Babylon 5 Movie through Studio JMS

[Ubik]

The first season is a bit odd in that it almost became a bit of misdirection, that is it does almost seem like it might be a "reset buttom sci fi" and that several of the characters whilst well played might be not incredibly deep archetypes. Knowing the latter isn't true especially makes rewatching it much more enjoyable I would say.

Oh yes, absolutely. The depth only becomes apparent later, once you're a few seasons in. Watching S1, you are tangentially aware there is a continuing thread, but it appears to be like most other episodal 'reset button' shows up to a point. But, as we now know "No one here is exactly what he appears. Not Mollari, not Delenn, not Sinclair .. and not me."

There are also lots of little things that don't play out as planned out due to actor changes, i.e. Sinclair, Talia, etc...

[moreorless]

The first season is a bit odd in that it almost became a bit of misdirection, that is it does almost seem like it might be a "reset buttom sci fi" and that several of the characters whilst well played might be not incredibly deep archetypes. Knowing the latter isn't true especially makes rewatching it much more enjoyable I would say.

[Looney]

I think season 1 improves tenfold after you’ve seen the rest of the series. Re-visiting that season just makes you appreciate how tightly developed the arc was. All the little hints that come to fruition later are fun to pick out.

Oddly enough I didn't start watching B5 when it originally aired until Season 2. It was not an easy show to catch on my cable network. The time and channel changed often. I hadn't seen Season 1, but I was really getting into Science Fiction and Trek wasn't cutting it so I decided to give Season 2 a try when it premiered. I was instantly hooked and so mad that I hadn't seen Season 1. I don't remember the first time I saw Season One, but it might have only been after the first edition of VHS tapes started being released. I don't recall if that was after I'd seen Season 2 or 3, but I am certain I saw Season 1 before I saw Season 4 or 5.

[moreorless]

He's totally right.

In all honesty, I'm unsure if a wider awareness of the ‘orginal B5’ would do a feature film much good. Modern audiences might struggle to take the existing B5 series seriously. I mean, we KNOW it’s an amazing show, but I can also appreciate that I have a major case of ‘rose tinted glasses’ when it comes to B5. As a whole, it's superb, but it also has its flaws.

At first glance, new viewers could easily find it cheesy, dated and badly acted, especially when watching Season 1. They have to overcome that initial hurdle, and many may not get beyond the first few episodes to later discover what a gem it truly is. So many of my friends have stopped after 4-5 episodes, and only those I've really sat down with have gotten far enough to appreciate it.

The production values of TV shows have increased tenfold since B5, and are now on a par with Hollywood films in the way they look and feel. I mean, something like House of Cards just oozes quality. A reboot is definitely for the best.

And me, personally... I want to see something fresh and new that will surprise and wow me anew. I actually kinda wish it could be on the small screen. I know it'll never happen, but a Netflix funded reboot series. I could totally go for that.

Honestly the #1 reason to reboot for me besides of course the fact several actors aren't with us anymore is simply that the original Babylon 5 had run its course, told its best story that the characters involved were designed to fit into.

I would tend to echo your idea that it seems much better suited for TV/Netflicks than it does the big screen although equally I do think theres a lack of futuristic space sci fi at the cinema these days(I need my space battles dam it ). Maybe what JMS has in mind for the reboot is simply something that is best suited to a shorter format? a more tightly focused story perhaps with fewer characters/races?

As far as the original series goes I think that whats really switched since the 90's is that production allows for high quality in every scene, in most B5 episodes you can point to a few very strong scenes that end up being linked together by somewhat more perfunctory ones simply because the time/money wasn't there to give it all the same polish.

To some degree though I think B5 as it was worked exactly because it was rather pulpy, JMS was very successful in taking a lot of archetypes for pulp sci fi and deconstructing them into something with expected greater depth plus of course the series had somewhat of an "in" comedy element to it.

[freaky]

Michael Bay, directing.





No!!!!

how do you spell Q-U-E-E-Z-Y ? sick to in my stomatch pouch, let borat direct.... damnit....

[Ubik]

See that is really weird to me. Why do they think it is awful?

Anyway, I can only assume your friends who think it is awful haven't given the entire series a real shot.

That's it exactly Looney, it’s getting people invested enough for them to plow through the slightly bumpy ride that is Season 1. Most of my friends aren’t really SF fans, or even Trek fans. I think most of them will have watched BSG, as that show really captured a mainstream audience who didn’t previously consider themselves SF fans.

I think anyone that’s seen the whole of B5, will definitely have good things to say, even if there are aspects that don’t always work for them. It’s why I sometimes do people a ‘Season 1 survival guide’, as there are definitely episodes you can skip to make it easier going for a new viewer. In principal, I don’t think you should skip anything, but it can help speed things along. I always recommend they do the whole of S1 once they’ve got the bug, or go back and watch the episodes they skipped later.

