Babylon 5: The Road Home Is A Welcome Return That Is A Treat For Fans Old And New
The epic Science Fiction Adventure Babylon 5 celebrates 30 years with the release of a new Animated film entitled “Babylon 5: The Road Home”.
The movie was written by series creator/Producer/Main Writer J. Michael Straczynski and is a loving tribute to both the fans and the series that inspired it.
Recently elected Interstellar Alliance President John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner), is about to leave Babylon 5 to live with his wife Delenn (Rebecca Riedy) on the Minbari Homeworld. He frets about finding a certain pair of socks in a nice callback to an early episode of the series and in time they are on their way in an animated recreation of the moment from the show.
Upon their arrival, Sheridan prepares to open a new power facility and soon realized the disorientations he had begun to feel take a serious turn for the worse when the new facility which is powered by Tachyons soon cause him to jump through time due to events from his past around the vanishing of Babylon 4.
Sheridan jumps into the future, past, and even alternate realities including ones where the Shadow War never happened or the outcome was not the victory he remembered it. At each jump, Sheridan encounters people from his past who provide his character advice, help, and alternate perspectives before he is forced to jump again as there seems to be little pattern to them.
Sheridan is desperate to make it to Babylon 5 as he is convinced that contacting Zathras (Paul Guyet) on Epsilon 3 is the key to getting the help he needs as he was a key figure in how he was able behind helping the crew move Babylon 4 through time in the series.
The animation make take some getting used to for long-time fans as some characters have an interesting take on their look but it is in keeping with the series and hearing fan-favorites such as Londo (Peter Jurasik) once again is a treat not to be missed.
During an interview we took part in with Straczynski at San Diego Comic-Con, the creator said that before he agreed to the project he contacted the surviving cast and asked if they were ok with new voices portraying the characters whose real-life counterparts have since passed away and said he would not do the project if anyone objected. Not only were the surviving cast ok with the idea but fans can rest assured that the voice actors who stepped in for departed and deeply loved cast members have done a very solid and respectful job playing that and it was nice to see the characters return.
In the end, the film is a very loving tribute to the series and its fans and fits very well into the established canon of the series. I had to note that the final line in the film seemed to me to be a clear statement on the future of the franchise especially now that Warner Bros leadership seems to grasp what Straczynski and fans have said for years that Babylon 5 is their generational Science Fiction franchise and should be treated as such.
It was said to us that if sales of the movie do well that more animated films may follow to the delight of fans. For now “Babylon 5” The Road Home” is a welcome return that is a treat for fans old and new and makes us nostalgic and eager for new adventures within the universe.
4.5 stars out of 5
About the Author
gareth Syndicated movie & game critic, writer, author and frequent radio guest. His work has appeared in over 60 publications worldwide and he is the creator of the rising entertainment site and publication “Skewed and Reviewed”. He has three books of film, game reviews and interviews published and is a well-received and in demand speaker on the convention circuit. Gareth has appeared in movies and is a regular guest on a top-rated Seattle morning show. He has also appeared briefly in films such as “Prefountaine”, “Postal”. “Far Cry”. and others. Gareth is also an in-demand speaker at several conventions and has conducted popular panels for over two decades.
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