Rating: 
Summary: What's up with people recommending DS9 instead of this?
Review: If I could only own one TV series on DVD this would be it. This isn't because Babylon 5 is the best show ever made, but rather, the way it was made with it's pre-plotted five year story arc, very few shows compare as a whole. I'm a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I think it's one of the best shows ever made. However, I think it's silly to compare the shows just because they are both sci-fi. But if you are gonna compare, don't compare to that worthless Next Gen spin off, Deep Space Nine.In any case, comparisons are unavoidable. When Babylon 5 debuted, there was little or no fan-fare. People naturally compared it to the best sci-fi TV show that had ever been made, ST:TNG, and found it lacking. Babylon 5 had a rough start. I confess I wasn't very impressed with the show either. I mean, who wanted to see a low budget sci-fi show with cheesy, primative CGI effects, about a bunch of alien ambassadors squabbling over the galaxy. The premise and the execution didn't seem very exciting. The first two seasons only had me seeing a handful of shows. Then came season three. About midway through the season, everyone I knew was talking about this show. "You still watch that show?" I'd ask. They did, and they talked about with more excitement than I can remember any show generating. I'd listen to them talk about this plot with something called The Shadows and my interest piqued. I decided I needed to check what all this fuss was about. It didn't take more than two episodes to show me that this show had pulled a 180 and was something worth watching. I was hooked, and that second half of season three along with season four was some of the best television I can remember watching. Unfortunately, Babylon 5 ended up going the way of the ghost leaving only the memories and testamonials of those who had actually witnessed it. I always told myself, if Babylon 5 ever came on DVD I would get it (seasons 3 and 4 at least). Then season one came out on DVD. I wasn't very excited about it because I remember it being sub-par. The only reason for getting it would be to complete the series, so thought I'd wait till season three was released. Fortunately, a friend intervened and gave it to me for christmas, and my outlook on the show has been adjusted. Babylon 5 is the longest mini-series ever made. It's one big story plotted out before hand. It's like an amazing science fiction novel with none of the detail left out. The show may have lacked production values, but the story is all there, even in season one. The same story I fell in love with in seasons 3 and 4 is also season in season 1 but I never saw it. Owning the show on DVD has allowed me to watch each episode in order the way it was intended. The story is much more visible. Fans of the series already know what I'm talking about, but if you were like me and never really gave this show a chance, I urge you to. Once you get through season 4 you'll thank me. The epic sweeping story arc give it more merit to be owned on DVD than even magnificent shows like ST:TNG.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Way To Start
Review: This is a great way to start collecting one of the most well written science fiction television shows of the last century. The first season is essentially the introduction to a 5 year long story that actually has a beginning, midle and an ending. Very well done. The interface is good. Only a few episides have extra commentary. Hopefully as the rest of the seasons are put on to DVD we will get to see and hear more of Mr. S.'s insights.
Very well done!
Rating:
Summary: Video quality only drawback
Review: It's hard to complain about the arrival of B5 to DVD, because at least we now have this brilliant series presented in it's best form yet. The only drawback is that there are noticeable artifacts in the video. Sure, I'd love to have *more* commentary from creator J.M. Straczynski, a blooper reel (like the Andromeda series DVDs), and deleted or expanded scenes. I really do like the menus and the trailer previews included for every episode. Hopefully Warner Bros. will look closely at how much extra stuff is going into the Star Trek series DVDs and go ahead with more bonus features. You'd think they'd have time since there's a six month wait between seasons. Bottom line: every fan should have this incredible series on DVD, and for those who haven't seen this great series unfold over it's 5 year run, the best sci-fi treat you could give yourself is the Babylon 5 series DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: As a devout fan of the series, I'm extremely glad that they finally got off of the VHS-only kick and decided to put out a DVD version. I personally find the quality of the video and the sound to be just fine -- mileage varies in other reviews -- but I have one bone to pick with the folks who put this out. The plastic holders for each DVD are not sized correctly. Whereas in most DVD cases you have to pry the DVD out or (if you're lucky) pop it out by pressing the center plastic button, the DVDs in this set just fall off of the holder and go rattling around the box. The only way I can prevent this from happening is if I handle it like I have a bottle of nitroglycerine in my hand. One of my coworkers got his box from Wal-Mart and had to return it because the DVDs rattled around so much in transit to the store that they got scratched on the back. So, great first season box set, except for the substandard box!
Rating:
Summary: What the future will probably look like.
Review: Imagine a future where money doesn't exist, and people work for the betterment of humanity, not their greedy self interest. That is NOT what you find on Babylon 5. Babylon 5 is a space station devoted to promoting interstellar peace. It would be successful, too, if the Raiders (pirates who attack ships and steal their cargo), feuding allien races and assorted criminals didn't find it a perfect place to engage in mischief. And all that happy perfect galaxy stuff? Save that for the writers of Star Trek.
