Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark (2007) (V)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Directors:

J. Michael Straczynski
Sara Barnes

Writers:

J. Michael Straczynski (creator)
J. Michael Straczynski (written by)

Release Date:

31 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

It's the tenth anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance, and President Sheridan is on his way to Babylon 5 for the celebration. |

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Babylon Babylonia | Number In Title

Cast

Bruce Boxleitner	...	John Sheridan
Tracy Scoggins	...	Colonel Elizabeth Lochley
Peter Woodward	...	Galen
Alan Scarfe	...	Father Cassidy
Bruce Ramsay	...	Simon Burke
Teryl Rothery	...	ISN reporter Ms. Chambers
Keegan MacIntosh	...	Prince Regent Dius Vintari
Craig Veroni	...	Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Biggs	...	Stephen Franklin (archive footage)
Peter Jurasik	...	Londo Mollari (archive footage)
Andreas Katsulas	...	G'Kar (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (USA) (short title)
Babylon 5 - Vergessene Legenden: Stimmen aus dem Dunkel (Germany) [de]
Babylon 5: Oi hamenes istories (Greece) (cable TV title) [el]

Runtime:

USA:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | UK:12 | Ireland:12 | USA:Not Rated | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Lost Tales Films

Trivia:

When Sheridan's ship drops out of quantumspace to pick up Prince Vintari, the nebula visible in the background appears identical to, and is probably intended to be, the Ring Nebula, which is visible from Earth in the constellation Lyra. Technically, the vivid colors, which are taken from widely available images of the nebula, are false-color renderings designed to differentiate the different elements in the nebula, and the nebula is not actually bright blue and orange to the naked eye as it is in this scene.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: A SPFX glitch occurs when Father Cassidy arrives on Babylon 5. As he leaves his ship, there is a wide shot of the docking bay. In the far distance, two crewmen can be seen. One of them walks away from the other, then turns back, at which point the first one slowly rises up and then quickly down again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
G'Kar: [voiceover] I believe that when we leave a place, part of it goes with us, and part of us remains. Go anywhere in the station when it is quiet and just listen. After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we have gone, our voices will linger in these walls.
Simon Burke: Get out of my head. No!

Movie Connections:

Follows "Babylon 5" (1994)

A successful attempt to re-ignite the franchise

While the exceptional original series has stopped for almost ten years, here the Babylon 5 universe comes finally back in direct-to-DVD.

Alas! Don't expect a sensational return, it's more a "test" to show that Babylon 5 is still viable on screen. Here, of all the original cast remains only Lochley and Sheridan. These two rather aged well, on the other hand the new CGI gave a heck of youthfulness to the ships and to our good old station which are both wonders to behold.

Because of his openly religious theme - I've always believed Straczynski was an atheist -, the first story hasn't quite convinced me. However, it's rather dramatically well-rounded, thanks in particular to the great dialogs written by Straczynski's fine and sensitive nib.

The transition between the two stories is magnificent, stamped with the melancholy of passing time and the infinity of space, both illustrated by beautiful pictures. We thus understand that the goal of The Lost Tales isn't to cause a stir, but rather to revive little by little the memories buried by time and bring them up to date. We can also notice the subtle tributes to Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas, deceased not long ago, who are "Out there somewhere, beyond the Rim".

Thus begins Sheridan's story, lightweight, during an interview marked with humor. But like usual, on him will fall a prophecy he must face alone, with difficult choices to make. The story takes its time, detached from Hollywood standards. In view of the amount of dialogs, we can feel that Straczynski kept control 'till the end. Questionings, qualms, and dreams filled with beautiful SFX follow one another in a dramatically efficient story, although far from the epic scale of the show. The conclusion too fall a little flat.

It doesn't matter, it wasn't Straczynski's goal to do something spectacular. His goal was to bring the franchise back to life and let the door open to future wonders, and as far as that is concerned, The Lost Tales is a success.