If you've seen it at a screening, please rate Serenity as compared to... by chrisisall

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

If you've seen it at a screening, please rate Serenity as compared to...

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Saturday, September 3, 2005 19:24
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 5498
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Thursday, September 1, 2005 10:43 AM

The original Star Wars, Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Arc, the new Battlestar Galactica, and/or anything else you might think of.
Is as good as or better than the ones I've listed?
(no spoilers, please. Thanks)

The countdown has begun Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 10:53 AM

EMBERS

I would have trouble rating them...
I was blown away the first time I saw
Star Wars and
Raiders of the Lost Arc
and I was similarly blown away by Serenity,
but I carried a lot of that excitement into the theater with me,
would I have found it as exciting if I had never watched Firefly? I'm not sure.
maybe....

I enjoyed Blade Runner a lot, but I wasn't blown away by it....
and Battlestar Galactica isn't even in the same ball park (IMO)
so I would place Serenity far above those

I think any movie goer can really enjoy Serenity, I'm just not sure that they'll see it as a revolutionary new way of looking at Sci-fi....
of course I don't think it HAS to be.
I think it has to be about the best most exciting film that has come out lately,
and believe me, it beats out ANYTHING you've seen this Summer!

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:26 AM

CHRISISALL

So, like, it's better than Catwoman, right?

BWAHAHAHAHAAA

Thanks for the rating, embers.
My most favourite recent movie was Pirates Of The Caribbean, and I fully expect to like Serenity a lot more.

ARGH Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:35 AM

SPIKEANDJEZEBEL

Serenity was MUCH better than Pirates of the Carribean, if that helps you.

It's hard to rate it against movies like the Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, since I saw those when I was 7-8 years old and have lived with them my whole life. I can say that I enjoyed it more than any other sci-fi movie in the last decade - probably since Terminator 2.

"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care. Or indeed, why it should be necessary to prove it at all." -Kerr Avon

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:39 AM

EMBERS

yeah...LOL
better than:
Catwoman
The Hulk
The Fantasic Four
Electra

I think it is way better than Spiderman
(I felt the stories were weak and the special effects were a little cartoony)

I'll admit that I didn't get around to seeing
Batman
War of the Worlds
The Island

I saw The Sith...
and I didn't find it exciting at all,
I did think it was better than I expected,
but humorless (R2D2 got ALL the good lines)
and predictable, with soap opera dialogue.

Believe me: Serenity has got the unpredictable excitement, humor, and even a little romance....

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:40 AM

ZEEK

I think it's just too different a movie than those to really compare. Serenity is the most intense of any of them. Star Wars is a great adventure film and more epic in my opinion. The others are not on the same level really, if you ask me. They just don't have the same impact on me. That's probably only because I've seen Firefly though.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:49 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:

Believe me: Serenity has got the unpredictable excitement, humor, and even a little romance....

Hollywood has been crying lately, the box office has slowed (bad movies -Duh), you thinking like me that Serenity'll show 'em what GOOD movies can do for a change (and not even having seen it, I can guarantee it'll do more than enough for sequels...)?

Let's be moneymakin' guys Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 11:58 AM

ZEEK

I'm actually a little worried about how Serenity will do. Especially since the trailer has only really been showing nowish and no one's going to the movies to see it. There are many other reasons I worry about how Serenity will do, but I'll just try to be confident that the majority of people will be intelligent and enjoy the movie.

Also romance? I don't see where you got that from exactly.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:03 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I feel it is too soon to say how I will be rating Serenity. I liked it more the second time I saw it, and I would bet I'll like it more the third time too. And the fourth, etc. The best movies can hold up to that type of scrutiny.

My top five favorite films have held steady since 1988, when the fifth of them was released. At this time I have to say I don't think Serenity will make it higher than fourth on my list, if that high, but it is always possible I will change my mind.

Here's my top 5:
Dr. Strangelove
Citizen Kane
2001: A Space Odyssey
Ran
The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The second half of my top ten list varies from time to time, but at this time the only one you mentioned that could possibly fit into the 6-10 positions would be Blade Runner.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:06 PM

STILLSHINY

Forgive me CHRISISALL, I am not trying to hijack or diminish your thread because it is a valid request.

But, I can't do this. There is something about this movie that transcends the whole "which is better?" thing for me. I love Joss's writing. I love every one of the BDH's. I love the set's ,the story, the music, all of it. I yelled shouted, hollered, & cried. But I can't rate this movie.

The value of this movie is what it means to me. I'm a Browncoat & even if my name is nowhere in the credits. I am a part of this movie & it is a part of me. George Lucas never thanked me for believing in him. Harrisson Ford never said I was the reason he did what he did. But Joss did & Adam did. They all did. Those nine BDH's are my BDH's on & off the screen. I can't put a rating on a piece of my heart.

