User reviews

A reasonable outing.

B5 - and JMS writing in particular - works better when not contained to standalone episodes. Give him space to breathe, and his musing flows far better. He has room to comment, moralise and philosophise beautifully. Give him a single story and he tries to cram in too many explanations and plot movements which start to clog up the script. This is a pity as the script is what he is good at.

So a nice story, but a little uneven. Sometimes continually underlines the same plot points over and over killing room for nice stand alone dialogue or character exposition. Other times, the character scenes (the lift scene ) are too long an neither help the story or offer any depth for their duration.

That said, the SFX is very nice, the music from Franke is far more classically orientated than before and it's a nice chance to try and highlight some of the minor characters. The story idea is reasonable, if a little unusual in scifi tone for B5 (befitting Trek more) and it lacks some of the regular B5 heavyweight actors (G'Kar and Londo are sadly missing and Delenn has few scenes).

Nevertheless, an enjoyable if a little vacuous compared to what one comes to expect from B5. The aural and visual experiences are good, the actors are solid and the story good enough to standalone. Not perfect, but still a good slice of pulp scifi action.

An excellent movie for all B5 fans, quite interesting plot-wise and in the spirit of 2nd Season. I watched it with pleasure, and it definitely adds another dimension to the B5 universe. I thought the opening was quite majestic, and there were some hilarious moments too, mixed with much tension, which is quite typical of Babylon 5 material. The movie can stand on its own, although a viewer who has followed Babylon 5 storyline right up to the Second and the Third Seasons will be able to appreciate it best. This is not so much due its content and story, but to realise certain implications that are discussed in the film, which may not stand out otherwise. A good addition to the genre.

Enjoy!

Holy Lovecraftian influence! Saw this on a b5-movie marathon between 'In the beginning' and 'River of souls', and this got me excited the most. Anyone who reads good ol' H.P. Lovecraft's novels should know why.

The story at the beginning is like a sci-fied up of 'Call of Cthulhu', with the addition of all those inevitable B5-elements. However, in the latter part of the movie, the plot entangles to itself badly. Too much happening with so little time, leading to a slightly disappointing end. Oh well. At least it was enjoyable.

The basic story of "Thirdspace" is rather straight and simple, it could have been told in the time span of a regular B5 episode without being hasty. So, what makes "Thirdspace" interesting to watch, if you like this kind of sci-fi movie, more than the story or the not-too-overwhelming quality of acting, is its strong symphonic side - the synthesis of (CGI) images and Franke's score into a "space symphony" sometimes even resembling "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". It's not as elegant, though. "Thirdspace" is faster and somehow rougher, there is less sheer grandeur (well, it's a TV movie), but still... one can enjoy much of it indeed, literally, as a moving picture with music. What I also would like to mention, though, is Patricia Tallman's performance - distinctly more inspired and refined than what we saw in the preceding B5 episodes.

Of the feature films stemming from the B5U, this is my favorite. Looking at it 22 years on, it's amazing how well it has held up. The way its various influences (HPL, Triplanetary, Quatermass, etc) are almost seamlessly incorporated into the mythos of B5 contributes the film's quality, its storytelling and its endurance. Despite the preponderance of CHI and plot-driven action, there are still some great characterization moments, in particular the elevator scene with Zach and Lyta, further establishing Zach as the hopeless romantic always finding (and losing) hope.

Well, humm. Let's see. Odd plot, long dialogue, and an odd context that doesn't fit into B5 at all certainly take their toll on this movie. I must admit though, the suspense, action, and great special effects for a T.V. movie make this reasonably good. Strong performances from all the actors certainly helped make this movie better than most, but it was still sadly dull.

I watched "Thirdspace" and had to come on to IMDb and read the comments to see if others thought it was as unsatisfying as I thought it to be... and I am glad to see I am in agreement with others.

The plot is a good idea that was ruined by drawn-out segments that detracted from the flow of the story. The elevator scene was beyond ridiculous, too much fist-fighting, I never once saw a thirdspace ship destroyed before or after the climactic event, and you'd think that Sheridan might have once been rammed into by a passing ship!

On the bright side, effects were solid, Ivonova still rocks, and the audio commentary was fun to listen to even though not enlightening. This is one of the movies I won't pop in too frequently in the future.

A full length film set outside the story 'arc' of the TV series, but still within continuity. The special effects are the best that television can produce - a Babylon 5 hallmark. The plot however is slightly plodding. Not quite enough story ideas to sustain the plot. The never ending fistfights on the station contrast the brilliant special effects battle outside the stations hull. For fans of the series there are some nice touches, but it can be watched without knowledge of what's gone on before, although no time is spent on establishing the major characters. The major cast are all comfortable with their roles and it shows, the acting is good for this style of film. A fantastic looking and sounding film but slightly slow in parts.

An interesting show, being slightly different than the normal series, in that it seems to be trying for a Lovecraftian theme, in the ancient all-powerful horrors from beyond space try to take over everything and kill all life. As in the series, great special effects, with the acting at the same good level.

Oddly, Thirdspace comes across more as a remake of 5 Million Years to Earth (i.e., Quartermass and the Pit) than anything. There's an ancient alien artifact that turns humans against each other and causes psychic disturbances. Stracynski's attempt at a Lovecraftian tale is okay, but both somewhat at odds with B5, mildly redundant (aren't the Shadows Lovecraftian?), and at the end goes for a big battle/finish (complete with a "blow 'em up" bomb tactic). Within the limits of a 90 minute movie, and with the obligatory bows to the B5 universe, Thirdspace seems oddly truncated.

