Review - Babylon 5: The Lost Tales – Voices in the Dark

DVD: Buy Now from Amazon.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

This DVD is the first in an intended series of direct to video releases produced by J. Michael Straczynski which will expand on the Babylon 5 universe. He describes this as an anthology series which will center around the main characters from the show. The Voices in the Dark installment contains two separate, though loosely linked, stories focusing on series regulars Captain Elizabeth Lockley (Tracy Scoggins) and President John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner).

The first story centers on Captain Lockley, currently in command of Babylon 5. This story focuses on an evil entity that has possesses a man and wants to be excersised. The piece has its good moments, but too easily yields to the religious interpretation of events (if I didn't know better, I would think that Straczynski had gone born again). It's not that I minded so much that Lockley believes that the demon is real, but that she does not consider that it could be some form of alien (especially considering all of the experience that the Babylon 5 crew have had with extraterrestrial beings).

The second story, featuring President John Sheridan, is the stronger of the two. This piece also brings in Galen, the techno-mage from the Babylon 5 spin-off Crusade, and involves a looming threat to peace in the galaxy by the Centauris from the late Emperor Cartagia's son. In a nice bit of moral conflict, Sheridan must decide if Galen's dire warnings provide sufficient justification for him to carry out an assassination attempt.

Since this is a direct to video release, its budget is minimal and production has been scaled back considerably (viewers unfamiliar with the series may wonder if the Babylon 5 stations contains only a handful of inhabitants). Still, the CGI effects equal, if not exceed, the original series, and the production never goes beyond the story it is trying to tell (Straczynski has always been a master at working within budget constraints).

Voices in the Dark kind of reminds me of the average first season episode. Not spectacular, but good enough to keep your interest. It is possible that Straczynski is trying to establish a larger story arc here that will chronicle ensuing friction with the Centauris, or this could be intended as a stand alone piece. Either way, this installment of the direct to video series provides a satisfying return trip to the Babylon 5 universe and it is definitely strong enough that fans should buy it to support Straczynski in his endeavor to continue the franchise without the hindrance of network executives (TNT's notorious attempts to tinker with Crusade led to Straczynski pulling the plug on that series and the Sci Fi Channel’s poor scheduling helped to doom Legend of the Rangers before it started).

Buy Now from Amazon.com

More B5 on DVD:

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Movie Collection
B5 - Crusade


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Review - Highlander: The Source

Television Movie, Sci Fi Channel, Premiered Sept. 15, 2007

Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars

This mess of a movie is a faux-cyberpunk version of the Highlander by way of a goth metal adrenaline rush (throwing in some cannibals and Bugs Bunny routines for good measure). It comes to us from Lionsgate Films who have acquired the rights to the Highlander property and plan to use this movie as a starting point to relaunch the franchise. Based on what I’ve seen, though, it looks like they are more likely to sink it.

This movie was actually completed in 2006 and a rough copy circulated in Europe earlier this year to harsh reviews. Lionsgate spent some time retooling the movie then decided to forgo a theatrical release and instead premiere it on the Sci Fi Channel as a "Sci Fi Original Movie” (in place of the usual Saturday night critters-on-the-rampage fare). I never saw the rough cut, but I can’t imagine how it could have been much worse than what the Sci Fi Channel aired.

The movie takes place in the near future after civilization has collapsed. There is actually little elaboration on what brought about the collapse, this just provides the backdrop for several immortals’ quest for the nebulous Source; supposedly the key to their power. Adrian Paul returns from the Highlander TV Series as Duncan MacLeod (and sleepwalks through the role) along with Peter Wingfield as Methos and Jim Byrnes as the Watcher Joe Dawson. They are joined by two immortals Zai Jie and Cardinal Giovanni as well as Duncan’s latest girlfriend, Anna Teshemka. This group must do battle with another immortal, the Guardian, who I think is supposed to be guarding the Source and who looks like the cover of a bad heavy metal album come to life. The narrative of the movie is so disjointed and incoherent that I definitely lost track of the motivations driving each person to this Source thing. And by the end of the movie I didn’t care and actually regretted my decision to stick it through to the ending credits.

The Highlander movies have actually been a mixed bag at best. Even the first movie which launched the franchise was only good not great. It was the television series, which ran in syndication for six years starring Adrian Paul, which best represented the franchise. Now, this new attempt to relaunch the Highlander series is equally as misguided as the sequel to the first movie, 1991’s dreadful Highlander: The Quickening.

If you are jonesing for the adventures of the Duncan or Connor Macleod, go back and revisit the series or the first movie on DVD. But definitely don’t waste your time with this poor excuse to milk a few more dollars out of the Highlander name.

