonable outing.

B5 - and JMS writing in particular - works better when not contained to standalone episodes. Give him space to breathe, and his musing flows far better. He has room to comment, moralise and philosophise beautifully. Give him a single story and he tries to cram in too many explanations and plot movements which start to clog up the script. This is a pity as the script is what he is good at.

So a nice story, but a little uneven. Sometimes continually underlines the same plot points over and over killing room for nice stand alone dialogue or character exposition. Other times, the character scenes (the lift scene ) are too long an neither help the story or offer any depth for their duration.

That said, the SFX is very nice, the music from Franke is far more classically orientated than before and it's a nice chance to try and highlight some of the minor characters. The story idea is reasonable, if a little unusual in scifi tone for B5 (befitting Trek more) and it lacks some of the regular B5 heavyweight actors (G'Kar and Londo are sadly missing and Delenn has few scenes).

Nevertheless, an enjoyable if a little vacuous compared to what one comes to expect from B5. The aural and visual experiences are good, the actors are solid and the story good enough to standalone. Not perfect, but still a good slice of pulp scifi action.

Well, humm. Let's see. Odd plot, long dialogue, and an odd context that doesn't fit into B5 at all certainly take their toll on this movie. I must admit though, the suspense, action, and great special effects for a T.V. movie make this reasonably good. Strong performances from all the actors certainly helped make this movie better than most, but it was still sadly dull.

Okay, admit it. You've wondered about TNT's influence over B5 after it moved to that channel. Well, this movie proves it. Okay, would JMS have written something as violent and effect-full if TNT HADN'T been shoving the whole 'demographic' thing down his throat? I mean, all those shots of the fist-fighting was a little over the top. But on whole I'd have to say that it was a terrific movie anyway. Okay, a LITTLE dull. But the special effects were GREAT!!!! One complaint though. (Same complaint as the one I have with the ep 'Day of the Dead'.) They missed a PERFECT opportunity to bring back Marcus.