If you're a Browncoat you have to see this movie & you have to love it because you are the reason it was made. If you don't, well then.... you're not.

"We had ties that could not be broken, except by the passing of time. Like a rock. A broken time rock. And you're very special to me, my broken time rock people." - Nathan Fillion

Stillshiny's Shop - I'm thinkin we rose again

http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=4728

Listen to "The Signal" www.serenityfirefly.com

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:18 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Hard to compare to say, the original SW, because we know so much about these characters before they hit the big screen. Better than the 3 prequels, imo.

And yes, this movie CAN be seen by FF virgins, but I'm pretty sure much of the emotion I felt was from being a prior fan, so I'll try to be as impartial as possible. But I was thinking about this exact thing after I saw the preview last night.....how DO I compare this to other movies?

Movies out this summer: I've seen WotW, Batman, Sin City, Fantastic Four...it's better than all of 'em.

Others: Raiders of the Lost Ark....not a bad comparison. It's a ride, no doubt. While not as family friendly, Serenity is both funnier and darker, imo.

Better than the new BattleStar. I really enjoy BSG, but I do have issues w/ it that ..well. I watch it and enjoy it...isn't that enough?

It's taken me years to appreciate Bladerunner, for some reason. Not that I ever thought it a bad movie, just ...different. Slower, gloomier... no plunky side kick or sub plot to shake the dank cloud of the depressing mood through out the whole movie. Need I say more ?

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:41 PM

CHRISISALL

Stillshiny, here's a comparison that might seem valid...as a Star Trek fan of old, the premiere of The Motion Picture for me was like the hand of God! And so on with 2 and 3 (about the time 4 came out, the effect had worn off, and the movies started getting dummer. Until 6. Okay, but that's another thread.).
So that's how I see Serenity; God granting my wish all over again, and, with substantially higher quality!

Jim. Your name is Jim. Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:49 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Stillshiny, here's a comparison that might seem valid...as a Star Trek fan of old, the premiere of The Motion Picture for me was like the hand of God! And so on with 2 and 3 (about the time 4 came out, the effect had worn off, and the movies started getting dummer. Until 6. Okay, but that's another thread.).
So that's how I see Serenity; God granting my wish all over again, and, with substantially higher quality!

Jim. Your name is Jim. Chrisisall

Oh, oh! Your post reminded me of what I was thinking about last night..... Star Trek! Yes, we got our BDM after the show was cancelled, but it didn't take a decade. I put Serenity up around the level of Wrath of Khan. Above, ....yes, better than all other Star Trek movies, imo.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 12:56 PM

STILLSHINY

Ok then let's see. I have to put it on the same level as Star Wars. The Original Star Wars was revolutionary to filmmaking & storytelling. And Serenity is too. Felt more of a merging of Young Guns II the Matrix and Empire Strikes Back. How's that?

"We had ties that could not be broken, except by the passing of time. Like a rock. A broken time rock. And you're very special to me, my broken time rock people." - Nathan Fillion

Stillshiny's Shop - I'm thinkin we rose again

http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=4728

Listen to "The Signal" www.serenityfirefly.com

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 1:08 PM

RETRO

I've said this before, and I will say it again. The BDH takes our heroes to places they've never been before, Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually. It will do the same for the audience. Those who have not seen Firefly, and who have not made a connection with these characters, with this family, will not feel the entirety of the impact, but they will feel something. Firstly because it's impossible to not love these characters, but also because of the calibur of Whedon's Story Telling. I saw the movie for a second time in Tucson on Tuesday. I knew everything that would happen. And yet, I found myself laughing, jumping, and even crying as though I had never seen any of it. It was all still new. That is what will make this movie stand up against the "classics." A true classic is a movie you can watch over and over and over again, because it still feels new every time you see it.

"Just because I choose to wander, it doesn't mean that I am lost..."

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 1:49 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Stillshiny:
Felt more of a merging of Young Guns II the Matrix and Empire Strikes Back. How's that?

That sounds reeeeeeeeeeeeeal good.
Eh? There's DROOL comin' out my mouth!!

I CAN'Y CONTAIN MYSELF!!!!!

*turns into a pulsating ball of ever expanding thermo-nuclear reactions*
*beat*

Okay, I'm better now.

Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 1:50 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Retro:
A true classic is a movie you can watch over and over and over again, because it still feels new every time you see it.

So....better than Star Trek III?

Chrisisall

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 2:53 PM

RETRO

As I've taken the time to sit down and watch serenity twice, and have yet to see Star Trek 3, I'm going to say... Yes.

(shrug) Not a big Trek fan. Except First Contact was cool. Oh, and 4.

"Just because I choose to wander, it doesn't mean that I am lost..."

