I can't comment I'm posting it before reading it later. Hope it's a good review. :)


http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33386

another good review :)

http://sknr.net/index.php?option=com_conte...d=991&Itemid=51

I have to admit, after the first few minutes I was a little sceptical as to whether or not I was going to like this. Not the biggest fan of Lochley, and the opening scenes reminded me why. As soon as she mentions the exorcism though things picked up dramatically. B5's always been at its best when it's doing the high concept stuff and this examination of spirituality is no different. I thought Lochley was arguably the weakest of the three main characters, I thought the Priest and the Possessed guy were very impressive in their roles.

Absolutely loved the opening scene, harkening back to the closing moments of Sleeping in Light with the destruction of the station. You get the impression that JMS wasn't quite happy with the effects shot of the explosion on SiL and he redid it here, and it looks much better. Franke back doing the music was fantastic as well and he echoed the music that originally played over the station's destruction. I'll admit to a lump in the throat when Andreas Katsulas' dialogue kicked in. The whole opening sequence was beautifully shot.

The latter half of the story, featuring Sheridan, Galen and a terrifically played Centauri Prince Regent Dius Vintari, was much the stronger of the two threads. Keegan MacIntosh was outstanding in the latter role, and for me, with the possible exceptions of Jurasik and Katsulas, B5 is never better than when Boxleitner's bringing Sheridan to the screen. Really nice to see Galen back as well, easily the best character on Crusade and most unfortunate that we didn't get to see more of his story there.

Liked the little in-references. G'Kar and Franklin were somewhere 'beyond the rim', and the 'rumours that Vir Koto killed my father'. Nice touches.

Whilst I'd been looking forward to this, a lot, my expectations were somewhat tempered by the lacklustre previous offerings after B5 ended. I'm glad to say that this is a true return to form, and I have to say, by the end I was absolutely craving more!

Apparently, the next stories will probably focus on Londo, and Garibaldi. There's also suggestions that David Sheridan may feature in the next set on one of the story threads. According to JMS, another of the future installments is likely to focus on the Telepath war. Seriously hoping that Voices in the Dark performs strongly enough on DVD to warrant the continuation, it sounds as though we may get a few stories that we've wanted for a very long time! :thumbsup:

Well James, as Lochley mentioned, Mr Garibaldi was "having trouble on Mars" so I wonder where his story will be set? :ponder: :lol:

You're right, it was the small touches that made this shine for me, the G'Kar and Franklin references were a lovely nod to two great actors whos tales will sadly remain lost.

Tony and I had to giggle when Sheridan mentioned Delenn being busy elsewhere, we wondered if he meant she was pretending to be a crazy french woman on a desert island somewhere :lol: :lol: :blush:

Both stories were perfectly played, by a limited number of cast members, which required each player to really put in extra effort, which most (Lochley excepted) managed with apparent ease.

My favourite moments were the Sheridan/Galen exchanges, especially the one that took place in "New York" with the maniac taxi driver (I guess some things will never change :lol: )

I can't wait for volume 2.

The good thing about both stories really was that even though there were a limited number of regulars available, what few there were really had the chance to shine. The first was obviously intended as a Lochley showcase. For me Tracey Scoggins didn't quite manage it, she's not good enough an actress to carry it unfortunately. Luckily she was helped by a couple of really impressive guest spots. The second, again, obviously a showcase for Boxleitner/Sheridan. This was far more successful. Helped by a more than capable supporting turn from Peter Woodward, this was by far the more accomplished performance.

If subsequent volumes are up to the standard of the second story here, I'll be delighted, and I don't think we'll have much to worry about in terms of more stories being made.

I'm glad to say I'm not the only one here who thinks it was very good start to the Lost Tales. My thoughts tend to echo Jamie's and CK's and I can't say I have much to add. As you both said I hope the sales of this DVD are at the very least sufficient for more Lost Tales. Judging by how it has performed on Amazon.com being in the top 10 for at least the last week (although I do believe it's been in the Amazon charts for many weeks during pre-order), reaching number one in the TV chart and number-one in the science-fiction and fantasy chart for most of the last week. It appears that voices in the darkness has been a very strong selling DVD . :)

The memorials for Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs were thoughtful and touching as Joe, Bruce and Tracy recall their memories. The interviews, fireside chats and production diaries were all very interesting but for me it was the production diaries that were the most interesting. Besides all the behind the scenes related information there were some very funny in particular "special edition director's cut". :lmao:

My favourite moments all feature Sheridan from the ISN interview to the Sheridan and Galen scenes including and especially the New York sequence.

