In the Beginning is a brilliant film. The story is told through the framing device of an aging Londo Mollari telling a story to some Centauri children, a story of the events that led up to the creation of the Babylon 5 station.
Wow, J. Michael Straczynski is a genius. The way he weaves together plot lines, foreshadows seasons in advance and then follows up in the most stunning way later, it's astonishing. I found the fact that everything was linked, the chain reaction of events that set everything in motion, and the show's characters' involvement in said events to be, simply, brilliant. It is a love letter to the Babylon 5 fans who invested themselves in the four seasons that had been made up to this point, telling them that their investment was well worth it. The sheer satisfaction of seeing those plots unfold is well worth it. This film left nothing hanging, and it shed light on everything that had happened in the series up to that point, pretty much.
In the Beginning succeeds where other prequels have failed; take for example the Star Wars prequel films; they sucked for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones was that you already knew what would happen -- you knew Anakin would become Vader, that Palpatine was Sidious, and everything that was supposed to be shocking wasn't. This movie, however, enlightens the viewer in regards to things they didn't know yet -- mysteries that had not been revealed, plots left unresolved -- in a way that is satisfying. It ties into the series perfectly, integrating flashbacks and events from the series into the plot of the movie in a seamless manner. This, in short, is how you make a prequel.
Now, to review this film from an objective view point, and not from that of a fan: the writing was excellent, per expectation for JMS. The dialogue was great; the president's speech before the battle of the line moved me almost to tears, as did humanity's response, how they all opted to fight for their people despite the looming defeat that would almost assuredly befall them. The acting, too, was phenomenal. Mira Furlan as Delenn, I think, stood out the most to me; you felt for her as her mentor was slaughtered by the humans and she made a decision she came to regret. You felt for her as she saw the result of her actions, the endless slaughter of the humans, brought on by her. The toll the war took on her soul was apparent here, and Furlan portrayed it brilliantly. Also, of course, Peter Jurasik kills it as Londo, as always, and, in particular, one scene stands out: he says to the mother of the children to whom he told the story that he would wish only to walk with her on a beach for five minutes, and how he has moved so high up, yet asks for so little. That scene perfectly captures what I would imagine the life of a leader to be; you've been appointed to the highest position imaginable, the pinnacle of jobs; you have wealth, power, and you can exert your influence in any imaginable way, yet you long for your old life; you long for a simpler time, for simpler things. Londo's character here is a moving portrait of a leader with all the power in the world and no choices.
Overall, In the Beginning is a nearly flawless film that sets into motion the events of the series in the best of ways. It was one of the best installments in the Babylon 5 universe, and the best prequel film of all time.
Wow, J. Michael Straczynski is a genius. The way he weaves together plot lines, foreshadows seasons in advance and then follows up in the most stunning way later, it's astonishing. I found the fact that everything was linked, the chain reaction of events that set everything in motion, and the show's characters' involvement in said events to be, simply, brilliant. It is a love letter to the Babylon 5 fans who invested themselves in the four seasons that had been made up to this point, telling them that their investment was well worth it. The sheer satisfaction of seeing those plots unfold is well worth it. This film left nothing hanging, and it shed light on everything that had happened in the series up to that point, pretty much.
In the Beginning succeeds where other prequels have failed; take for example the Star Wars prequel films; they sucked for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones was that you already knew what would happen -- you knew Anakin would become Vader, that Palpatine was Sidious, and everything that was supposed to be shocking wasn't. This movie, however, enlightens the viewer in regards to things they didn't know yet -- mysteries that had not been revealed, plots left unresolved -- in a way that is satisfying. It ties into the series perfectly, integrating flashbacks and events from the series into the plot of the movie in a seamless manner. This, in short, is how you make a prequel.
Now, to review this film from an objective view point, and not from that of a fan: the writing was excellent, per expectation for JMS. The dialogue was great; the president's speech before the battle of the line moved me almost to tears, as did humanity's response, how they all opted to fight for their people despite the looming defeat that would almost assuredly befall them. The acting, too, was phenomenal. Mira Furlan as Delenn, I think, stood out the most to me; you felt for her as her mentor was slaughtered by the humans and she made a decision she came to regret. You felt for her as she saw the result of her actions, the endless slaughter of the humans, brought on by her. The toll the war took on her soul was apparent here, and Furlan portrayed it brilliantly. Also, of course, Peter Jurasik kills it as Londo, as always, and, in particular, one scene stands out: he says to the mother of the children to whom he told the story that he would wish only to walk with her on a beach for five minutes, and how he has moved so high up, yet asks for so little. That scene perfectly captures what I would imagine the life of a leader to be; you've been appointed to the highest position imaginable, the pinnacle of jobs; you have wealth, power, and you can exert your influence in any imaginable way, yet you long for your old life; you long for a simpler time, for simpler things. Londo's character here is a moving portrait of a leader with all the power in the world and no choices.
Overall, In the Beginning is a nearly flawless film that sets into motion the events of the series in the best of ways. It was one of the best installments in the Babylon 5 universe, and the best prequel film of all time.