Babylon 5 - River Of Souls

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
At the core of the Babylon 5 series there ran a genuinely intriguing theme concerning the nature of the soul. Ultimately many viewers came to realise it was both the strength and weakness of the show. During the first three seasons a mystery unfolded linking past with present to hint at a universal destination for the soul beyond death. When this became all-but forgotten, the sensation of having been cheated lasted until the end. There were scattered references, but the biggest allusion back to the spiritual philosophising was this third TV movie. In the second episode of Season 1 ("Soul Hunter"), we were introduced to a race who collected the worthiest of souls for preservation. Five years later, that race gets showcased again in a story involving the theft of something belonging to them. Martin Sheen guest stars as the Hunter trying to retrieve it from Ian (Lovejoy) McShane's archaeological thief. Chronologically, this is after the main timeline of the station's story. There is no Sheridan, Delenn, Londo, or G'Kar to provide dramatic support. Instead there's a risqué sub-plot about an illegal holo-brothel, which is really just an excuse to see Tracy Scoggins as Captain Lochley in lingerie and using a "lovebat"(!) It's not as coherent a movie as either In the Beginning or Thirdspace, and almost seems like an apology for forgetting what made things fascinating to begin with. At the very least The River of Souls may be appreciated for not taking itself too seriously. --Paul Tonks

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Synopsis
An archaeologist steals an ancient artefact which contains the long lost souls of millions of people. Arriving on Babylon 5 he takes his find to Mr Garibaldi, but he is followed by a group of Soul Hunters....

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2004-01-20 rating:
OK, just a matter of time
When Babylon 5 was at it's height we took it for granted. We all think everything's going to last forever at some point. That's when Maxwell's 2nd law of thermodynamics kicks in - entropy. The inevitable decay of Babylon 5 had to come at some point. However, this is most certainly not it. It's a little ropey at times, not a patch on "In the Beginning", or the wonderous Season 3 - The Coming of the Shadows, but it has a certain feeling that the end is coming very soon. Even the characters speak of the end, of changes and you do get the feeling that the party is now officially over. The children have left the nest. I would recommend this to anyone who wishes to see a very attractive space Captain in a basque and suspenders or who has watched BBC TV's Lovejoy and wants to see what he would do in deep space. I enjoyed it anyway. Everything ends at some point, and this was towards the end of the genius that was B5.

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review by: Author, date: 2002-10-11 rating:
McShane is the drawing point
I am sorry, this movie is the dying gasp of a long run series. Most of the main stars of the series have moved on, and this was like trying to push it too far.

McShane gives a good performance as the archaeologist that finds a mysterious orb full of souls that begins to posses and change him. His performance is outstanding. The rest of the cast seems to be walking through the film. Martin Sheen's talents is wasted in a bland role.

The four stars is for McShane.


review by: date: 2000-12-08 rating:
Intriging but slow-going
The movie is as a typical B5 episod,exept for the fact that it's bit longer...

A archeologist discovers a long lost storage of containers filled with soules collected by the dreaded Soulhunter, during a exevation on a waste planet. While he grabs a container, strange ships emerges and kills all of his team, and heads for Babylon 5. While there he contacts Mr Garibaldi and presents the finding.

Later when he examins the container he make a mental connection to the soules inside, and things starts to get crazy...

The movie is good, but there are episodes which are far better... Nevertheless, Cpt Lochley makes an interesting aperance in a brothle down below...

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