"was that a new dress!"

by the way what happened to the site last night? I tried to post then but it wouldn't work saying something a about a database problem. :unsure:

guys I was just looking at the play.com listing for the Babylon 5 Lost Tales DVDs and I couldn't help notice some of the trolls knocking up loads of one-star "reviews". :( I was wondering if you 2 could find a little time to post a review on the site? :) I'm sure some thoughtful comments from real Babylon 5 fans should help the cause. :thumbsup:

Done and done. :D

Like you, I'm hoping that this is just the first of many and that the sales continue to be strong when the R2 release comes.

good man :thumbsup: , I posted a review as well although it's a bit wordy. I must make some time to write one on Amazon.co.uk... Incidentally I tried to do one on Amazon.com because the same kind of trolling is happening there but you can't do one until you have bought something from Amazon.com. <_<

Some people really don't want Babylon 5 to succeed because they were posting negative comments long before the DVD was released. I got mine really early on 28th July and from what I can tell Amazon.com was only just shipping around that point maybe a few days later.

Jamie I have to admit I am really optimistic of more Lost Tales as it stands now. So hopefully the region 2 release will be the icing on the cake meaning Warner Brothers may order a whole bunch of Lost Tales in one go.*fingers crossed* That's my biggest hope so that JMS has a bigger canvas to paint on.

Apart from not being able to wait until September I think that the US region 1 DVD will have the most impact on whether new Lost Tales are made and to be fair I think a large percentage of British, European and Australian Babylon 5 fans will probably have imported their DVD too.

By the way what did you think of the extras on the DVD? have you seen the "Special edition Directors cut" yet?

The extras were fabulous, as they always were on the seasonal B5 releases. I haven't taken the time to watch the "Special Edition Directors Cut" yet, I'm assuming it's something worth doing?

^^ Re: the trollers, sad to say, you'll probably find that a large percentage of these will be Star Trek fans. As a fan of both shows, I find the jealousy and bitterness that some Trek fans hold for B5 completely ridiculous. A lot of them see B5 as the beginning of the end for modern Star Trek. B5 changed the format of the genre, bringing in story arcs and dynamic character development, not to mention eradicating the 'Big Reset Button' mentality that Trek cherished. Whilst in terms of ratings B5 never really affected Trek, the nature of the show, IMO, helped kill Trek as viewer expectations and tastes changed. Look at shows like Lost and Heroes of late. Most successful genre shows these days follow arcs larger than the minor ones that can be wrapped up in the space of one episode.

I'm happy to report that I've posted a review on Play. I'll do similar on AmazonUK at some point tomorrow. Looking at the Play site though, does the review have to go through some sort of moderation? Mine doesn't appear to have posted 'live'. If that's the case, it may not get through. I wasn't exactly kind to the people who'd given it one star! :lol:

I watched The Lost Tales again the other night. The first story has grown on me somewhat, but it's still the second thread that makes the DVD a winner in my book. Sheridan was always one of my favourite characters on the original series, and having him spar with Galen is just brilliant. Not to mention the cracking guest spot from the young lad playing the Centauri Prince Regent. I found myself quite surprised at how much he managed to change my perception of the character in just a few (well acted) scenes.

Off the back of this release, and my subsequent enjoyment of it, I've got the 'Centauri Trilogy' of books on order. Well, the first two. The third volume being as rare as it is (£40+ on Amazon Market Place! :rolleyes:), I've got an e-copy of the final installment :thumbsup:

I've already put Vic on alert, as soon as we've moved house in a few weeks time, it's B5 Rewatch time! :lol:

yes it's definitely worth seeing although I will say watch the two production diaries before it first. :)

I must admit I had a feeling it might be Star Trek fans trying to sabotage the success of these Lost Tales. Although I can't believe how bitter they are and amount of effort to go out of your way to post on forums, write fake reviews just seems so over the top. I personally can't see what they have got to be upset about with three seasons of TOS, 7 TNG, 7 DS9, 7VOY, 4 ENT , 10 big screen movies and another on the way.

The Play reviews take up to 24 hours before they appear on the website and I think Amazon UK is fairly similar. I think you might be right I don't think you're allowed to criticise the other reviews/reviewers. Nevertheless I will keep my eyes peeled for your review!

I agree the Lost Tales improves with each watch it as I've managed to see it all the way through three times now... Plus I have watched most of the Sheridan one on top of that.