If you like Highlander, check out these instead:

Highlander (1st Movie)
TV Series - Season 1
TV Series - Season 2
TV Series - Season 3
TV Series - Season 4
TV Series - Season 5

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Fall 2007 Returning Science Fiction and Fantasy Series

The new season begins in just over a week. Following are my thoughts on four of the returning shows set to premiere this season. For a complete list of the Fall 2007 new and returning Science Fiction and Fantasy Series, visit the Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy website.

Battlestar Galactica – (Returns in 2008) It has been a rough, dark ride so far for the crew of the Galactica and they return in 2008 to wrap up this exceptional series in its fourth and final season. Hoping that David Eick can keep up the quality (it had some lapses last season) and that he is not spreading himself too thin across this show and the new Bionic Woman retread (see below).

Heroes – (Returns September 24th) The surprise sci fi/fantasy hit of the 2006-2007 season returns for a second season. The early word is that the producers will break the season into two separate 11 episode story arcs to provide viewers with quicker resolution to the dangling plotlines and they will run Heroes: Origins during the hiatus (though that show could get pushed to the end of the season). A full season arc is fine with me, but I guess the network executives are shying away the extended stories after seeing the ratings drops that serialized shows suffered last season (Heroes, of course was least affected by this).

Jericho – (Return date undetermined) The geniuses at CBS cancelled this series last season, despite the fact that its ratings were somewhat respectable, then found itself pelted by nuts from its outraged fans (see the final episode of season one). They conceded and ordered up an abbreviated 7 episode second season. This was hardly a vote of confidence and the fact that it has no firm date on their schedule is even less encouraging. Expect this to show up at 10 PM on Saturdays after some other show bites the dust. But tune in anyway because this is an excellent show and deserves better treatment than that afforded to it by the Eye Network.

Lost – (Returns in 2008) Lost returns with a shortened (16 episode) yet uninterrupted run for its fourth season (with two more to go). Some people claim that this show lost its step last season, but I'm still addicted and am eagerly awaiting its return.

Review - Flash Gordon

Television Series, Sci Fi Chanel, 9 PM Fridays

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Well, I had pretty high hopes for this series, but after the pilot and three episodes my enthusiasm has waned. When I think of Flash Gordon, I think of a grand space opera with a fantastic milieu of characters and alien races. But the Sci Fi Channel gives us a scaled down incarnation with fewer alien races (so far at least) and no space battles. Instead of traveling by space ship, Flash and his companions travel to Mongo via dimensional rifts (much easier on the sfx budget). And at least 75% of the action occurs on Earth not on Mongo. Not that I object to a re-imagining of the concept (look at how well that worked with Battlestar Galactica), but it is almost like this show has no connection to the original story other than character and location names.

The basic premise of the series has Flash Gordon, an athlete/auto-mechanic, finding out that his father, whom he thought had died in a fire thirteen years prior, actually fell through a dimensional rift into which took him to Mongo. His father was a scientist who was working with a younger scientist, Zarkov, to determine the possibility of dimensional travel and his success led to his entrapment on Mongo. Now, in the present day, Mongo’s ruler, Ming, is opening dimensional rifts back to earth to recover all information on our rift experiments apparently to corner the market on the technology. Flash teams up with his old high school sweetheart, Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, and the alien Baylin from Mongo to thwart Ming’s activities.

So far it is not completely clear what plans Ming has for Earth. And it is also not clear why Flash and his companions don’t go to the authorities to help against Ming especially considering that they have enough hard evidence to prove Mongo’s existence. Perhaps they think that four against an extra-dimensional tyrant and his legions is pretty good odds.

The characters themselves are okay. Eric Johnson is passable as Flash Gordon with his chiseled, pretty-boy good looks. Dr. Zarkov is a techi-nerd instead of the stereotypical absent-minded professor. Dale Arden is a sharp-tongued reporter. Baylin is an alien bounty hunter who plays the role of the heavy (a la Worf/Teal’C). Princess Aura, just barely registers though who could compare to Ornella Muti (from the 1980 movie)? The two main villains are the most interesting of the regular characters. Ming is played against type as less of a maniacal rogue and more of a dark, subdued tyrant and his chief scientist, Rankol, glides about (literallly) as a truly creepy presence.

It’s not as campy as the 1980 big screen Flash Gordon and not as dark as Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica remake, though maybe it could use a bit more of one or both of those. It’s not a bad show, it’s just not that remarkable. And with quite a number of new and returning shows bowing in just a couple of weeks, I’m not particularly motivated to set aside the time to watch this each week. I will probably still tune in from time to time to see how it progresses, though.

Flash Gordon on DVD:
Original Movie Serial
1980 - Movie
1979 - Animated TV Series

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Fall 2007 New Science Fiction and Fantasy Series

The new crop of series officialy kicks off in just over a week. Following are my thoughts on some of the new shows set to premiere this season. For a complete list of the Fall 2007 new and returning Science Fiction and Fantasy Series, visit the Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy website.