I think season 1 improves tenfold after you’ve seen the rest of the series. Re-visiting that season just makes you appreciate how tightly developed the arc was. All the little hints that come to fruition later are fun to pick out.

[babylonlurker]

See that is really weird to me. ...

Anyway, I can only assume your friends who think it is awful haven't given the entire series a real shot; or they think it can't be good because there are dated aspects; or they are Trek fans who are military people and not interested in a show about a space station run by the Earth military.

Sounds about right to me, Looney - anyone I know who has seen all of B5 has - et the least appreciated it, even if they did not like it for one reason or another.

[Looney]

most of my friends think B5 is awful.

See that is really weird to me. Why do they think it is awful? I can see people having problems with certain things here and there, but I can't see how anyone who has seen the entire series thinks it is awful. I can see people thinking it is dated, but that only means they can't put it into the context of when it was on and they don't realize how groundbreaking it was. I can also see people blindly thinking it is awful because they are die hard fans of other series and they've never given B5 a real shot.

I was in a store my friend owns and a customer started talking about being a Star Trek fan. The owner of the store and I asked him if he'd ever seen B5. He said never more than a couple episodes, but he'd tried the CCG game and didn't like it. We asked him why he'd never given B5 a real chance. He said that he was a military man and he wasn't interested in all that talking and political stuff they did on B5. He was a military man so that was why he was a Trek fan. So yeah there are people like that.

Anyway, I can only assume your friends who think it is awful haven't given the entire series a real shot; or they think it can't be good because there are dated aspects; or they are Trek fans who are military people and not interested in a show about a space station run by the Earth military.

[DaveNarn]

I wonder how B5 would transition to Broadway?
So crazy it might actually work.

(just not 'B5 on ice'... that would just be wrong)

[Ubik]

Nothing personal but I'm SO very sick of that phrase. What *doesn't* have flaws? Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine. You went on to explain what you meant but I got a bellyful of "It's flawed" in reading reviews for Jupiter Ascending that didn't.

</rant mode>

Jan

Hey, it's all good. It's all a matter of personal taste at the end of the day isn't it? Something that's a perfect piece of entertainment for one person, may be utter tripe to another. Everything has flaws... sometimes it's the flaws that make it truly charming (that's how I think of B5).

Enjoy what you enjoy unashamedly. Everyone will always have an opinion or view. (most of my friends think B5 is awful... but I do my best to argue the case when challenged!)

[Jan]

...but it also has its flaws.

Nothing personal but I'm SO very sick of that phrase. What *doesn't* have flaws? Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine. You went on to explain what you meant but I got a bellyful of "It's flawed" in reading reviews for Jupiter Ascending that didn't.

</rant mode>

Jan

[Ubik]

Asked on Twitter why do a reboot instead of a continuation:

Originally Posted by JMS
show's been off air fifteen years. Can't sell more to an unfamiliar audience. Have to reboot

Makes sense. Especially since there's no reruns.

Jan

He's totally right.

In all honesty, I'm unsure if a wider awareness of the ‘orginal B5’ would do a feature film much good. Modern audiences might struggle to take the existing B5 series seriously. I mean, we KNOW it’s an amazing show, but I can also appreciate that I have a major case of ‘rose tinted glasses’ when it comes to B5. As a whole, it's superb, but it also has its flaws.

At first glance, new viewers could easily find it cheesy, dated and badly acted, especially when watching Season 1. They have to overcome that initial hurdle, and many may not get beyond the first few episodes to later discover what a gem it truly is. So many of my friends have stopped after 4-5 episodes, and only those I've really sat down with have gotten far enough to appreciate it.

The production values of TV shows have increased tenfold since B5, and are now on a par with Hollywood films in the way they look and feel. I mean, something like House of Cards just oozes quality. A reboot is definitely for the best.

And me, personally... I want to see something fresh and new that will surprise and wow me anew. I actually kinda wish it could be on the small screen. I know it'll never happen, but a Netflix funded reboot series. I could totally go for that.

[Jan]

Asked on Twitter why do a reboot instead of a continuation:

show's been off air fifteen years. Can't sell more to an unfamiliar audience. Have to reboot

Makes sense. Especially since there's no reruns.

Jan

[Marsden]

I would prefer to forget about the whole thing and be pleasantly suprised a few years down the road with a movie. I don't care what JMS said, I've been Lucy footballed too many times.

[Looney]

WOW! I can't believe this thread got so quiet. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that we have to keep the speculation very vague . . . . . . . . . . . and detailed speculation is where Looney thrives!