Okay, admit it. You've wondered about TNT's influence over B5 after it moved to that channel. Well, this movie proves it. Okay, would JMS have written something as violent and effect-full if TNT HADN'T been shoving the whole 'demographic' thing down his throat? I mean, all those shots of the fist-fighting was a little over the top. But on whole I'd have to say that it was a terrific movie anyway. Okay, a LITTLE dull. But the special effects were GREAT!!!! One complaint though. (Same complaint as the one I have with the ep 'Day of the Dead'.) They missed a PERFECT opportunity to bring back Marcus.

This is an awful movie. It hurts even more because I love everything else about Babylon 5... except this !

It would have survived if it were a 40 minute tv episode. It's way too long and stretched out to movie length as it is, leaves us with a shallow, dull story that you can't wait to finish.

As always the visuals are impressive! The acting wasn't half bad! The real problem I had was the story! Where was the brilliant writing that we were used to from "Babylon 5" the series! This was a movie that to my opinion doesn't quite connect to the story lines in the B5 universe! I think a movie should expand on a subject that is rooted in the series! Or somehow bring up a new subject that would affect this universe! "Thirdspace" doesn't really do that! It is just another story on how flawed the "perfect" Vorlons actually are! Very unnecessary! Why was this movie made? Seems like a waste of time and budget to me! There are so many other subjects that need explaining! For example: the first ones or the shadows and their allies (in comparison to the Vorlons we don't know much about them)! To me that would be far more interesting! Still there is enough going on for any B5 fan to enjoy this!

In the beginning there was Babylon 5 the gathering. Which gave rise to Babylon 5 the show. Which I would diligently watch on the same day with Star Trek the Next Generation and sometimes Deep Space 9. The Fox channel which this show was syndicated on originally, had a formula: B to the 5th, DS to the 9th, T sub NG. Which was the order in which they gave us our Syndicated Saturday nights. And to which I was glued to the television from 5 o'clock in the afternoon to about 8 o'clock at night.

But then something happened. The syndication for Babylon 5 fell apart and it had to be absorbed into the TNT channel by Turner. Which gave the show a slight production value boost, and it was during this time we got a fifth season which finished up the Sheri-Delenn story that we saw developing at the end of season four. We knew that there was a telepath war coming up, although most of us didn't really like Byron too much, and that is primarily what was dealt with in season five. Season five also gracefully shut down the show as it resolved some of the other threads of the story, including the vision which was shared between Londo and G'Kar of them choking each other.

And so this movie must have occurred sometime during the fourth season... but there was no Marcus Cole and he should have been there, of course this was during the blockade of Babylon 5 by earth, but I am not quite sure where this happened in the timeline of the shadow war.

I was actually pleased when this movie was made because they brought back the Susan Ivanova character. She did have a cameo in the first TNT movie, "In the Beginning", but here she has a major part as her former rank as commander.

They even bring back a character "Deuce" played by the great character actor William Sanderson, from the first season episode "Grail".

Now there have been all kinds of Babylon five episodes, comedy episodes, mythos episodes which, like the X-Files and it's Purity Control/Alien Bounty Hunter plot line, told the story of the developing shadow wars, Lando Mollari's rise to power, and the birth of "Citizen G'Kar"- Comedy episodes, art episodes, even parody episodes. But there never had been an episode of freaky, sheer, terror like this.

And speaking of Londo and G'Kar, both of these characters were absent from this. We didn't even see Dr. Franklin until halfway through the movie and he shows up in a fight scene.

But the thing about this movie is that although there is all this standard Babylon 5 going on around us, including space battles with raiders, they find some thing unlike anything they have ever seen on the way back to the station.

It is this thing that they find, that sits parked over by the jump gate, while normal Babylon 5 procedures and stories are continuing... but while this thing sits out in space and they try to figure out what it is, things just start getting weirder and weirder on the station. People start acting crazy, even "Deuce" who is a survivor. And most importantly, Lyta. And the common thread is a common dream.

Other reviewers have suggested that this is very Lovecraft-ian, and they are correct. It is almost like the coming of the white worm.

Others have suggested that this would have worked better as a single episode but I don't agree: because the elements of horror that are interjected into this required more time to be developed into the background story. And that would not have worked with a standard 40 minute episode.

I always enjoy watching this "around midnight".

It is after the Shadow War. The Earth under Clark is blockading Babylon 5. A giant ancient artifact is found in hyperspace. Capt. John J. Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) tries to uncover its secrets and recruits private contractor Dr. Elizabeth Trent (Shari Belafonte). Lyta Alexander (Patricia Tallman) is hounded by a psychic disturbance. Babylon 5 is being strangely affected.

This idea seems to be set up for a season-long big bad story. This speaks more to the uncertainty of franchise planning. I would have just made this the fifth season. As a stand-alone movie, I would cast someone better for Trent. Obvious, Belafonte has the name and she's fine. The role requires better than fine. Honestly, she could have been the lead of the movie if they get a big star. Overall, this is laying out a great premise for something even bigger than it is.

I came away from this show feeling bored and empty. B5 is in the creators own words about the human condition. Apart from the beginning scene where Lyta talks about arrogance it is just another junk sci-fi movie.

Maybe if you're a fan of the usual stuff that gets trundled out in the sci-fi genre you may like this. Movies about monsters from other dimensions. However, I liked B5 for its emotional turmoil and because I came to admire the characters.

This show has it's moments for the fans but mostly its a let down for the B5 series.

Thirdspace starts out in adagio mode but gets better, much better. I thought I was signing on for a re-run of the series but hey does it get better. I loved the script, it was very good!. Take the opportunity to listen to it and you will be amazed but don't ignore the action!

Ben