I have to admit the books are sounding more and more interesting all the time. I think at some point I would like to read all of the trilogy's available (the Pyscorp, Technomage & Centauri) although I'm fairly broke trying to pay off my TV. There's also a Valen one I would like to read at some point. Although as it stands with the Lost Tales I'm going to put the books on hold until they have finished as I don't want the books to spoil my enjoyment of any future Lost Tales DVDs. Incidentally where do you get e-copies of Babylon 5 books? :unsure:

Has anyone ordered the CD soundtrack for the Lost Tales?

I have to admit, some of the B5 novels are absolutely cracking reads, especially the JMS-sanctioned ones, which officially form part of the B5 universe canon.

The Valen one you're thinking of is TO DREAM IN THE CITY OF SORROWS, written by JMS' wife Kathryn Drennan, who also wrote season one's BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Really, really good if you can get a copy. A quick scan of Amazon Marketplace reveals;

To Dream in the City of Sorrows - £0.35p Not too bad. The P&P for books is the largest part of buying books through Amazon Marketplace. You'll probably end up paying about £3 with P&P, but again, IMO well worth it.

The other standalone one to look out for is THE SHADOW WITHIN. This one tells the story of the Icarus from Anna Sheridan's perspective. You get all of the backstory as to what actually happened on Z'ha'dum when the Icarus lands. It's effectively the Anna/Morden backstory. Very very good. Another scan of AmazonUK yields;

The Shadow Within - Even better at £0.01p. Again with P&P you're looking at about £3.

The e-book that I managed to get hold of was from Demonoid.

The link for the assortment that I got which included the final part of the Centauri trilogy is;

B5 - Out of the Darkness - Beats paying £40 for it! :thumbsup: On that torrent you'll also find (in notepad format), the Bester trilogy and I think, the Technomage trilogy (the first part in html format which you can read through internet explorer, the other two parts in notepad format), and the script for what would have been the first season finale of Crusade entitled END OF THE LINE. There are more novels included as well, in fact I've just seen that TO DREAM IN THE CITY OF SORROWS is there as well in notepad format :thumbsup:

The Technomage trilogy is also available in PDF format here;

B5 - The Technomage Trilogy

Even if you're not a member, I think with Demonoid you're allowed to download three torrents before it boots you out.

I've had a quick look for my review on Play. It's not hit yet, and to be honest, I don't think it will be. I wasn't very nice about the previous reviewers. I did give it a 5/5 score though which looks like it's counted in the average rating. I'll post a review on Amazon later, I'll have to tone it down a little I think :rolleyes:

EDIT: I stand corrected, it's now up :thumbsup:

Incidentally, have they lowered the price for the pre-order? It's £8.99 today, I could have sworn that yesterday it was £9.99..... :shrug:

My review has now mysteriously appeared as well, right before yours James :lol: It seems in regards to B5 anyway, we do tend to speak with one voice :lol: :lol:

Though I feel that pimping Kev Trek to the trolls is a bit much. They may be dimwits, but that is too harsh a punishment :lol:

Poppycock, they bloomin' well asked for it! :lol:

Do you think that I came of as condescending enough? :shrug:

The ones that really annoyed me though were the ones who complained about 1) There only being a few characters in the stories (well hello? that's been known all along, if you weren't happy with that situation, why watch FFS? :rolleyes:), and 2) Their being all talking and no action (Again, some of my favourite episodes from B5 were like that - Comes the Inquisitor springs to mind).

Some people are just too stupid for words. :rolleyes:

But are they stupid enough to follow your advice and watch Kev Trek? They'd need to be of a Cletus (Simpsons) level intelligence for that to work...... Oh wait, I've just re-read some of their "reviews" :whistling: :lol:


I think your condescension level was just right. Though Tony thought we should track them down and bitch slap them (he loved it too btw)

I'll have a look later to see what other things they've reviewed on Play, the review them myself, accordingly. They like it, it's shit. They hate it, it's great, etc etc :lol:

CK cheers for that I think I'll try and download the Centauri trilogy mainly because the third book is ridiculously overpriced.

I've just had a look at your review and it's not too condescending in fact I actually liked the Andromeda recommendation at the end. You are probably right though about toning it down for your Amazon.co.uk review.

You're not mistaken about the price as it was £9.99 when I pre-ordered the DVD for my brother's birthday (from my Nan). I wonder if they lowered the price because of all the trolls coming and giving it 1 Star?

looking at the bearded wonder's review "waste of time" the errors just fly thick and fast.

