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Post by dANdeLION on Dec 17, 2007 13:43:31 GMT -5
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ram
Magpie
randomly avoiding mainframes
Posts: 571
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Post by ram on Dec 17, 2007 14:47:29 GMT -5
A friend lent me Firefly on DVD, so I hope to start watching it soon. (Did not see Serenity.)
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Post by thomasallencummins on Dec 17, 2007 15:24:06 GMT -5
I predict you will return with a positive review of the series. Unless you don't. :-)
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Post by dANdeLION on Dec 19, 2007 14:03:40 GMT -5
You'll like it, and then you'll get to see Serenity, and you'll ike that, too!
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ram
Magpie
randomly avoiding mainframes
Posts: 571
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Post by ram on Dec 19, 2007 19:28:45 GMT -5
Yeah, the main reason I didn't go see Serenity was because I really wanted to watch the series first. I've actually been waiting a long time for the chance to watch Firefly on DVD. I'm on holidays next week so I'll watch it then.  |
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prorider514
Orator
I want that...type what I say..hehheh that's funny..hehehehh
Posts: 269
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Post by prorider514 on Mar 31, 2008 18:28:15 GMT -5
it seems like everybody in this show has a slip one-liners in their pocket (ala Hollywood Squares). NOBODY is that witty! not even the British
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ram
Magpie
randomly avoiding mainframes
Posts: 571
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Post by ram on Apr 18, 2008 1:20:00 GMT -5
I have watched Firefly and Serenity. My opinion, in short: WOW!
"Wow!" - in more detail:
Firefly
Disc One made a good early impression on me, but it was really the episodes on Disc Two that made me fall in love with the show. Disc Three cemented that love. By the end of Disc Four, I was about as ardent a fan of Firefly as anyone else, and ready to sic Reavers on the TV execs responsible for cancelling the show.
So what made Firefly so good? A lot of things. It's not a one-trick show. At the top of the list must be the memorable characters, brought to life, of course, by the engaging actors who played them; each is a distinct person with his/her individual quirks and background. But they all click together as a compelling ensemble. You want to know more about them, the more you watch them. You care about what happens to them.
Then there's the very smart and funny dialogue. (And cursing in Chinese? Nice touch, heh.) The writing on this show is just incredibly good - too good for TV, as they say. In lesser hands, the show could easily have been just a series of cliches from both the Western and Sci Fi genre. Actually, the show isn't afraid of those cliches - they just come out smelling nice and new after Joss Whedon's processed them in the Fresh-O-Matic of his mind.
The setting: I didn't have trouble accepting this melding of sci fi and westerns. Years ago, when I still disdained westerns, I might not have appreciated a show like this. I like to think I've moved on from that highly prejudiced position. There's really no reason why you can't mix horses and hyperspace, six-shooters and spacesuits. (Star Wars was a Western of sorts, I was just ignorant of it at the time, or I kept denying it.) So, that Old West feel to Firefly is something I can genuinely enjoy.
Oh yeah, that whole other thing with being hundreds of years in the future where a monolithic Alliance governs the galaxy is pretty cool, too. I liked Whedon's comment that the Alliance represented the "Star Trek" look of the future - all polished and perfect. Whereas the "backwater" worlds beyond the Alliance are the sort of places the Enterprise would overlook. (Which is somewhat unfair to Trek, since the Enterprise's mission is to explore new worlds...but I digress.)
The ship: Serenity is a lovable hunk o' junk, like the Millenium Falcon, but much more livable. It's a wonderful design. I also liked Whedon's rationale for choosing the word "firefly" to describe that class of vessel: seemingly insignificant or fragile on one hand, yet self-sufficient and capable of (surprising) power. And that is courtesy of Kaylee's wizardry in the engine room. Kaylee and Serenity are one, in a sense. I got that right away. This kind of naturally leads me to...
Serenity
In the series, the ship lived up to its moniker as a place of calm and contemplation. The warm, earthy tones made it feel like home. But in the movie, the ship is anything but serene. This no doubt upset many fans of the show; I can see how the movie ship seems soulless in comparison to the TV ship. I too prefer Serenity as depicted on TV.
However, one of the movie's strengths is Jack Green's cinematography. I loved his work on Unforgiven and I love it here in Serenity. He gives a scene that kind of stark light that imbues everything with extra dramatic weight. So while the warmth of the TV series may have been sacrificed for dark intensity, the movie still offers beauty - just a different and more severe kind.
Also, the movie's urgent pace makes for an exciting experience. You'd hardly know that 2 hours had gone by.
I'd like to bring up some of the film's major plot points, but what's the policy on spoilers here? I don't mind using spoiler tags, but I don't see that option.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Apr 18, 2008 5:59:52 GMT -5
I'm not suprised to read your reaction, ram. Yep it's pretty awesome and now you can sit and cry in your beer with the rest of us fans that are haunted by the prospect of never being able to see another screen second of the series (unless 20 years from now they release the inevitable "Lost Episode" that was found in Wedon's archives somewhere.)
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ram
Magpie
randomly avoiding mainframes
Posts: 571
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Post by ram on Apr 18, 2008 13:49:52 GMT -5
I've heard that Serenity did not make enough at the box office for the powers that be to green light a sequel. That's disheartening. There are still a number of questions from both the series and the movie that beg to be resolved.
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Post by cleburne on Sept 6, 2008 8:15:33 GMT -5
I have watched Firefly and Serenity. My opinion, in short: WOW!Gentelmen I also was a big fan of the series and the film and couldnt believe it when they cut the series short.All the characters were cool and had a life of their own but unfortunetly we shall not see again just have to re watch the series for satisfaction ;D By the way like the picture Dan posted the girls sure cleaned up good.  |
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Post by thomasallencummins on Sept 8, 2008 14:24:36 GMT -5
All this reminds me that I still have not purchased the series dvds. I did get to re watch several episodes recently due to a sci fi channel mini marathon. I just wish there was the slightest chance there would be a resurrection of the series. :-(
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ram
Magpie
randomly avoiding mainframes
Posts: 571
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Post by ram on Dec 1, 2008 2:09:47 GMT -5
Well, it's been several years now since the Serenity feature film. Joss Whedon must have let go of the Firefly universe by now, even if the fans haven't. I'd love to see at least one more season of Firefly - even just a couple of special 2-hour TV movies - to see some or all of the hanging storylines resolved. But maybe the networks feel the fanbase just isn't large enough to justify the cost. I know we should be happy that we got a feature film at all, but it just whetted our appetite for more.
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Post by thomasallencummins on Dec 1, 2008 13:01:18 GMT -5
Well, it's been several years now since the Serenity feature film. Joss Whedon must have let go of the Firefly universe by now, even if the fans haven't. I'd love to see at least one more season of Firefly - even just a couple of special 2-hour TV movies - to see some or all of the hanging storylines resolved. But maybe the networks feel the fanbase just isn't large enough to justify the cost. I know we should be happy that we got a feature film at all, but it just whetted our appetite for more. Totally agree. |
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