Babylon 5: The Road Home (animated tribute film sort of)

[JasonPratt]

Warner Brothers and original showrunner/writer J Michael Straczynski teamed up last year for a sort of tribute film to Babylon 5 (perhaps due to rumors of a possible reboot), called The Road Home. I didn't get around to it last year, but finally watched it tonight. At 79 minutes (including end credits), it sure doesn't overstay its welcome, but despite some catastrophic destruction neither is it very meaningful -- because the destruction is timey wimey alt history that happens entirely by accident.

The main point of the plot is almost explicitly "don't you remember loving this series and its characters, and you'd like to see them again?" Most of the surviving actors return to their roles, and get to hang around together in various scenarios. The faux voice actors subbing in for departed cast, are variable in quality, either absolutely or between (sometimes within) scenes. The plot is whoops, there was an accident that Commander Sheridan shouldn't have been around without special protection, but he and his wife truly love each other so don't worry the entire universe won't end. (Which doesn't really make much sense in JMS' cosmology for the show, but I appreciate the idea.) Animation art design is mostly good, although figure animation gets very janky at times, and character designs often only vaguely resemble the characters even at the time frame the movie is set in. If anyone likes Zathras (excuse me, I think this one is Zaaa-thras), he's a hoot as usual. A Lost In Space joke is made, but not by Bill Mumy oddly enough. (When I say this joke is made, I mean EXCPLITLY ABOUT THE TELEVISION SERIES, as an acknowledgment that B5 is also a TV show, as a 4th wall break.)

There are plot holes and overconvenient timing which also sometimes serves to pad out the running time here and there.

I realize I sound rather ambivalent about it. That's because I am!  You get an animation budget to produce an extended episode or two-parter (in effect), and didn't bother with a better story than this, J? Okay you can throw a moon at a planet now, but it overtly doesn't mean anything in the end, so... the final scene isn't even set in the main storyline but is just an excuse to sightsee the characters being charactery for three minutes. Sure it's nice, but I can do that by watching my discs sometime.

Hard C. If you like the series, and want to see a lightweight tribute by the cast and showrunner, I recommend finding it streaming somewhere, ideally for free (with commercials), or a cheap rent. I can easily imagine watching any of the real episodes again, even the admittedly poor ones; but not this. I'll probably throw it away rather than take up a slot I could use for saving something else.

And that's sad.