Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely the best season of the series
Review: Babylon 5 gave a wonderful Sci-Fi series that won several awards and gave people something to watch other then Star Trek.This is the season that the series comes into its own. Most of the problems with the acting and the directing are solved in this series. The CGI was unbelievable for the time. The production values are way up, and most of the costuming problems from the previous two season have been resolved. Stand alone episodes mostly dissappear with this season, most of the series from now on will be dedicated to forwarding the story. Several hanging plotlines get tied up, and new ones form. There is less of the problem with characters coming in, being important for an episode or two, and dissappearing without expanation. One major problem with this season; however, is that it soon becomes nearly impossible for new viewers to enter the series at this point. If you have not seen the first two seasons, it is easy to become completely lost. This DVD collection has many of the same problems as the first two seasons. Some of the transers to DVD are terrible. Fuzzy, grainy, or just plain old looking. Also, there are not many special features on the DVDs. The ones that are there, mostly commentary by JMS or the cast members are great, but there are not that many. Finally, DO NOT BUY THIS SET WITHOUT SEEING THE FIRST TWO SEASONS. It will make little to no sense. If you want to buy this set and not buy the first two seasons, I recommend buying "In the Beginning" and watching it before buying this series. There will be some spoilers, but at least you will not be completely lost. Series- Five Stars DVD- Three Stars
Rating: 
Summary: The Third Is the Best
Review: This story has all the elements of a saga of old, a myth like the Knights of the Round Table. It builds the plot on a steady track, then it hits you like a train in the end. Gods, it's a good story. I can't wait for number four.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and densely packed television
Review: Like many, I tend to watch television with one eye. It plays in the background, filling the silence. I started to watch Babylon 5 in the same way. Remember, it started at the same time as DS9 and seemed a rather similar premise. Very quickly, it became apparent that B5 was something special. The concept was so strong and the execution so good that we fans were compelled to return for each new episode. Watching the reruns and now the DVD's, I have noticed the density of the show, both in the dialog and the visuals. It is a pleasure to rewatch the big things. But the pleasure is in the little things like Kosh in the background for G'kar's revelation. I have curtailed my DVD purchases but rushed out to buy this set. And I am anxiously waiting the opportunity to lay down my money for seasons four and five.
Rating:
Summary: Best season out of all five years
Review: Best season out of all five years
Rating:
Summary: so very impressive
Review: This show was/is so very impressive. This season of the show is the most impressive of the series, though watching it again, I realized how much is coming in season 4. I can't wait to have the entire series. Watching this again, I was reminded of how mindblowing this season was when it originally aired. I don't know how I survived waiting an entire week for the next episode. As it is, I have to make myself go to bed at night or i'd just stay up all night watching the entire season. Now, I just have to wait for the next season. Valen give me patience!!
Rating:
Summary: I Blew Up Za'Ha'Dum and All I Got...
Review: ... was this wicked DVD set! This is truly the set that Babylon 5 fans have been waiting for. Not only is it probably the production's best season, but the transfer and quality of the DVDs themselves is finally up to the level it should be. The encoding on all parts is clean, with the FX sequences all looking particularly crisp as compared to the previous two seasons. Also, the stock is much cleaner than that used in season two. No scratches to be seen in all 22 eps, and only minimal dust. Watching on a computer as I do, the visuals were all very sharp. Thankfully, that's the end of bad technical things that can be said about this set! Come on, bring on seasons four and five now! Again, like season two, the story quality jumps miles ahead of where it was before. The actors have settled quite well into their characters, Bruce Boxleitner and Mira Furlan doing excellent jobs of showing the slow evolution of the relationship between their characters and how it comes to fruition. Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik just steal the show at every opportunity, of course. Katsulas as G'Kar goes through probably the most profound and fascinating character change of any character in modern television history. Jurasik as Londo continues to sink deeper into the hell his character has made for himself. One of the biggest highlights about this season over any other pretty much anywhere is that there is that there is almost no filler episodes. The vast majority of episodes serve to advance the plot arc of the series and do a wonderful job of it. The parade of unique things in sci-fi continue. While public bathrooms aren't seen here as they were in the previous season, they are mentioned once. Insect life -- and what some do to kill them -- adds a nice dose of humor early on. Someone takes the offer to leave in a tough situation. It is also the first time a post office is scene in a modern sci-fi series, and from the look of things, service has not improved much in 257 years. One of the most striking aspects is how religion is showed during in this series. Unlike some series, religion is never scored or used to give quick psychobabble answers. There is a genuine respect for it in the episodes (notably 4 and 20) that it appears. Drug addiction and self-rehabilitation are also tackled, with no quick and easy fixes used. Lastly, in the episode Severed Dreams, Babylon 5 makes the unique move of having their main cast fight against humans -- their own kind -- for survival, as opposed to some alien race. The commentary is good, though not as good as season two. Straczynski is interesting as always and does not repeat stuff from before too often. The group commentary, this time given by Bruce Boxleitner, Jerry Doyle, Richard Biggs and Ed Wasser, while as funny as the previous group one, was far more chaotic. The actors tended to talk over each other a bit too much. These should definitely be cut back to just three people. Oh, and the gag-reel easteregg is back. Over all, this is a fantastic DVD set, without question. The content, while always being excellent is now without argument top notch, the visuals on this disc have caught up with the content, and the cohesive and intelligent writing sets this above anything else out there. And to think, no one in television thought that a series like this one would ever work. It has been worth the wait just to get here! Now to take it home with the same style for the final two seasons.
Rating:
Summary: Forget genre classifications, B5 is the best TV ever
Review: Combining plot elements reminiscent of Tolkien and the Arthurian legends, writing that's rarely been equalled, characters you actually care about, an epic story spanning ages and generations, and still with more believability per frame than most non-SF dramas, B5 is in a class of its own. Like some others here, I'm replacing my tapes with DVD's as they are released. The ability to quickly visit any scene from any show easily justifies the extra cost. Season three is where most B5 fans got hooked - I know I did. I watched season one on and off. With season two, I found myself watching more. By the time the story arc began to unfold in season two, I was watching every week. By season three, watching every week's episode had taken on the nature of an almost spiritual imperative. Unlike some here, I don't necessarily consider season four a close second, but pretty much equal to season three. B5 broke so much new ground, it's hard to list it all. It certainly was one of the first to show bad things happening to good characters. It took the bold step of letting you believe for years that certain characters were good (or bad), when they might turn out to be much more complex in the end. The characters become so real to us that I've seen grown men choke back their emotions when a character you only saw in a robotic suit incapable of expressing emotion get killed. B5 was a pioneer in admitting to and exploring issues of faith even though its creator and writer is an avowed atheist. Even in its portrayal of relationships, romantic and otherwise, it was unique. Everywhere else on TV, characters were introduced in act 1 and in bed by act 3. As in real life, this also happened on B5, but you also got a chance to savor the growth of relationships you could never hope to see on episodic TV. B5 had its share of great love stories but they were never formulaic. Two were cut short by tragedy, but one of those was never consummated while the other grew from a one-night stand with political motives. You even saw people who were close and had some obvious attraction, but chose for various good reasons not to act on those feelings. Based on perhaps limited experience, these people seem more real and interesting to me than most I see on TV. At a time when most entertainment teaches few positive values, B5 celebrates commitment to a greater cause. It balances this with cautionary tales that suggest we be constantly vigilant that our cause is really just. It teaches self-sacrifice. Simply watching most episodes of B5 is like a workout for your conscience. It makes you think. The characters themselves think. It taught that victories aren't always won by violence and that the only persistent peace is achieved through conscience, commitment, and determination.
Rating:
Summary: The heart of a masterpiece and great set
Review: Ok I am not going to add any more to what all the other reviews have said, they have hit everything right on the head. I just have to say that I have experienced none of the other problems from the past sets. The picture/scenes are all very clean, the sound is good and all the menus work correctly. It appears from my point of view that WB finally got this right. If you have never seen the show before, pick up the second season so you have a deent sense of what is happening. Season 1 was good also, but there were many changes in season 2 that relate to season 3 better.
