Rating: 
Summary: Poor DVD Quality
Review: I have purchased all 4 seasons that were available. Every one of them have discs that are faulty. They "freeze" or skip scenes. Those scenes will not play. Pretty poor.I have even tried these on other DVD players...same results. Oh yes, and ever try to get someone to acknowledge this problem and correct it? Not happening.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably the best season
Review: The third season of Babylon 5 really heats up if you've been watching the prior episodes. Unlike the other seasons, ALL of the episodes in this season are dramatic, action-packed, and suspenseful from the start to finish. I would agree with other reviews that the audio and video qualities of the actual DVD's are only "average" though (grainy video, almost monoaural sound). Babylon 5 is clearly one of the better story-driven science fiction television shows in existence, and this season really hits the mark. For Babylon 5 fans, season 3 is one not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Good show... Lousy medium
Review: Just received my 3rd season dvd's... love the show. However, the quality and workmanship of the dvd's themselves leaves MUCH to be desired. Have so far watched the first 2 dvd's out of 6. In the 4th episode on the 1st dvd, right in the middle of a scene, the dvd skips then ends up back at the main menu. In the 2nd episode on the 2nd dvd there are several shots where subtitles appear out of nowhere. And in the 4th episode on the 2nd dvd, in the 'dogfight' scene, just as the dogfight is almost over... the dvd suddenly skips off to the FBI warning then the main menu. Guess it's not bad overall? Can't wait to see what's in store on the remaining 4 of the 6 dvd's.
LOVE the show... but i think that the quality of the dvd's have really slipped for this 3rd season. Have already ordered season 4 and 5 so i am really hoping they go back to whatever they did that worked for seasons 1 and 2.
Rating:
Summary: An insulting comparison
Review: The editorial review compares the end of this season to the Lord of the Rings. I'm not sure what's worse, JMS' deplorable writing and conception of his less-than-inspiring ideas, or that he insults science fiction and fantasy writing by trying to compare his work to Tolkein (and in reality, actually stole ideas from him). JRR would not be proud.
Rating: 
Summary: Two stars at most (and that's pushing it)
Review: Babylon 5 is nothing if not ambitious but when all's said and done it remains a typically American space opera with all the limitations and conservativeness that implies, despite claims of originality and freshness by the fans and by the shows creator/producer/writer JM Straczynski. B5's central story arc across the first three and a bit seasons, that of humans and aliens manipulated as proxies in a never ending conflict between two vastly advanced life forms known as the Shadows (devilish) and the Vorlons (angelic), goes back to at least the 1930's when EE 'Doc' Smith published his 'Lensman' series in the SF magazines of the time. In this, the Arisians (good) and the Eddorians (bad) play out a similar conflict across the eons using human and alien races as pawns. This may come as a surprise to fans of the show but for those of us familiar with the written stuff B5 is just another example of why most small screen SF lags about 50 years behind the state of modern written SF (albeit B5 has the attraction of some very flashy computer generated effects). As for the big showdown between the Vorlons and the Shadows I won't give away the conclusion of the B5 version - which comes midway during Season 4 - but it is a terrible letdown considering the slow burn buildup during these third season episodes. It also betrays a remarkably immature and conservative turn of mind by Straczynski which amused the hell out of me considering how much he and everyone connected with it had been busy talking the show up as 'subversive', 'adult' and 'edgy'. Based on the conclusion of the Shadows/Vorlon conflict I'd suggest that Babylon 5 is about as adult and edgy as Scooby Doo. If you've been following Babylon 5 from the start then there are a number of long awaited developments in Season Three - from what exactly IS in that Vorlon suit to whether Claudia Christian's uppity Susan Ivanova will ever get it on with anybody. But this really isn't enough to hold ones attention and, combined with a yawn inducing sub plot about a Doctor addicted to his own painkillers, you'll be left with no option but to listen to Straczynski's dialogue, an enervating experience in itself. In fact it's no exaggeration to say that Straczynski's fumbling with words (and JMS wrote every episode of Babylon 5) makes George Lucas's dialogue for his Star Wars movies sound like the work of Shakespeare. The ensemble cast is also a hit and miss affair with some consistently woeful acting; so take a bow Richard Biggs, as the interminably dull Dr. Stephen Franklin, likewise Bruce Willis lookalike Jerry Garibaldi (and believe me that's where the Willis connection starts AND finishes) as well as the amusingly effete Jason Carter as a supposedly macho Han Solo swashbuckler named Marcus Cole. Have I been too critical here? Too harsh? Should I also mention the pokey sets or the dreadfully unimaginative sitcom style direction? To be fair to Straczynski he's not bad at plotting and it's no surprise that the most heavily plotted episode of the third season - 'Severed Dreams' - also turns out to be the best. In this episode there are no embarrassing attempts at characterisation, dialogue or humour, just a rattling good space opera in which the crew must decide between loyalty to an Earth under the control of a dictatorship or their own independence (cue the latter choice resulting in lots of big battles and even bigger explosions). It's a lot of fun but subversive, genre shattering and edgy it isn't. In fact, of its type, it's utterly traditional. B5 is so beset by various production weaknesses that it's a minor miracle it enjoys the devoted fan following it evidently has. I don't know if fans recognise the weaknesses I have outlined above but simply choose to ignore them or whether it's just me. Oh for the days when I was a wide eyed 12 yr old untroubled by bad acting and cliched storylines/characters/dialogue! I think if I was then I'd probably adore Babylon 5 in much the same way I'd adore Battlestar Galactica and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
Rating:
Summary: The Pivotal Season
Review: Pros: Great stories, amazing visuals. The season where it all comes together.
