Rating: 
Summary: "In The Beginning" - 4 stars / Gathering NONE
Review: It's starting to make sense now. People love the Babylon series and as a sci-fi fan, I was obligated to see what it was all about. Upon watching "The Gathering", I was so turned off by Babylon 5 that I didn't even bother to watch "In the Beginning". I tried again with the First Season of Babylon (people are RAVING about it in reviews) but was disappointed. The CGI is really bad and Captain Deer-in-the-Headlights (as I have come to know him) just ruins it. He is a horrible actor, I'm sorry. The other Captain/dude is much better, and in the 97' TNT movie "In the Beginning" Michael O'Hare (DITH) is barely in it at all. Anyway, as the production value grows for Babylon in the second season and beyond for movies like "Beginning", and as they phase-out O'Hare for the other guy, I will watch them more enthusiastically. There's definately something here, the pilot is just agonizingly bad and the first season is un-watchable for the most part, unless your a fan and can forgive (and forget). All in all, "In the Beginning" is excellent even as a stand-alone story. It's entertaining with lots of eye-candy and above-par acting. Worth the purchase price.
Rating: 
Summary: If you've got Season 1 on DVD, you need this DVD.
Review: For one, "The Gathering" is the separate pilot that aired aprox. a year or so before the series even started. The only difference is that the make-up used for Delenn, the Minbari Ambassador, was changed for the series. Viewing this pilot is a bit necessary to catch what was later referred to in the series. And "In the Beginning" was a separate TV movie made somewhere around the airing of Season 3 which went back to explain the Earth-Minbari War which is referred to numerous times in Season 1. However if one wants to retain the mystery of what happened at "The Battle of the Line", one shouldn't watch this until after Season 3. But if you don't really care about the mystery, then viewing this will help one to understand some of the events referred to in the early seasons. The picture quality of this disc is probably on the scale of 3.5 out of 5. The image is slightly blurred at times and not very watchable on a PC with DVD-ROM drive. However the Season set is, so it's just this disc. Another negative about this disc is that the sound is only in Dolby 2.0.
Rating:
Summary: A Babylonain future history lesson
Review: Babylon 5's 5 year story arc yielded many surprises. The dicey relationship between the Minbari and Earth has only been alluded to in the series. In The Beginning gives fans the unique overview of what occurred and why Commander Sinclair & Commander Sheridan became key figures in the future relationship between the Minbari and humanity. The usual suspects are in both films with a healthy dose of cyncism and wit in the later film. Clearly writer/creator/producer J. Michael Straszinski had found his footing by the time In The Beginning was commissioned. While the pilot The Gathering is a bit stiff and formal compared to everything after the first season, keep in mind it established the ground work for everything later. Exposition is the most difficult part to play dramatically and frequently you end up sacrificing character development or plot to establishing the
"universe" (for an excellent example of this see The Next Generation pilot which, despite some nice scenes, is relatively weak compared to seasons 3, 4 5, 6 & 7. The original series is no exception as The Cage--the original pilot--was about as clunky as they come). Michael O'Hare ends up spouting quite a bit of exposition but when his character is allowed to develop later in the series he is a commanding figure as Sinclair. Again, the pilot's characters are secondary to establishing the series concept and the murder mystery. It's still enjoyable but doesn't have the depth or resonance of the series. In The Beginning works so well because all the events seen had been established throughout the first 4 seasons of the series. It should probably be viewed at the end of season 1 just before Sheridan takes over as commander of Babylon 5. It helps to establish the character Bruce Boxleitter packs quite a bit of acting punch into his brief scenes in this prequel. He gives, as always, an outstanding performance full of energy and passion. he's probably one of our most underrated actors. In The Beginning also provides enough backstory to help understand why Sheridan was given Babylon 5 after Sinclair was appointed as Ambassador to the Minbari (although the real story is another matter entirely). The transfer for The Gathering is actually superior to the box set for the series. The Gathering has been tightened up with new visual effects that improve on the more primative CGI of the original pilot telefilm. The dialog is crisp and witty although, again, it doesn't have the sparkling interplay scene later in the series. In The Beginning looks stunning as well and there isn't a minute that could have been cut from the film. There aren't any of the analog artifacts seen in the season one box set. There's no scratches or irregularities on the print transfered. The lack of bonus info does hurt the disc a bit. For a first time fan wanting to find out what all of this is about, it would probably helped to provide a trailer with highlights from all 5 seasons. Also, I would have loved to hear JMS, O'Hare or Boxleitter do commentary. The extras are pretty darn lean but, well, this is Warner were talking about after all. 3 Stars for The Gathering and 5 for In The Beginning.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Sci-Fi shows of the 90s!
