Blogography Logo
spacer

  Home  

Serenity

Posted on Saturday, October 8th, 2005

Dave!Me, my friend, and a theater packed with nerds were treated to Joss Whedon's genius in the form of Serenity, the movie sequel to the ill-fated cult-favorite television series Firefly.

But as the credits were rolling, I couldn't help but think about what could have been. NOT for Serenity, which I enjoyed quite a lot. NOT for Firefly which was cancelled because of network morons grossly mishandling the show. NOT for Joss Whedon, who abandoned the "Buffyverse" to try something new. But for Star Wars.

Yes, Star Wars.

Star Wars started out as total brilliance, and then escalated into one of the greatest science fiction films of all-time (and best sequels ever) with The Empire Strikes Back. It remains my undisputed favorite sci-fi film, and a total masterwork in the canon of filmmaking. But then George Lucas found out how much money there was to be made in toys and merchandising rights (of which he maintains 100% control), and Star Wars was flushed down the toilet.

No longer were the Star Wars sequels about the story. It was about everything except the story. It was about selling action figures and stuffed Ewok dolls (case in point: everybody knows what an Ewok is, even though they were never named in the film). By the time Return of the Jedi came along, serious sci-fi was shoved aside for burp and fart jokes to appeal to the kiddies. The prequels gave us even more fart jokes, and then descended into untold levels of suckage with cardboard characters so boring and annoying that they were the least interesting thing on the screen.

Star Wars became a joke of cosmic proportions, and only partially redeemed itself with Revenge of the Sith.

Enter Serenity...

Serenity River

So this is what a sequel looks like when the creator resists the temptation to sell out.

Whedon didn't introduce cutesy characters to sell toys. Whedon didn't dumb down the show to the lowest denominator so two-year-olds would be entertained. Whedon didn't destroy what he created for the sake of special effects. Everything that made the original Firefly series so compelling is right here in spades.

Unlike dumbass characters that typify the "new" Star Wars universe (exemplified by Jar Jar Binks) who you wish dead every minute they're on-screen, you actually care about the people whose story you are watching. You feel their pain and share in their triumphs. You relate. Serenity is all about the characters, and everything else takes a back seat... just as it should be. Sure it makes for a slower pace, but by the end of the film you're totally absorbed in a world that's not your own.

That's not to say that there aren't problems. The film is unevenly balanced in parts, clumsily shifting between action and drama that accentuates its television heritage, but it never self-destructs as it so easily could. Trademark Whedon humor and witty dialogue drive the story forward through the rough patches, and easily make up for any shortcomings.

The story revolves around killing-machine savant River Tam, and the mystery of why "The Alliance" is so desperate to reclaim her. Along the way there are kick-ass fight scenes, stellar special effects, and more than a little dose of tragedy. I enjoyed it all, even if my favorite character had to suffer for it (proving once again that Whedon knows just what buttons to push to involve the viewer).

I'm not convinced that a 2-hour movie is the best format for Whedon's talent... he needs time to develop his stories that he just doesn't get here. But he did the best he could with what he was given and wraps things up in a way that won't disappoint the fans. I can only hope that between the box office and DVD sales, Serenity makes enough money that the dumbass network execs second-guess their decision to cancel Firefly.

And if there were any justice, the show would return in a new television series in better hands than those at Fox who worked so hard to make it fail the last time.


Categories: Movies 2005Click To It: Permalink
   

Comments

  1. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Thank you.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I read that Whedon said he wouldn’t take Firefly back to the small screen now. But that if all goes well with the movie he could get another two films made…..

    BTW! I couldn’t believe what he did to my favourite charachter, but I should have guessed as his part had all been but stripped away! I think he had like ten lines , if that. I then lived in fear for the rest of the film, terrified who he was going to kill next!

  3. Sayuri says:

    Erm, that was me. Fogot to put my name in….rushing because I was late for work…

    My bad!

  4. karla says:

    I saw Serenity Friday (nyah nyah) but had one worry/wonder:

    What do those who are not familiar with the series think? Do they get the backstory, was it clear enough? I did think about that.

    There was an audible gasp in the audience (unfortunately a very small audience, which bodes ill, on an opening Friday at 5:30) when my favorite character was, um, done ill.

    Why why WHY my favorite one!!!!!! Gah!

    I left the theatre contemplative and wondering if there will be more.

  5. Anthony says:

    I understood the backstory quite well and I never saw Firefly. Couldn’t believe they killed him off though.

  6. SJ says:

    PLEASE don’t anybody say WHO they killed off!! We’ve not yet seen Serenity, and I’m already upset.

    I was addicted to Firefly its first time despite Fox’s constant efforts to hide it. My hubby is a new fan, and equally addicted. He refuses to see Serenity until we’ve watched all the series, so we bought it on DVD last weekend. We’ll see the movie this coming weekend. We both desperately hope SciFi picks the series up and resumes production.

    Orson Scott Card (Ender’sGame) wrote a marvelous review of Serenity; you can read it here.

  7. Troy says:

    I haven’t seen the series, though I should have since I watched Buffy and Angel. I’m thinking I should pick up the DVDs and then see the movie.

    Sadly FOX is good at screwing new shows. They are the “let’s keep moving this new show around to seven different time slots in the first week and then axe it”. Much like my beloved Wonderfalls.

  8. Eddie says:

    I’m a new fan to both the show and the movie, and I couldn’t believe what happened. Yes, it’s 2 years later, yes, I’ve missed all the hype, and yes, I still love and watch the series on DVD… 🙂

Add a Comment

Blankatar!

   
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.




   


   


   
   
   
Your personal information is optional. Email addresses are never shown, and are only used by me if a public reply would be too personal or inappropriate here. The URL link to your web site or blog will be provided, so only fill this in if you want people to visit!



   

  Home  

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security