Hatrack River Forum: Spoiler-free Serenity reviews

This is topic Spoiler-free Serenity reviews in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

OK, folks, we're getting muddled, so i'll start up two threads and we can speak as we please. This here one's for the no-spoiler review. Please, no plot points or quotes. What was your impression of the movie?

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

Gonna be tough to watch without letting stuff slip, but hey.

It's the entire remaining first season and second season of Firefly in two hours.
It's the answer to a lot (but not all, or even most) of your questions, and the beginning of more.
It's funny and compelling and honestly terrifying, but not because of cheap special effects or shock horror tactics. Rather, you're watching and afraid to look away because for the last 15 minutes, you don't know what's going to happen. How often does that happen to you in movies or TV?
It's light on some of the characters and that bothered me, and there's a few seeming inconsistencies with the show's history that were probably made to make things easier for new viewers.
When it's at its most emotional it's also the funniest, and when it's funny there's always some drama lurking nearby.

My opinion? It's a good start. For more. A lot more. A series.

Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :

I will add here: I brought a friend who'd never watched Firefly and he thoroughly enjoyed Serenity. Laughed and cheered along with everyone else in the theater. So if you were wondering how well it holds up for people who weren't already Firefly fans, well, he asked me if he could borrow my DVDs! [Big Grin]

--Enigmatic

Posted by KrabbyPatty (Member # 7055) on :

Are those your DVDs?

Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :

quote:
It's light on some of the characters and that bothered me

I felt the same way too. But that's almost always a given when you only have two hours to tell a story about an ensemble of uniquely lovable characters. [Frown]

River and Mal are the main focus of this movie. I really enjoyed the darker Mal. Joss said in the DVD commentaries that he wanted to make Mal a darker character but had to lighten him up a bit due to Fox's request. Well, now we're finally getting the Mal he has always envisioned.

Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :

quote:
Originally posted by KrabbyPatty:
Are those your DVDs?

I do recall you saying they were. Besides, this is Jason we're talking about, it's not like I'd be loaning them to somebody I barely know. I'm more inclined to have him over and watch them at my place, anyway. I have a better tv, and it's not like I'd be reluctant for another Firefly viewing.

Mal was pretty dark in the movie, but there's some pretty strong looks at that side of him in the show, too. I was reminded of him in the War Stories episode. "You still want to meet the real me?"

--Enigmatic

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

I loved it.

Posted by babager (Member # 6700) on :

I have never seen one episode of Firefly... and I absolutely LOVED this movie. [The Wave]

Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :

Warning: Unabridged Whining

Ohhhhhhhhh, I have to *wait*!! I had an audition tonight (for a musical about aliens who invade PEI and learn the true meaning of Christmas) and plus my roommate is coming home tomorrow and wants to watch the remaining six episodes before she sees the movie, so I may not see it for TWO DAYS because I told her I'd go with her ages ago! And I can't afford to go twice.

Glad to hear it's meeting expectations though. I look forward to reading more about them in the spoiler thread. Eventually.

Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :

I very much disliked the darker Mal.

Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :

STAY FOR THE CREDITS - there's an instrumental version of the TV show theme.

Posted by Dav (Member # 8217) on :

I never saw Firefly, so I was wondering if I should see Serenity. But OSC thinks Serenity's one of the greatest sf movies, and most of the reviews in this thread are very positive, and at least two people who've never seen Firefly (babager and Enigmatic's friend) enjoyed it. So, I think I'll go see it...

Posted by Dav (Member # 8217) on :

Now almost a week later, I finally got to see it this evening. I really enjoyed it! Since I didn't know anything about the characters or the background before I saw it, I really had to pay attention during the first part of the film to make sure I didn't get lost. But once I got into it, it was great! The relationships, the action, the scary stuff, the mystery, all kept me on the edge of my seat.

Now I'm curious to learn more about what happened before the movie. I read somewhere that Firefly's out on DVD; I'll rent, buy, or borrow it when I get a chance.

I'm also curious what will happen next. I'm hoping for a sequel!

Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :

Saw it for the first time this morning.

I quite liked the darker Mal, actually. And I understand why they took this tack: basically, for people who had not seen the series, the dramatic tension over whether or not to stand by the Tams -- which is really the core conflict at the start of the film -- would be substantially muted. After all, new viewers wouldn't be able to draw on the backstory; they wouldn't know that the captain and Simon (for example) had reached an understanding that informed their decisions. The movie is a better film for having not taken this for granted.

And he's not that mean to Kaylee. [Smile]

(Edit: This is Tom.)