Review: Babylon 5 is the show which redefined the Sci-Fi era. Star Trek was no longer the only successful space-based show on television thanks to JMS, and his talented staff. While the shows pilot, "The Gathering" wasn't completely up to par, it laid the foundation for one of the best shows ever created. Unlike Star Trek, this show was one continuous story from the beginning up until the very last episode. Already around from the pilot of the show are Sinclair, Gariboldi, Delenn, Londo, G'Kar, and Kosh. This season introduced us to new characters including: Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, Dr. Stephen Franklin, Lennir, Vir Cotto, Na'Toth, and Talia Winters. This ensamble of characters seemed to act irregularly and almost like machines at some points in the first season, but let's face it, this show was not widely thought of and it was still finding its ground in a genre that was only acceptable of Star Trek. But it breaks through nicely. The second thru fifth seasons are much better with the show more accepted and popular. Babylon 5 is an Earth Alliance space station in neutral space. Think of it as the United Nations of the galaxy. There's diplomacy, politics, scheming, and betrayl all happening on this station of a quarter of a million humans and aliens. The show is great. I recommend this DVD set a must for any sci-fi fan and true B5 fan! I hope that WB gets the rest of the seasons out on DVD as quick as possible. Also the TNT movies, The River of Souls, Thirdspace, and A Call To Arms.
Rating:
Summary: "The Gathering"--2 stars; "In the Beginning"--4 stars
Review: "Babylon 5," the story of war and political intrigue aboard an Earth space station, is one of the best TV series ever produced in the US, with an epic sweep and five-year story arc that developed situations and characters in unexpected ways and brought it all to a satisfying climax. One could never have expected such quality after viewing the substandard pilot episode. I saw the pilot when it was first aired; it left such a bad taste in my mouth that I didn't give the series a chance until well into its second season. The plot is uninteresting, the dialogue is clumsy, and the acting is stiff. "In the Beginning," on the other hand, is better than most motion pictures. It should not be watched by those who are unfamiliar with the show, however, because it gives away many plot details that were revealed slowly over the course of many episodes.
Rating: 
Summary: Great supliment to seasons!
Review: First off if you're new to B5 I dont' suggest starting here. Even if it does include the Pilot. "In the Begining" I feel gives too much away. Part of what made B5 great was the slow unfolding of the story like peeling away many layers of an onion. As for extra features. I really don't care. I own over 50 DVDs and have never watched or cared about the special features. I buy a DVD or VHS for one reason. I want to own the movie/show on it, special features are nice but I won't count off for the lack!
Rating:
Summary: Cool DVD - but lacks additional features
Review: I bought this DVD, 'cause a friend of mine told some great things about this serie. As I live in Ecuador, not everyone could see it on cable TV. What a great plot it has, the effects are fantastic (for the time they were made), and the characters are so cool!!! I wonder why they didn't put some extras, like interviews, behind the scenes, script extracts, I don't know. That would make it so much worthy!
Rating:
Summary: Babylon 5
Review: The best series ever! I have watched the whole Babylon 5 series on Sci Fi, over and over again. I can't wait to buy it on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money for most fans
Review: If you are a Babylon 5 fan, its worth the investment. However, the pilot episode is sad compared to the final product of Babylon 5, and shouldn't have been on the DvD, in my opinion (Or Have it be two separate one-sided DvDs, which always with good artwork look 10 times better). There is a strong lack of special features, which in my book is a big no-no.
Rating:
Summary: Movies good; packaging and features ... ehh ...
Review: As a fan of the Babylon 5 series, I was happy to see the release of these features, the pilot (The Gathering) and a prequel (In The Beginning) as they are an excellent introduction to the Babylon 5 universe. I don't have cable now, so I haven't seen the Babylon 5 series since it was on the air. Watching The Gathering brought me right back. However, I felt a little dirty after watching In The Beginning. The mystery behind the first season (in which many of the plot points revealed in this movie were answered, to the best of my recollection) is now dulled away. I hope I don't feel like I'm going through the motions when I purchase the 1st season on DVD when it comes out mid-November. I'm sure J. Michael Straczynski's excellent writing and Christopher Franke's inspired music will make watching Season 1 an enjoyable experience regardless. I wonder why they didn't put both features on one side, considering that there was an obvious lack of any special features other than a cast list and scene selection. They would have fit, and it would have been more convenient for those with DVD changers (myself not included, but it's just a thought). If you're a completist and are planning on buying the season sets, watch The Gathering first but hold off on seeing In The Beginning until after you've seen at least Season One again. I give The Gathering four stars, In The Beginning five stars (as a feature, it is well written and a very dramatic piece of work). The DVD itself gets 3 stars, simply for the fact that Warner Bros. finally got around to releasing B5 on DVD. Hate the snap case, but that's nothing new.
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