Bionic Woman– (Premieres October 3rd) This would not top my list of ideal series remakes, but it is coming to us from David Eick who assisted in turning Battlestar Galactica, another 1970's series, on its head. His credentials alone will be enough to convince me to tune in although the show has already experienced some bumps in the road. Glen Morgan (X-Files, Millinneum) has departed as co-executive producer allegedly over "creative difference". And there are rumors that the premiere could be delayed. Let's hope that Eick will sort everything out deliver another fine entry to the genre.

Caprica– (Premieres 2008) This is a prequel to Battlestar Galactica from the same creative team. It takes place 50 years prior to the events chronicled at the beginning of the new Galactica series and it focuses on two families opposing one another over the decision to create the Cylons. It is set to debut early in 2008 and should be worth a look.

Cavemen– (Premieres October 2nd) The sometimes humorous GEICO commercials will be promoted into a full-length sitcom. Not quite certain which network genius decided it was a good idea to stretch a 60 second spot into a 30 minute recurring series. And seeing as they have already re-tooled the pilot, the prognosis doesn't look good on this one. A bad idea in trouble from the start.

Chuck– (Premieres September 24th) Give me a break. Josh Schwartz brings us this show about twenty-something spies that sounds like O.C. meets Alias. The younger generation might tune in, but I think I may be outside their demographic.

Heroes: Origins– (Premier undetermined) This is a six part spinoff series that will introduce a new hero in each episode. The viewers will then vote on which heroes they want to appear as regulars on the series. Somewhat of a gimmicky premise but should provide a nice diversion. This is currently set to air either during Heroes' hiatus or after it concludes its second season.

Journeyman– (Premieres September 24th) In the first episode of this new series, we find out that Dan Vassar can travel into the past and change peoples lives in ways that are sometimes good, sometimes bad. In the second episode, Dan teams up with Frank Parker (Seven Days) to help him travel 8 days into the past to stop Sam Beckett (Quantum Leap) from telling Gary Hobson (Early Edition) not to read tomorrow's edition of the Chicago Sun-Times which he got today and which tells him that his series was cancelled.

Moonlight– (Premieres September 28th) More déjà vu in the fall schedule with another Vampire crime-fighter. In an upcoming episode, Mick St. John teams up with Henry Fitzroy (Blood Ties) to revive Nicholas Knight (Forever Knight). The three then begin to strategize on the ultimate vengeance for their arch-foe: an atomic wedgy for Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Pushing Daisies– (Premieres October 3rd) This odd supernatural/crime drama about a man who can revive the dead for one minute is taking Lost's time slot until it returns in 2008. Does that mean that ABC already expects it to be pushing up the daisies before Lost returns?

Reaper– (Premieres September 25th) Sam Oliver finds out that his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was a child and now that he has come of age he must serve the dark one as a bounty hunter pursuing evils souls that have escaped from Hell. Along the way, he runs into Ezekial Stone (Brimstone) looking for soul number 14 out of 113 that escaped from Hell back when FOX was monitoring the situation. Sam has one thing going for him, though. He is not on one of the Big Four networks so he has a slightly better chance of avoiding the TV corporate executive reapers. This entry comes from Clerks creator Kevin Smith and looks like it could be good, quirky fun.

Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on some of this season's returning shows.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Series in the Upcoming Fall 2007 Season

Another Fall Prime Time television season is set to kick off and, as has been the trend for the last few years, there are a respectable number of entries in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre. Across the major networks (and CW, the minor network) and the cable channels I currently count ten new entries, nine returning series, and one mini-series. Not a bad representation for the genre despite the prevalence of déjà vu among the new shows. I’m not quite certain why network executives think that we need another series about a person who can travel back and change events in the past or another person who can talk to the dead or another vampire crime-fighter. With all the creative talent out there it seems that they could find a more original premise for a TV series, but you know the saying: beggars can’t be choosy about their Jiff peanut butter (or something like that).

Noticeably missing from the list of new shows are any serialized programs with multi-episode arcs (with the exception of the Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica). Apparently the nets are shying away from this format in favor of series relying on stand alone episodes. That’s okay because we already have four of these types of series returning with Lost, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, and Jericho. Programs which require less of a weekly commitment should provide a nice change of pace.

While the new shows are somewhat of a mixed bag (are you really looking forward to Cavemen?), there are several shows on the upcoming schedule that deserve a look such as the Bionic Woman (from Battlestar Galactica’s David Eick), Flash Gordon (which got off to an early start in August), Caprica, and Heroes: Origins. My guess is that less than half of these will see a full season run (I’m banking on Cavemen as the first to get axed) and even less will get picked up for a second season. But at least we have some choices and maybe there will be a few standouts like last year’s Heroes and Jericho.

Check back tomorrow for my initial thoughts on some of this season's new shows. For a complete list of the Fall 2007 Science Fiction and Fantasy Series, visit the Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy website.