Cons: Some of the "extras" are only very good; not great This is the pivotal season in this amazing five year series. Many of the threads planted over the previous 24 episodes finally come together -- and a host of new ones are created. The special effects in this season hit a new high with some of the most amazing battle scenes ever shown on TV -- they stand up today. But it's the stories that makes this season soar. The character development is handled expertly. The stories build on one another with nary a "gimmick" to move the tale along. The extra features are very good, although not all of them live up to the standards of the episodes themselves. The commentaries by J. Michael Straczynski are expecially insightful. To fully enjoy this DVD set it obviously helps to have seen the first two seasons. But they're excellent in their own rights and well worth the time. This is perhaps the best science fiction series ever to air. If you're at all a fan of the genre -- or just like good stories -- this series is for you.
Rating:
Summary: A series of epic proportions
Review: This is the season where Babylon 5 turned from simple space opera to a series of epic proportions. There are climatic episodes where the characters of Babylon 5 must take decisive action in order to uphold the principles for which they hold dear. Others sink into a dark quagmire by embracing the forces of evil and doom, for which they will pay in later years. Season 3 is a must have for Babylon 5 fans as well as anyone with a passing interest into what this show is all about.
Rating:
Summary: It Just Keeps On Getting Better And Better
Review: The Shadow War finally begins and we learn much more about what they are and what they like to do. Babylon 5, In my opinion, Is the best television ever made and that ever will be made. You can't beat perfection and that's what this is. This is better than the first two seasons and both of them are awesome. It's not so much the war that attracts me to this season, Yeah the space battles are realy cool, It's that you start to learn alot about the secrets of The Shadows.
Rating:
Summary: Gathering Storm
Review: Things are getting more complicated for the crew on Babylon 5 by the day. Not only must they start to figure out some way to defeat the Shadows when the time comes, but they must also deal with the growing threat back home. President Clark is becoming more paranoid and curtaining freedoms at an alarming rate. The crew finds evidence against him, but will it help? Meanwhile, Londo thinks he's created a monster that has gotten out of hand. G'Kar looks for ways to help in the coming conflict. Franklin is facing a personal problem of his own. And a face from the past returns to the station, with surprising results. Babylon 5 definitely hit its stride with the third season. Series Creator J. Michael Straczynski wrote the entire season, helping it hang together and tell the story. Bester begins to play more of a role and is fleshed out a little more as a character, and this season also introduces Marcus Cole, the Ranger. While many of the episodes contribute directly to the over all story line, there are still several stand alones, including a personal favorite, "Passing Through Gethsemane" and one I really dislike, "Grey 17 is Missing." The arc episodes are all top notch. Highlights here include "Point of No Return," Hugo winning "Severed Dreams," "Interludes and Examinations," both parts of "War Without End," "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," and the best season ending cliffhanger of the series, "Z'ha'dum." If you've been buying these sets, you know what to expect here. There's the season intro, two audio commentaries by JMS and one by cast members Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Richard Biggs, and Ed Wasser. While JMS's are good as always, the cast commentary is better this time around, with Jerry not sidetracking them as often. Either way, it's a great listen. Disc six continues with more data and personnel files as well as documentaries on designing the world and aliens of the series. There's a separate feature showing the make up process for getting a Narn ready for filming. The audio continues to sound great, and the video seems to be improving, although I do still notice the occasional flaw. Certainly not enough to really interfere with enjoying the show, however. With the story kicking into high gear, the show just keeps getting better and better. I'm thrilled the series is being preserved on DVD since I watch it every couple of years.
Rating:
Summary: The Primacy of the Moral
Review: J. Michael Straczynski and Robert B. Parker (of Spenser fame) have both achieved the same thing with very different subject matters and in very different media: they have made the moral choices of their characters the primary, indeed, almost the SOLE focus of the action. Straczynski's task is probably that much the harder because, unlike the novel, he can only graphically illustrate his characters' inner worlds. The result is triumph; presenting something so rare on TV: real people. Yes, as in the Parker novels, there is plenty of violence. Also there is no downplaying certain characters' relish of the test of battle and their love of soldiering. Straczynski has a real respect for the military and does not let his correct skepticism of government (even if does repeat the McCarthy myth on a commentary track) spill over into disrespect for those who put their bodies where "the metal hit the meat." His use spectacular special effects only enhances. The ground breaking CG had one real drawback: B-5 explosions simply don't look real. I guess they just didn't have the processor power to simulate them on their budget. Even now fire is said to be impossible to model and thus its creation is more the work of artist than artisan-something the insane schedule of network drama simply doesn't allow. Both series place characters--whatever the literary allusion--in situation where they have choose between expedience and principle. Straczynski does a superb job of dropping his characters--ones obviously very beloved to him--into horrible situation in which they die or undergo the most dreadful pain and loss. Then there are those, like Mr. Morden, Mr. Bester nice "Demolish Man" joke), and "President" Clark who clearly took the road of expedience. Straczynski shows, graphically, the very real consequences of their actions not only for themselves but for billions of other humans and aliens. The main theme was taken from an old Poul Anderson novel whose name eludes me. He pictured a war between vastly powerful species whose mere existence was outside human comprehension but who used humans and others as proxies in their never ending struggle. Redux the Shadows and Vorlons--who turn out to be as amoral as the Shadows when crossed. As with the Spenser novels, Babylon 5 rises far above genre to achieve what is so utterly rare in any historical era: art. They both show us the recesses of the heart, the secret places we hide from everyone else. We are also shown the devastating consequences of moral failure or necessity. In a hundred years B-5 will still resonate in a way my beloved Star Trek never can. Star Trek, you see, is fantasy, the way the world ought to be. Babylon 5, unfortunately, is the way the future WILL be.
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