Legend of the Rangers

[AntonyF]

Saw it again today, for the first time since I watched a pre-release copy on VHS.

I liked some bits of it. G'Kar, the attempt to try a new aesthetic to the ship and weapons, and a new angle on the music from Franke.

But really, I don't think it's held up well. It promised a lot, which would have been good if the show ran. But as a standalone film, not great. The dialogue was often clumsy, and the cast being all new couldn't carry the team spirt/humor that well. I think pilots need to be a bit more slamdunk until the point when pure character scenes can hold up both you and the cast are invested in it all.

Still, it was interesting to see it again.. and it's still incredibly special to me as it's where this site germinated from.

[RW7427]

I haven't seen it in quite some time. I do have it on DVD, so maybe sometime soon I'll get it out, dust it off and pop it into the TV.

[darth_librarian]

I've still got a shrink-wrapped DVD on my shelf. May skip ahead in my planned re-watch and try it ...

[darth_librarian]

Watched it last night.
Shows such as BSG have pushed the boundaries of what we expect from TV sci-fi. If Rangers was cheesy then, its a big piece of Stilton now.

Yet for all its glaring flaws, it was still great fun. I loved the effects, mistakes apart. The cast were good and hot (Sarah really), which also helps. I thought it could have been a good series. The Hand were a cheesy terrible foe who needed to go away or be written into something sensible.

But then afterwards, I watched Midnight on the Firing Line again, the episode which really setup the whole B5 concept and got me hooked initally. It for me was much better than Rangers. Better pacing, plot, acting and lines. You can see which one had JMS more interested at the time of writing.

[wade8069]

Been here and answered.

[CelticHippo]

Ahh, one I have still to watch but re-watching the main seasons first

[Mercury]

I only just received my DVD and I gotta say I'm disappointed. Nothing in particular just the entire film was not as good as I was hoping it would be. A Call to Arms probably set the bench mark a bit high for me as I only got that DVD last week and IMHO it's much better.

Also, the very notion that Rangers do not back down even if it means certain death for no cause what so ever annoyed me. I do not understand why they were supposed to die for absolutely nothing, it nullifies the entire Rangers cause if you ask me.

If you're protecting a civilian colony full of children then I understand why you would willingly give your life with no chance of victory but when you're chasing a bunch of raiders with 0 chance of success what exactly do you achieve? Nothing...

Sometimes the Minbari are far too cold and robotic, and on the other hand you have Delenn, who certainly won't back down from a fight easily, but would preserve life more than anything else. This is conflicting if you ask me...

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Mercury

Also, the very notion that Rangers do not back down even if it means certain death for no cause what so ever annoyed me. I do not understand why they were supposed to die for absolutely nothing, it nullifies the entire Rangers cause if you ask me.

That's a common comment and you make a valid point. JMS has said that if it had gone to series as hoped, that hidebound attitude would have been addressed. Apparently there was supposed to be some dark connection between what happened to the previous crew of the Liandra and the Ranger Council.

Sadly, we'll never know now. I did like the chemistry between the characters.

Jan

[Republibot 3.0]

It's kind of grown on me, you know? I didn't care for it when I first saw it, but a year or two ago, I ended up watching every B5 thing in subjective order, with the movies all plugged in to their correct spaces in the timeline, then Crusade, and ending with "Sleeping in Light." It came after "River of Souls" (Which I didn't like) and before "A Call to Arms" (Which I really did like).

Seeing it that time through made me feel a profound sense that I'd missed something, you know? Not as good as B5, of course, perhaps not even as good as Crusade, but still worth watching.

[FlyingCircus]

I guess I'm one of a minority if I say I liked it.
The characters were original and although everyone had different backgrounds, behaviour etc, they just fit perfectly together. Introducing new characters in a new setting in an already existing show is always difficult, but I really do think it was handled well - a brief insight to David and his friends while in training and then a bit more in different scenes, although not so much that it became boring. David and Dulan's friendship has intrigued me from the very beginning. They banter each other just as siblings would. I loved the scene of them inspecting the Liandra for the first time Na'feel (sp. ?) and Sara were annoying, but what would be a series or a movie without a character the audience thinks of as such. Turk seemed to me like a big teddy bear (albeit a greenish scaled one XD )
G'kar was the right person to establish a new plotline, seeing as he traveled through the whole galaxy. Besides, even if everything is supposed to be serious he manages to make you laugh (swedish meatballs anyone? )

One thing I was disappointed in was Minbar. Why did the planet look so dark all of a sudden? It was always shown as a friendly and bright world. And Dulan was right about the Valen, it looked horrible. Funny how different the ship looked in TLT