posted
Okay. I just now finished watching Serentiy for the first time, after getting the Firefly season disks sent to me from netflix.
SPOILERS!!!
Okay. Here's why I compare it to X3. Death meant something in Serenity. It didn't in X3, to me. By that, I don't mean they died for a good cause, since Cyclops, Jean, and the Professor 'died' for a good cause too. But I mean the deaths in Serenity were carefully considered by Joss, I think. He didn't kill anybody lightly.
In X3, it felt like the writers (The Infamous 'phantom writers') talked to each other, and asked 'What's something really dramatic to do here... I know. Kill somebody... And then... Somebody else!!! Brilliant!'.
But I don't think that's all... What is the difference in the two movies (Death wise)?
In Serenity, for one, I was shocked that anybody got out of there alive. In X3, I just 'knew' nobody would die. In serenity, both deaths felt like they were realistic. Like, Professor X could have just left the room before he died. And the Pheonix/Jean could have been saved maaaaany ways. Let's not get into that right now. Too many possibilities.
Perhaps it's because I got attached to the characters in Serenity by watching Firefly that I was so affected... But let's not forget, there were 2 X-men movies before X3, and a multitude of comics. So, I don't think that's why their deaths meant something.
Maybe it was becuase they were final. There's no miraculous Shepherd or Wash coming back to life. They are dead. The end. In X3, we know that each one of the dead characters could be resurrected.
Does anybody else have any thoughts?
Posts: 438 | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Honestly, it's part of the reason I liked Serenity so much.
I DID like X3, but... that movie reached for things it didnt succeed in grasping. The epic-ness of the plot wasn't there. The "last stand" bit wasn't there. The whole thing tried to be grand and exceptional but instead it was just good.
Which is a pity. But then again, I don't see X-Men having an ending in that manner. I don't buy it. In the end, they didn't make me believe it. And that's the storyteller's job. I enjoyed the tale, but didn't believe it. So they failed. But it wasn't a bad failure in the least.
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:But let's not forget, there were 2 X-men movies before X3, and a multitude of comics. So, I don't think that's why their deaths meant something.
Jean Gray, for those who weren't familiar with the comics, DID die in X2. My wife, when they hinted at Dark Phoenix at the end, asked me "what the hell is that supposed to be?" Then was surprised that she was in the sequel.
And her death in X2 was expected and no surprise; everyone that knew the comics knew she would have to go through that eventually.
Also, for the record, pretty much every X-Men personna has, at some point, died and come back in the comic series. For those that know that fact, the onscreen death of the key characters doesn't mean anything.
I wouldn't be surprised if Xavier, at the bare minimum, somehow shows up in X4.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't want to compare serenity to X3 because I consider X3 to have been a pinnacle of bad screenwriting/editing for the year.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Ditto Samprimary. X3 took what had been a fantastic series up to that point, and crushed it mercilessly against the pavement until it was no longer recognizable as ever having any redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's rare that a bad sequel actually makes me enjoy the originals less, but X3 managed it.
Serenity, on the other hand, took a fantastic (but unfinished) series and gave it the closure that it needed, with heart and wit.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