Rating:
Summary: Third season B5 comes into its own
Review: Everything else was prelude. B5 hit its stride with the powerful third season. This is where some of the most important and best written episodes premiered in the series. Season 3 improved on the strong writing evident during the second season. Season 4 maintained the intelligent, high quality writing and direction. It seemed as if the series (like Next Gen)slipped a bit with the last season as the primary conflict (the Shadow War) had ended. It was difficult to top but it didn't stop them from trying. Among the outstanding episodes are Matters of Honor and the amazing season cliff hanger Z'ha'dum. For me, though, the linchpin of the series are the two two parters War Without End parts 1 & 2 and Shadow Dancing & Z'ha'dum. Sinclair returnsin the former two episodes and discovers his destiny. We also get resolution as to what happened to Babylon 4 and this episode ties in directly into the episode featuring B4 from the first season. There are some unanswered questions/inconsistencies in the two parter but, on the whole, War Without End encapsulated what was so well developed about the series--the 5 year series plan was flexible but, like the best novels, the series clearly had a planned beginning and end. In the latter two episodes we finally meet Sheridan's wife (played this time around by Bruce Boxleitner's wife Melissa Gilbert)and discover what happened to her when her expedition went to Z'ha'dum. Ultimately, though, most of those answers are provided in the stunning season conclusion. These four episodes are every bit as powerful as any theatrical film and the Borg arc established for Next Generation. They are also equal to the stunning opening and two parter set on Earth for DS9. The DVDs here appear a bit sharper and with improved picture quality compared to Seasons 1 & 2. Perhaps its the advantage of time (the Trek boxed sets improved as well as did DS9). Perhaps Warner is spending a bit more time on these pricey sets when mastering them for DVD. The digital effects still don't hold up as well on a big screen television as previous sets. Part of the problem has to do with the original digital images but also has to do with the quality of the transfer. Again, the effects work looks worse than the live action on DVD but there is a marginal improvement. As to the letterboxed format, it was clear with the last set that the show was shot in a standard aspect ratio and then matted after the fact. If I'm not mistaken, season 3 was done in a similar fashion but the matting is slightly improved (in the 3rd box set there was a commerical for the Psi Corp that had much of the lettering cut off at the bottom and the tops of heads cropped off). Perhaps it just wasn't as noticable since with season 3 the series was, if I'm not mistaken, broadcast in a letterboxed format. The extras are nice. The commentary by J. Michael Straczynski on the two episodes Z'ha'dum and Severed Dreams is quite interesting but be alert to the fact that there are spoilers mentioned. This is, of course, only important if you haven't seen the entire series. The cast commentary on Interludes and Examinations is a lot of fun--it's clear like the one they recorded for the season 2 boxed set, that they have a blast working together. I would have liked to have a commentary on War Without End parts 1 & 2 by Michael O'Hare and Bruce Boxleitner. Particularly since these episodes tie into both the second season and the first. The sets have gotten more and more generous about the extras as they've gone along. Season 3 is the equal to Season 2 with the following featurettes included; "Behind the Mask: Creating the Aliens of Babylon 5" documentary; "Designing a Better Narn" documentary; "Designing Tomorrow: The Look of Babylon 5" documentary. There's at least 1 Easter Egg extra included on the last disc of the set (like the previous one). Although B5 didn't initially get the respect of critics like the Trek series Next Gen and DS9, by the third season the series had captured the attention of both a larger, more involved audience and the critical attention the series deserved. While Seasons 1 & 2 were important, 3 is where the series finally developed into a sophisticated, well told story.
Rating:
Summary: The coming of Shadows
Review: This season of Babylon five was one of the most important and exciting in Science Fiction. The extensive use of CGI was very impressive and I liked the special effects very much in this show is all seasons, however, in season 3 they really did a good job. The threat of the Shadows is no all too real, and Commander Sheridan must confront the past loss of his wife in the last 2 episodes. They send chills down the spine ! Also Evil makes a case for its existence and that is a scary thought as well. Enjoy, this was a great show ! Best Regards to All, MC - TheStickRules.Com
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