Babylon 5. Epic space drama, spectacular acting, sweeping music, fantastic character development. The series had all of that and more. The brainchild of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylon 5 was one of the most impressive creator-driven TV series ever made. Five seasons, five movies, a spin-off series (only a season, sadly) and one of t the most dedicated sci-fi fanbases this side of Star Trek. And now, it’s time to add one more movie to the Babylon 5 universe. It’s time for Babylon 5: The Road Home.
It’s been over 20 years since the last Babylon 5 movie released and with a new Babylon 5 TV series still rumored to be in the works, Warner Bros. has seen fit to greenlight a new animated movie in the B5 universe. This time around we’re after the ending of the series when Sheridan has become president of the Interstellar Alliance, accompanied by Delenn. The problem here is the details. It would be wonderful to tell you how interesting the script is, what surprises await you, and what to expect but that would be telling and it would ruin the story for fans who have been waiting a very, very long time.
Instead, let’s take the high road here and say that Babylon 5: The Road Home is the best kind of fan service. You’re going to see a lot of people you missed from the old series, some fan-favorite locations, and a fair number of interesting twists and turns. It’s a story worthy of the Babylon 5 name and don’t worry, there’s plenty of trademark Straczynski human banter as well as some excellent space battles and hand to hand combat! There’s definitely something for every type of fan here and after such a long drought, this movie is welcome relief.
Fans might be wondering how it’s even possible to make a Babylon 5 movie though. After all, the actors who played G’Kar, Londo, Sinclair, Garibaldi, Dr. Franklin, and even Delenn have all sadly passed. Babylon 5: The Road Home is as much a tribute to those fallen actors as it is a treat for fans and their voices have for the most part been nearly perfectly created by skilled voice actors. It’s honestly amazing and after the initial adaptation period, you barely notice. It’s a welcome treat to be able to experience the characters of the show one more time as things go in an entirely unexpected direction and Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Sheridan, carrying the movie with a forceful performance throughout.
No spoilers here though, so don’t get your hopes up! You need to go out and watch this one, fan service or not. It’s not just about the plot either. Subtle (and not so subtle) redesigns on ships and a unique look make Babylon 5 really stand out as an animated feature. Naturally this is all CGI, but the style is an interesting mix of realism and minimalism that is initially surprising but grows on you relatively quickly. For the gamers out there, there’s more than a hint of the 2020 XIII remake which we reviewed here. The style is also vaguely reminiscent of 2006’s A Scanner Darkly, though that was more realistic and featured more shading. The scaling back of detail is something we don’t see often but it manages to accurately portray the original actors well, drawing you into the movie effectively and even mimicking the actors’ natural movements.
This is a beautiful movie too, releasing in both 4K and 1080p. There are no artifacts in the transfer and the animation seems crisp, smooth, and seamless throughout the entire 79 minutes of the film. The additional featurette, Babylon 5 Forever is in 1080p as well, but sadly not in 4k. It’s a great watch too, giving an overview and retrospective simultaneously and reuniting fans with some of their favorite actors. There are two separate releases, one on blu-Ray alone with a digital copy of the movie included, accessible through Movies Anywhere, and one with both the 4K Ultra HD and blu-ray discs both included. The blu-ray version is $30 and the 4K release is $40. There’s also a digital-only version available for $20, and while they’re a bit pricey, it’s honestly worth the admission fee just to revisit the B5 universe.
The sound is just as good as the animation of course, and that classic orchestrated Babylon 5 music is ever-present throughout. This time around, we’re looking at a DTS-HD Master Audio track that’s lossless and gorgeous. If you’ve got the stereo to handle it, Babylon 5: The Road Home delivers some powerful sound and clear voice work throughout the production, even when things get quiet. Audio mixing is excellent across the board and in DTS-HD you’re fully immersed with every laser blast and explosion.
There are two more audio tracks included here as well. A Dolby 5.1 Spanish version of Babylon 5: The Road Home and a commentary track with J. Michael Straczynski, Bruce Boxleitner, and Rick Morales. The commentary is a nice inclusion and unless you go to a lot of conventions, it’s probably been a while since you heard any of this kind of discussion of the series. There are also subtitles available in English, French, and Spanish for those that need them on both the 4K and the blu-ray discs.
With a new series coming and this movie potentially set as a precursor to it, Babylon 5: The Road Home is both a movie for long-time fans and newcomers to the series alike. You might not get the references if you’re new and there are an absolute ton of spoilers for the original series, but this is an entertaining movie for all audiences and while there’s not enough time to go as deep as the show did, the fan service more than gets the job done here. There’s no question that Babylon 5: The Road Home is an essential part of any Babylon 5 fan’s collection and it’s a movie that you’re going to want to see!
This review is based on a physical copy of Babylon 5: The Road Home provided by the publisher. Babylon 5: The Road Home is available wherever fine movies are sold and available digitally on Amazon, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.