Rating:
Summary: DVDs well done
Review: B5 is a great series. Although season 1 is a little weak, you have to watch it to fully appreciate the rest of the series. The quality: the DVDs are widescreen (yay) and the picture and sound quality are very good for a TV series. But I really wanted to comment on the care taken with the DVDs' interface. This is one of the few DVDs that doesn't get on my nerves. First, the container opens like a book, unlike many other TV series' seasons, which fold out into a long, unwieldy chain. The DVDs are firmly attached to the plastic cases, but come out easily when the center is pushed. The intro to the DVD is skippable by hitting the menu button; similarly, the second chapter of each episode begins after the opening credits, so you can skip the credits very easily. There are no annoying transitions from the menu to the actual episode. These are all things that should be completely standard, but since so many TV series have annoying DVDs, it is worth pointing out. The one bad thing is that music on the DVD menu repeats endlessly; I've never seen a DVD not do this, but from what I understand, it is possible to have the DVD player play the music only a set number of times. I am glad that WB learned from the widely and deservedly panned Pilot/Gathering DVD and I hope the second season DVD is as well done as this one!
Rating:
Summary: What can I say? I like this show.
Review: I liked it a lot when it was on, and I'm liking having it on DVD. If you're a sci-fi fan and haven't discovered this show yet, there's an easy way to find out whether you'd like it. Ask yourself this: Do I really care about this stuff (rate them 1-5, 1 low 5 high): Blowing stuff up
Ongoing plotlines
Political stories
"Gritty" storyline
Unrelated episodes
Cute characters Now, based on this, there isn't a whole lot of "blowing stuff up" a-la Star Wars. If that's what you're looking for, it ain't here - there's some occasional armed conflict, but it isn't the focus. If you gave "ongoing plotlines" a 5, you'll like this. Same with "political stories" and "gritty storyline". They don't pull punches here. That's not to say it's grim reaperish like Bladerunner, but it is serious when it needs to be. "Unrelated episodes": there aren't any. Everything you see here will come back to haunt you...kinda like real life, isn't it? "Cute characters" (again, like Star Wars R2D2 or Ewoks)...none. If you're looking for something for the kids, go get a Barney video. This won't be very entertaining for them until they get to at least 10-13 or so. All that said, this pack here is the first part of a long tapestry - you've just unrolled it, there's more to come, and it all sticks together. Parts are nice by themselves, but the appreciation of the thing really won't hit you till you've experienced the whole of it. I found it to be the best-written, most well-executed, finely-cast, and interesting sci-fi series since the original Twilight Zone or perhaps the 60's Star Trek. You'll particularly like how the Presidency of earth seems to reflect much of what is going on today...like all good sci-fi, it is almost prescient in it's portrayal of human behavior. T
Rating:
Summary: One of the best sci-fi series ever!
Review: I just finished watching the last cd from the set. It's been several years since I've seen Babylon 5 and I really enjoyed watching it again. This is not like Star Trek; it has a more gritty feel to it. I believe B5 reflects how our interaction with other races would actually be. While I enjoy Star Trek, it generally seems to 'clean'. The characters do develop as the shows progress, and bits and pieces from previous shows begin to come together.
I just saw season 2 is coming out in April, and I can't wait! I gave this only a 4 star rating since the dialog during the theme music at the beginning is really bad! Let's see, "all alone, in the night...it can be a dangerous place...". They must have thrown this together rather quickly!
Other then that, I can't wait to have the complete set!
Rating: 
Summary: Fans rejoice, dvd worshippers cringe.
Review: Well lets first start with the series. Even though series 1 wasn't exactly a favorite of mine, it set the tone for everything to come. Shadows, First Ones, Earth War, everything comes out of this season. The reason for this is the stories were written out for 5 years, not like star trek where its " requires the use of or else will happen". Don't get me wrong I love star trek too, I just doubt I'll be spending $... a season on them. Extras are rather lacking, but I'm not one to really care about extras, I buy dvds for a superior quality movie, not to hear what the director thinks about it, or whatever. From what I can remember, there are director commentaries of 2 episodes, a couple behind the scenes type things, and a database of goodies like aliens/ships/etc. There also claims to be DVD-rom features, but since my computer is lacking, I can not comment. Now the dvds themselves, not bad, 4 episodes per dvd(22 total, 4x5dvds + 2x1dvd), no flipping of the disc or anything either. Comes in a nice semicompact case about 3 standard cases wide. Unfortunately when I opened it after recieving it a few of the DVDs slipped out of their places, and one of them actually had a few scratches on it that had noticable errors on screen, of which I couldn't return it since how could I prove that it was the packaging fault. Although this did alert me to something really strange, I noticed that throughout all the DVDs the quality of the picture changes dramatically, one moment there's crystal clear picture, the next looks like footage grabbed from an old film reel. I honestly don't know what to make of this, its almost like they added scenes that never got cleaned up. Overall, its a good series, I'll be waiting for the other seasons to kick in though, when I can see all the nifty space-FX in widescreen glory. Definately would recommend it to a fan, if you're not a fan, might want to try and pick it up on tv to get a feel for it. Its one of those shows you'll either love it greatly, not be impressed with it, or hate it because you're a diehard trekkie :)
Rating:
Summary: You call this packaging?
Review: Well, I for one am thrilled that Babylon 5 finally got put on DVD. Its one hell of a series, one that actually allows the characters to develop. Gee, what a concept! Sarcasm aside, this series deffinetely ranks up with the best. However, I do have one complaint about the release. The packaging of the series allows the discs to becomes easily disloged, which is why I gave a four star rating. So far, I have had to exchange one and now need to exchange another due to scratches on the discs. The best I can suggest for that is if you buy it in a store, pick from the back.
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