IR HE Review: BABYLON 5 - THE ROAD HOME [Warner Bros Home Entertainment]

The aspect of continuation always comes with an element of hesitation, especially with a beloved show like "Babylon 5" which was a product of its day, made with a specific budget but always shooting for a higher standard or goal. That is why such an inlay as "Babylon 5: The Road Home" is such a very specific smart move on the part of both Warner Bros Home Entertainment and the show's original writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski. Something that back in the early 90s would have been so cost prohibitive to try to visualize can now be made a reality with CG and 2D animation for a reasonable budget. While live action with its backgrounds still dictates the money, this iteration is done with both a specified thought in mind but also the ability to both go dramatic and dark (but also a little corny as the commentary alludes to).

Some of the set pieces shown here could never be done in live action and that is part of the idea. A person can see the scope brought to bear in this story (again with a very specific purpose in mind). This hasn't quite been done with a Star Trek series per se because it operates in a different idea and structure. Something like Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers from the late 70s would be great for this but alas also it does have to do with the creator and the original IP and the egos perhaps involved (not to get into the politics too much). "The Last Starfighter" which has been stuck in a devlopment hell of sorts also seems to have to do not with the tech but the people behind the scenes not coming to agreement with certain powers that be.

Here Straczynski wrote a script asking the studio if there were any restrictions and on the commentary and behind the scenes feature here, he says that he was able to do what he envision but also would have adjusted. He helped throughout the process but sounds like he didn't force control with supervising producer Rick Morales ("Beware The Batman") and director Matt Peters. And there was enough reverance in reverse that there was a nice balance which allowed it all to work. Some of the remaning cast (most notably Bruce Boxleitner ("Tron") as John Sheridan, the lead and the crux of the story make it work. But the balance of old cast members and some voice actors coming in to voice many of the actors who have since passed since the original run is a delicate balance.

The great thing here is that the scale is good, the writing is effective enough, the thematics are strongs and the overall effects fairly cool. The humor is a balance of course but this seems a vast improvement in the years that have passed on this particular IP. This reviewer watched some episodes of "Bablyon 5" back in the day but never quite overwhelming got into it. However this animated movie moves and gets a moderately informed viewer up to speed quickly without too much need of mythology (though those become well established without too much overwhelming exposition). The story does act almost as a travelogue and a reboot in many ways but has a sense of purpose and nostalgia which makes it work (also it takes into consideration and effect that Stracynski has created a pilot script for a new iteration on the CW). Unlike Stargate, which hasn't quite started to figure itself out -- likely because of issues closer to the top -- this production shows what can be made with elements working on all thrusters when good creatives with backing from a bigger company can simply work together. A-

By Tim Wassberg