"This has got about six actors and one is an extra"

Off the top of my head I counted Lochley, the Priest, the possessed guy, at least one security guard , the ISN reporter, Sheridan, Galen, Prince Regent Vintari, and that's not to mention the two Minbari walking with Sheridan... By the way what is the other grey meat? Spoo is one, the other is... :unsure:

" As a fan I was expecting something to do with G'Kars travel beyond the rim or how vir overthrows londo."

it's funny I didn't realise Vir overthrows Londo. :lol:

His other review for Predator

"One of the best arny films and sci-fi films of the 80's.
Realistic encounter of a hunter from another world taking out anything that moves(including voles!!!).
Will the hunter become the hunted? only arny can say.""

wow how can you argue with that! Next time we need to give Sheridan a very big gun and the voles need to get it! :lol:

There's another little torrent on Demonoid that I thought I'd bring to everyone's attenttion.

B5 The comic books

it contains all of the comics produced based on B5, with the mini series "In Valen's name" being the highlight. :thumbsup:

The Best Buy exclusive mini comic that came with the Lost Tales With G'kar and Dr Franklyn exploring beyond the rim. :)


http://img373.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b5lt01so0.jpg
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/160/b5lt02bc2.jpg
http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b5lt03ty2.jpg

:lol: :thumbsup: @ the extras

over here: didn't the vorlons implied that they manipulate everyone by using symbolic form? (of course i doubt sheridan or anyone on B5 went to tell that to earth, i recall that episode where sheridan or was that sinclair? who introduce to an alien every representant of every kind of religion from earth), not the best episode of the two but an interesting story

over there: sheridan and galen :thumbsup: the century prince was interesting and his way to show what could happen if things go one way or another was well written. i hope we will see garibaldi, gkar, franklin, ....... in the next DVD :unsure:

^^ Garibaldi supposedly in the next one. G'kar will be problematic though, Andreas Katsulas has died :(

:( they could do animated episodes (of course they will still the problem of the voices :unsure: )

JMS has already confirmed that he won't recast G'kar in any way, shape or form. Garibaldi and Londo are good bets for the next one. Garibaldi is pretty much guaranteed if they do more, he was originally supposed to be in this first set.

There are plenty of stories left to do yet :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: excellent :)

20 years (ok 15 if you take away the plague plot ) to cover, a lot of story to tell :unsure:

18 years if you exclude the plague plot from Crusade. The plague was due to be cured by the end of the second season by which time the real main story arc concerning Earth's weapons development from Shadow technology was supposed to be at the core of it... And something to do with the Technomage gaining their technology from the Shadows too.

btw I think the Lost Tales are not restricted by those years anyway I think JMS said it could be from any time period. I think.

it would be interesting to know where galen was going when he was leaving the excalibur

and if any period of time, why not develop the story of sinclair becoming "the one" :ponder: :unsure:

^^ His wife pretty much did that with the novel 'To Dream in the City of Sorrows'. I doubt even Joe could top that novel so I'm not entirely convinced he'd even try.

:ermm: that will be the third or fourth trilogy or just book i need to look for :lol: :rolleyes:

I have picked up the novel "to dream in the city of sorrows" thanks to your earlier post CK (Shadow Within too) even though haven't read them yet, I do think JMS should make all the stories from the novels (that are canon) visually. After all there are novels for the movies "In the beginning", "Third Space", "a call to arms" so why not visualise the canon novels?

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with JMS visualising any of the trilogy novels, or even a few of the standalone ones, I just don't think he'd do it. There have been plenty of opportunities to visualise the earlier novels as well as the canon comics that were produced, but he's never done it. Part of the reason there is that Joe sees the franchise as one that sits across a number of mediums, including the visual and literary (both in terms of novel and comic). You've always got the impression that Joe values each medium as much as the next. To adapt an earlier work and bring it to the screen would somewhat impune the medium from which it was taken.

The movie novelisations were slightly different. They were direct adaptations of the TNT-financed movies. AFAIK the novelisations were part of the merchandising agreements that TNT signed up for and Joe put up with.

You'll notice that some widely anticipated events, like the telepath war, have never been covered in any other form, ie. he's keeping it in his back pocket to bring out at some point and put it on the screen. Whilst the Psi Corps trilogy dealt with many aspects of the Corps, both before and after the war, IIRC, the war itself was not covered?

Hope you enjoy the novels, I might have to dig those out for myself soon :thumbsup: