Rating: 
Summary: Not just a TV series but a fine piece of literature
Review: To those skeptical or unfamiliar with great science fiction, it isn't mostly about science or technology. Rather it is a portrayal of humankind's shortcomings, triumphs, and spirit. That being said, "Babylon 5" is the epitome of quality in the science fiction genre. Unfortunately, the DVD does not do "Babylon 5" any justice and its quality has failed the fans.To begin, Warner Bros. erred in releasing the pilot movie, "The Gathering," with the prequel movie "In the Beginning." The prequel, while easily being the best Babylon 5 movie, should not be viewed by those new to Babylon 5 until they have seen at least all of season three. Preferably, "In the Beginning" should not be viewed by new fans of B5 until they have seen all of season four. It is a future history and covers events that reveal the secrets of the first and second seasons, the foreshadowing of the third season, and some storylines of the fourth season. Like the vast majority of Babylon 5 fans, I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this masterpiece on DVD. Because of this lengthy wait, I *expected* that the DVD would be as much of a masterpiece as the series itself. Alas, this is not the case. There are no special features -- no deleted scenes (although I know this was not possible for the pilot movie because of water/rodent damage to the master tapes,) no behind-the-scenes footage, no interview of John Michael Straczynski or the cast members, and nothing else. In addition, there are several problems with picture and sound quality. Knowing the visual and auditory awesomeness of Babylon 5, the failure to capture that on the DVD is an atrocity. I give this DVD five stars for the quality of the stories/movies but only 1 star for the DVD quality. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. will base its decision to release the remainder of the series in DVD format on the success/sales of this initial offering. Despite the fact that the DVD quality is shoddy, I would recommend that loyal Babylon 5 fans purchase this DVD to show support for our beloved series.
Rating:
Summary: The First Babylon 5 DVD
Review: I will keep this short. For bab 5 fans, they should like this. The disk is lacking special features, and that is a disappointment. The pilot (The Gathering) is in full screen, while In The Begining is wide screen. I have not researched this, but it is very possible that the pilot was not filmed widescreen.
The sound, although not great, is fine. It is not in 5.1, but, again, I wonder if it was origionally done in 5.1, or the more expected stereo surround sound, which is standard for TV shows.
All in all, two movies, pretty good ones at that, for the price of one is a good deal.
Rating: 
Summary: Just what the doctor ordered.
Review: At last, Bab5 on DVD. This double-sided disk was exactly what I expected - simple format (no special features etc) and good reproductions of the first movie and the re-edited pilot. I had not seen the latter before and thought that it was much better than the original pilot in that some of the more jarring ideas that were not in the subsequent series were edited out and there seemed to more focus on the characters. Priced really nice in the US - in the UK these are bought separately and are more expensive. Rumour has it is that if this sells well we'll see more Babylon 5 DVD's.
Rating:
Summary: For fans only, or you will be confused
Review: The pilot episode, however, is for anyone. It is a typical 2 hour pilot, introducing it's characters, showing the general formula of the show, although the show was redone after the first few episodes, and lets you see if you want more of it. The problem with this DVD is, if you want more, flip it over, and that is all you get. You get one and only one of the best episodes of the series, with one major flaw. If you haven't seen the series before, you are lost in land speed record time. You know a few things from the pilot, but things have changed greatly from the pilot to this episode, which is a prelude to the war with the Shadows. What is a Shadow? That's the problem; you either know or you don't know. The episode will not tell you; that was not its intention.
If you are a fan and don't get the show on cable, like me, this will fill your need for the time being. If you have seen the show on cable, but never seen the first, it's great viewing. Until they make more, if they are making more, available on DVD, this has a strange place. It is either too much for some, not enough for others, just right for a few.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars for content and one star for presentation.