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 3:15 PM

EMBERS

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
There are many other reasons I worry about how Serenity will do, but I'll just try to be confident that the majority of people will be intelligent and enjoy the movie.

thing is, ours is a little film by Hollywood standards,
we don't have to have a huge box office,
Serenity didn't cost anything close to what most of the Summer blockbusters costs.
We can do pretty good box office,
with pretty good over-seas, and
pretty good DVD sales, and Universal will STILL be hot to do a sequal!

I hope to have us build an audience, and that even more people will see the sequal than this first movie....
I think our BDM has legs (Joss said so).

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 3:32 PM

JACQUI

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
The original Star Wars, Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Arc, the new Battlestar Galactica, and/or anything else you might think of.
Is as good as or better than the ones I've listed?
(no spoilers, please. Thanks)

You know, at the risk of being hunted down and shot at (a lot) I've never really liked ANY of the movies you've just listed.

So the BDM, in my opinion, is WAY better than them. Actually, the BDM is better than any movie I've seen lately. I have no real comparison to the other sci fi movies/shows.

I'm not (and never have been) a Star Wars fan, most sci fi shows leave me cold. The closest I've come to being a fan is liking Spaceballs.

Actually... that's got me thinking... what if Joss and Mel Brooks teamed up for something?

*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 4:48 PM

LOCKESCYTHE

Well. Being a huge fan of the Novel Bladerunner. And then seeing the movie and completly loathing it and 6thinking it to be garbage compared to the book. The BDM is a trillion times better than that.

havent seen much of the rest. I liked it alot better than the 1 dimensional revenge of the sith and batman begins (which was awesome buit the fight scens sucked lots))

So yeah The first time I saw it it had a few parts that almost had a horror movie esque feel for me as a browncoat but now that Ive sene it twice it actually gets better after each time I see it.

Hopefully other people will too.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 6:38 PM

NOSADSEVEN

I wouldn't describe Serenity as a movie that stands up to repeated viewings so much as a movie that demands repeated viewings. It is just... so much, and so unrelenting. I have never left a movie feeling so physically and emotionally affected before. Granted, I have never had so much personally invested in a movie before either, but still.

Even though Serenity demands to be seen again, I, for one, was not ready to see it again right away. It took me a while to process it all. I think the first weekend might need to depend more on Universal's promotion (as opposed to our own repeated viewings) than alot of Browncoats think. Browncoats who haven't had the opportunity to experience Serenity in advance may underestimate the power this movie can hold over them. Second weekend, though, that's all ours.

Needless to say, I, too, am having difficulty relating this movie to any others I've liked. It's just...more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 7:16 PM

SWITCHY

I had to reply because the BDM has had to walk a very fine line in keeping us fans happy and in bringing the story to the rest of the world. I loved the screening I saw and anyone who loves the characters will hop right on the bandwagon. It's way too much fun not too. But... As remarkable a job as Joss has done I wonder if he might have achieved a more explosive and focused piece of storytelling if he had been able to start it all from the beginning. I think all the elements of a true classic are there and it is unfortunate in some ways that we need to drop in to the story in the middle. It's managed beautifully and it was very satisfying for me and I only hope that first-timers connect quickly to the cast of characters because the story is full on right from the beginning. To answer the question of this post, as a movie I'd rate it far above any of the recent sci-fi outings with the exception of the first Matrix. It's definitly worth multiple viewing.

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 8:53 PM

MURMURER

This post may come across as more critical than I mean it to, so let me start by saying that Serenity had more emotional impact on me than any film I can remember. I love Joss Whedon's voice, his characters, and his worlds with an obsessive fervor. But here I'm going to try to step away from the position of adoring fan and attempt a little objectivity (if such a thing is even possible in art, which is at all times subjective).

I haven't seen Star Wars and Raiders in a long time, too long to know how I'd feel about them today.

Blade Runner is a classic, a visual masterpiece. Very few films have come close on the level of design and cinematography. But as the film's strengths are mainly visual, it works in an entirely different way than Serenity, whose strengths are much more rooted in character and dramatic impact.

Visually, I'd say that Blade Runner is superior. Serenity, however, holds its own. It is by no means an ugly film (except, of course, in the ways intended by Joss). When it comes to other aspects, I'd lean toward Serenity (acting, script, etc).

I've become a huge fan of the new Battlestar Galactica series. BG owes a great debt to Firefly - I'd even consider it an offspring of sorts, at least when it comes to gritty realism in sci-fi. So when I say that I rate BG slightly higher than Serenity, keep in mind that I believe BG wouldn't even exist in its current form without the groundbreaking work done on Firefly. Rating BG against the Firefly story as a whole, I'd lean toward Firefly.

Serenity tries its damnedest to exist as a stand-alone, but its real strengths lie in continuity with the series. BG, of course, has never had that particular hoop to jump through - so I suppose it isn't an entirely fair comparison.

