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Babylon 5 Project II: Signs & Portents
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1993
Original Running Time:
208
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
130
Time Cut:
78
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
The Babylon 5 Project aims to focus on the arc stories of the TV show by creating a series of films. This creates a more streamlined rewatch of Babylon 5 for those who want to maximize the arc without having to watch the mostly stand-alone episodes with arc storylines in them.
Intention:
Babylon 5 has such a riveting arc based story that I've returned to watch time and time again but I'm not a big fan of the standalone episodes. However, many standalones do have some arc based storylines which are paid off later. I wanted to craft a new way to watch the series which creates an "all killer, no filler" B5 experience. Some films would just be three or so episodes strung together because of how heavily arc concentrated they are. Other films need to be built from the ground up from the pieces of many episodes which creates new viewing experiences and slightly changed narratives. The Babylon 5 Project also looks to exorcise some loose plot threads that don't pay off down the line.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
The backbone of this edit was Signs & Portents along with A Voice in the Wilderness (parts 1 and 2). The only major revisions I've made to those stories is the removal of the prophecy that Babylon 5 is doomed to be destroyed, leaving it a bit more vague. Also added the G'Quan-Eth plant subplot from By Any Means Necessary which introduces the religious side of G'Kar which is a big part of his character. Catherine Sakai makes her only appearance in the film series in this episode and has no relationship to Sinclair from the Sigma 957 subplot from Mind War. Mostly, this film is all the real setup for the coming Shadow War.
At this point, the only remaining episode from season one is the season finale. So after watching both of these movies, you can watch that and get into the series proper with Chrysalis and continue from there.
At this point, the only remaining episode from season one is the season finale. So after watching both of these movies, you can watch that and get into the series proper with Chrysalis and continue from there.
User reviews
2 reviews
Overall rating
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
9.0(2)
Audio Editing
8.5(2)
Visual Editing
9.0(2)
Narrative
7.5(2)
Enjoyment
9.0(2)
Overall rating
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
8.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
9.0
This certainly picks up the pace, and is the first time we are out of cringe-worth territory overall. The story flowed well and my only constructive point would have been to retain the breakfas scenes, since there is a maention of Secrtor 4 (?) in it ...replacing the scene with the pilot encountering the "whatever". We did not really need to see that...would have been better with the light relief IMHO. Other wise, this episode gets you over the season 1 hump with a bang.
I will note, for those that do not realise this, that the work on improving the image is spectacular. Subjectzero has rendered these at 60 frames per second and managed to de-interlace the AWFUL dvd transfers. Video quality otherwise would be a 6/7 at best. And I know this gets better from season 3 in particular...There are still a few rushed audio transitions, but things are better than the first movie overall...
I'm still missing the opening credits mind you, but no deductions for that.
This is solid work...so Roll on season 2!
I will note, for those that do not realise this, that the work on improving the image is spectacular. Subjectzero has rendered these at 60 frames per second and managed to de-interlace the AWFUL dvd transfers. Video quality otherwise would be a 6/7 at best. And I know this gets better from season 3 in particular...There are still a few rushed audio transitions, but things are better than the first movie overall...
I'm still missing the opening credits mind you, but no deductions for that.
This is solid work...so Roll on season 2!
W
Overall rating
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
9.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
7.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Much like the first of these, there are good and bad elements to this attempt of turning the show into a movie. This one suffers less from the feeling of being two distinct halves (although it is not entirely free from it), but over all it is an enjoyable experience. I do think that removing Katherine's connection to Sinclair was a missed opportunity, with her storyline feeling much less grounded because of it, and I also think that some rearranging could bring more harmony to the two halves, it is still a tremendous effort, and far more than I could ever have hoped to accomplish, even though I had contemplated trying my hand at just such an endeavour. Watching this effort makes me think that perhaps instead of movies, a "prestige TV" format might have better suited the franchise, cutting the 22 episode seasons into 8 or so leaner, more condensed and less fluff filled episodes per season. Not sure, though. I am not an expert. Regardless, for Babylon 5 fans, this is a good way to re-experience the story without the drag, but I do not recommend for those who have never seen the show before, as it has some narrative rough spots that would likely prove disruptive if the viewer was not already familiar.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
E