Review: This DVD was a great disappointment to me. I am a big fan of "Babylon 5". I love what writer/producer/creator J. Michael Straczynski accomplished with his 5 year epic. Sure, the show was a little slow to get going (he had a lot of build up to accomplish) and it stumbled in the first half of the final season (the telepath war wasn't everything it could or should have been), but when you take the long view of the structure and the impact of the story being told, it's one of the best novels ever produced on television. This DVD presents the re-edited two-hour pilot movie "The Gathering" and the backstory feature "In the Beginning." This version of "The Gathering" was produced for TNT when that network picked up the series for its fifth and final season. It was re-edited, with updated special affects and a new score added. It is a better movie in this form than the original. However, what is odd about it is that the series was produced in letterbox format (and was shown as such on Sci-Fi). However, as TNT didn't show it in letterbox format, this transfer of the film is in 1.33:1 ratio. The plot involves a space station that serves as a meeting place for various alien races where they can work out their grievances on neutral territory. The first ambassador from the fifth major space faring races (Humans, Minbari, Narns, Centauri, and Vorlons) is due to arrive. He is Kosh, a Vorlon. The Vorlons are the oldest of the races known. When an assassination attempt is made on his life, suspicion falls on the station's commander, Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare). The story is a mystery, and it serves to introduce many of the main characters and themes that would run throughout all of Babylon 5. It's impressive to see how much groundwork Straczynski laid out right from the start. His universe and the story he intended to tell were already in sharp focus in his mind, and it shows. If you see "The Gathering" and follow the series to its conclusion, you can see many things alluded to in the initial pilot pay off years down the road. It's impressive. It's also interesting to see what ideas and cast members were shed along the way. Michael O'Hare was never a particularly charismatic presence, and his departure at the end of the series' first season allowed for the more dynamic actor Bruce Boxleitner to come in as John Sheridan. However, Mira Furlann as Delenn, Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar, and Peter Jurasik as Londo make it through to the end of the show and the three of them gave consistently interesting and intriguing performances. Unlike many TV shows, these characters grew and changed. Jerry Doyle also stayed with the show to the end as Michael Garibaldi. He's always adequate (and sometimes excellent), but he's never been able to shake his Bruce Willis image sufficiently to make an impact of his own. "In the Beginning" is the story of what happened before "The Gathering." As a movie, it fills in the backstory of what happened in the days before the Babylon 5 station was established. It was originally produced between seasons 4 and 5 when the show moved to TNT. As such, it has always been a bit of a puzzlement to me. Now, this is not to say that it is a bad movie. It's actually an exciting story in and of itself that goes a long way in explaining the suspicion with which the Humans and the Minbari view each other during the entire run of Babylon 5. However, it also reveals some secrets that viewers weren't privy to for years while watching the series in real time. I'm never sure when to recommend that new viewers should watch "In the Beginning." Should it be watched in storyline chronological order--before "The Gathering" or after the final episode of season four "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" so that none of the surprises are ruined. It's a tough call, but Warner Brothers has released it with "The Gathering" so there you go. They seem to think it should be watched here and now. Personally, I love "Babylon 5" and I'm glad to see this DVD. I hope it will lead to the release of the entire series. However, as a DVD, it's very disappointing. There are absolutely NO extras. I've read what Straczyski has written about the creative choices he made while producing the show and about his theories of storytelling. I would have loved to have a commentary track from him detailing the production process. I have little doubt that additional commentary from the cast, from conceptual consultant Harlan Ellison, and from co-producer John Copeland would have been of great interest. Unfortunately there isn't any. Because of this, I have very mixed feelings about this DVD. I want the entire series, but I feel a little cheated. I don't want to say "Don't buy this DVD!" because I don't want to ruin the chances that the rest of the show won't follow. But I want more and I want Warner Brothers to know that. If we're going to invest in 5 years worth of material, they should give us something extra. It will be no small investment to buy all of "Babylon 5". Make it worth our while. If you like "Babylon 5", I highly recommend "Farscape" now being released on DVD. (C)2002 Joe Edkin
