RE: by Cardie

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

RE:

POSTED BY: CARDIE
UPDATED: Saturday, October 1, 2005 03:04
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Saturday, October 1, 2005 2:44 AM

There were times I thought September 30 would never get here, and as I read reviews and saw clips there were times that I thought I wasn't going to like this film very much. Fortunately I was mistaken--I loved it!!! The whole cast got much more significant things to do than synopses indicated, and the character dynamics and evolution were fabulous. The only times my attention waned were during the obligatory ACTION! sequences, but these did not overwhelm the film as I feared. I did think too much piled up at the end, with showing the treacherous trip back through Reaver space, and then the siege at Mr. Universe's compound intercut with the overlong fight between Mal and the Operative intercut with river going all Buffy. But these are minor quibbles because the characters I loved were present and accounted for, the dialogue was pure Joss, and the story wrapped up a lot of mysteries from the tv show in an elegant way that made sense.

I had always believed that the Reavers were the result of defective Alliance human engineering and the minute the character of the Operative was mentioned, I figured that was what Book once was. While the latter point isn't spelled out unequivocally, it's certainly suggested by Book's knowledge of Operatives and the parallels between the two true believers. I'm sure that like this Operative, Book found out a similar horror about the cause he believed in and "disappeared."

I would hope Serenity puts Nathan Fillion on more casting directors' radar. He was totally convincing as a man who is sinking into siege mode, driving away friends and reverting to pure suvival instinct. I thought there was a hint that only Inara had kept him from that path before, and her absence let the darker Mal emerge. The Mal-Simon conflict worked much better than it did on the show. For the first time, Simon seemed a man, not a petulant boy. It's only when he picks up the fallen River, whom he would have shot had Simon not said the safe word, and she's a helpless child in his arms, that Mal the chivalrous soldier reappears and he's set out on the path to finally dealing a body blow to the Alliance.

And now, a list of favorite moments:

--the whole crew eavesdropping on the Mal-Inara exchange.

--the entire opening sequence with the embedded flashbacks and the Operative confronting the craven scientists, killing them, and asking the terrified assistant for secretarial help. (Eijofor is brilliant in the part; I wanted him to join the crew at the end.)

--Inara telling the Operative that an hour with Mal could shake his resolve never to give in to anger. (It also sets up Mal's victory being fueled by Wrath.)

--Kaylee shaking off resignation to death at the Reavers' hands when Simon affirms that he wishes he'd had sex with her.

--Nearly everything Jayne. Adam Baldwin is hysterical but also more heroic this go round.

--the John Ford funeral at the end, and Zoe in that knockout dress. I knew everyone who was going to die already, but I was crying like a baby.

--River's "It's my turn."

--the assertion by the Operative in the beginning and Mal at the end that love is the most powerful force in the 'verse.

As to the big spoilers: Book's death seemed to have a fitting closure to it, sad as I was to see him go, but Wash is another one of those arbitrary "life sucks" demises Joss loves but for me, not so much. Not sure that I buy River as our new pilot.

I'm not quite sure where sequels--if they are made--are going to take this story. I felt that Serenity was more than anything the two-hour series finale Firefly never had, and that can be enough for me if that's all there is. Now I just need to know Inara's big secret . . .

Cardie

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Saturday, October 1, 2005 3:03 AM

SHORNY

My favorite lines

Kaylee “been going on a year now been nothing ‘tween my legs weren’t run on batteries”

Mal “oh god I can’t know that”

Jayne “I could stand to hear more”

I’m sorry if I got the exact words wrong- I was too busy laughing.

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Saturday, October 1, 2005 3:04 AM

SHORNY

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