[Edited to say: I suppose BG could have tried harder to appeal to fans of its original incarnation, but it didn't. Some might claim that the new BG went so far as to slap those original fans in the face. As I've never seen the original, this wasn't an issue for me.]

Another issue - BG (so far) has managed to establish an amazingly detailed (albeit well-confined) universe in about one and a half seasons. By this I mean not only the setting but the explanation and follow-through on every major plot point, character, etc. Serenity's plot has a few gaps that are a bit larger than I'm comfortable with. Unfortunately, further discussion requires spoilers, so I'll stop there.

Again, we're comparing apples and oranges (or maybe even apples and ... antelope). A TV series and a film are two entirely different beasts. My main bias comes from the fact that BG continues to provide jaw-droppingly good entertainment week after week, whereas unfortunately, Serenity is only one film, and we won't see another one for at least a few more years. (This isn't at all a judgment on Firefly - I blame the FOX execs entirely for its cancellation.)

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Thursday, September 1, 2005 9:35 PM

THECRAZYIVAN

its hard to compare anything to Star Wars but if i had to this movie would be the one to do it.

Id say the same about Raiders of the Lost Arc.

As for the others.....i hadnt really watched em intently so id say Serenity the whole way!

ITS A GOOD MOVIE NO WORRIES!

~~~~~~~~~~
Take me out to the black.....

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Friday, September 2, 2005 10:51 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:

You know, at the risk of being hunted down and shot at (a lot) I've never really liked ANY of the movies you've just listed.

How could you not like Blade Runner? It has this great message about acceptance, and the humanity in us all...

You must be killed.

Kidding Chrisisall

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Friday, September 2, 2005 6:03 PM

LOCKESCYTHE

I didn't like bladerunner cause I read the book first.

And the book made the movie seem like a bad joke.

A really bad joke that was a AWFUL movie.

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 3:17 AM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

I'll side with Chrisisall on Blade Runner. It is a much better movie than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a book. I've gone on record in my Philip K. Dick article - http://templetongate.tripod.com/dick.htm - and my Blade Runner review - http://templetongate.tripod.com/bladerunner.htm - to say that Dick is the foremost "idea man" in all of SF, but his prose style left a lot to be desired.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 4:29 AM

FRUNK

Quote:
I didn't like bladerunner cause I read the book first.

And the book made the movie seem like a bad joke.

A really bad joke that was a AWFUL movie.

Are you referring to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, or Blade Runner: A Movie? DADoES was the source for the movie Blade Runner, but BR:aM has nothing to do with the actual movie except the title.

Confused?

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 7:32 AM

CHRISISALL

Whoah, you ARE a Blade Runner FAN!

I didn't know if I could play Chrisisall

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 10:33 AM

THRAWN

Quote:
Originally posted by nosadseven:
I wouldn't describe Serenity as a movie that stands up to repeated viewings so much as a movie that demands repeated viewings. It is just... so much, and so unrelenting. I have never left a movie feeling so physically and emotionally affected before. Granted, I have never had so much personally invested in a movie before either, but still.

Even though Serenity demands to be seen again, I, for one, was not ready to see it again right away. It took me a while to process it all. I think the first weekend might need to depend more on Universal's promotion (as opposed to our own repeated viewings) than alot of Browncoats think. Browncoats who haven't had the opportunity to experience Serenity in advance may underestimate the power this movie can hold over them. Second weekend, though, that's all ours.

Needless to say, I, too, am having difficulty relating this movie to any others I've liked. It's just...more.

These are my thoughts exactly.

I can't compare it, because to me Serenity isn't a movie. It's the only movie I've ever seen that's managed to become more a part of me than a piece of entertainment, and that was true the instant the final scene ended.

If you don't have the emotional investment, if it is just a movie to you, I honestly don't know how it would rate compared to other things. I think Blade Runner is more artistically interesting, probably, Star Wars is more epic, probably, and I don't know there might be plot holes or something, but for me having seen the show the movie was a fulfillment and a journey and something much more than just a film. Which I suppose makes it my favorite film of all time, but probably not in the sense you're asking, Chrisisall.

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 4:33 PM

LOCKESCYTHE

yeah I mean I watched bladerunner after reading DADoES and considered Bladerunner a complete POS.

Loved DADoES though.

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Saturday, September 3, 2005 7:24 PM

CAPTAINREYNOLDS42

Quote:
Originally posted by Lockescythe:
yeah I mean I watched bladerunner after reading DADoES and considered Bladerunner a complete POS.

Blade runner a POS? Have u taken leave of your gorram senses. Blade runner is a sci-fi classic, like Lensman or Ringworld.

What I really wanna know is how serenity compares to one of the greatest films of all time, I am of course speakin of Roger corman's epic film "rock n roll highschool"

If someone tries to kill you, you try to kill em right back

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