Rating: 
Summary: Great Series, But I Can't Buy This DVD (Yet)
Review: Not without knowing that future seasons will be released. While this series belongs on DVD and is one of the few series that I would buy (in addition to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and possibly The Sopranos), B5 is not the kind of series where you collect your favorite episodes; if you buy one, you want them ALL. So I won't buy this one. Not yet at least. I hope that Warner understands that many people feel this way, since this is clearly an effort to test the market for (possible) future releases. I know that my failure to buy this DVD will hurt the chances that we'll see more B5 on DVD, but, to be honest, this disc without the other episodes is not worth owning. Right now all we have is a huge tease. If anyone from Warner is reading this, I WANT TO BUY THIS DVD but will do so only if you release the first season as well. If Warner does that, then I'll buy hoping that future seasons will follow. But I need more reason to take that chance than this release. By all means, if you want to improve the odds that we'll see more B5 on DVD, buy this disc. Heck, buy ten if you can afford it. For me, it was a tough call, but I know that if I can't have it all, I don't want any. It simply wouldn't be satisfying. I wouldn't buy less than 4% of my favorite movie hoping that the remaining 96+% will someday be released. That's what Warner is asking us to do. This is just my opinion, but I'm sure that many other fans are wrestling with the same concern. If you're a true fan of Babylon 5, this could be the most unsatisfying purchase you ever make.
Rating:
Summary: A great TV series -- so what's with the DVD?
Review: Normally, I would avoid buying a DVD with practically NO special features on it -- the format lends itself so easily commentaries, behind the scenes documentaries, trailers, etc., that when a disc is as blank as this one, I am often insulted. But I bought this disc for two reasons: 1. Babylon 5 is one of my favorite TV series of all time -- a great show that was smart, well thought out and NEVER as appreciated as it should be. 2. If this disc DOESN'T sell, Warner Bros will NEVER put out the rest of the series on DVD. They have made it quite clear that the chance of a series collection for this groundbreaking television show hinges upon people buying this disc, which contains the two-hour pilot episode and the prequel movie, both of which are excellent. J. Michael Straczynski, the creator, has already expressed an interest in putting together special features (such as commentaries) for future discs, but it won't happen if this first volume doesn't do well. So for ($$$) I'm gonna swallow my pride and take a bullet for the team. If you love B5 and want to see GOOD B5 discs in the future, I urge you, BUY THIS DVD!
Rating:
Summary: A Splendid Introducton To Babylon 5, But...
Review: I concur with other customers who agree that this DVD is inferior in quality to much of what is out there; for example, compare it with the new director's cut of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". Hopefully Warner Brothers will ensure a higher quality standard as it releases subsequent volumes in the "Babylon 5" saga; which many rightfully regard as the finest science fiction television series ever aired. Still, those who aren't familiar with "Babylon 5" may be pleased with this CD, since it introduces Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5 ("The Gathering") and tells an epic tale about the infamous Earth-Minbari war ("Babylon 5: In The Beginning") which led eventually to the construction of Babylon 5.
Rating:
Summary: Features?
Review: In the Beginning is the best of the B5 movies, and having the remastered pilot is a nice bonus. My only complaint is that there was no effort made to add supplements to the discs.
Rating: 
Summary: As expected
Review: I love Babylon 5. The story line is great so was the production. Finally something has been produced on DVD. No product is without flaws. Transition from 35mm film to DVD was not done as clearly as desired. Only one of the movies (In the beginning) was re-formatted to 16:9 dimentions (or 1:85 aspect ratio). The colors are great yet DVD graining is high. In addition the shadowing effects are slightly too dark (for my taste at least) -yet that produces great colors for all the scenes that should have dark background (ie - space). Sounds are only Doulby Pro - in my opinion they could have done THX edit :) Considering the fact that WB released first and third years movies - I must say - DO NOT WATCH "in the beginning" until years 1, 2 and 3 come out. - You will spoil it.
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