Your First Time on Serenity *Spoilers* by HazelRah

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Your First Time on Serenity *Spoilers*

POSTED BY: HAZELRAH
UPDATED: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 07:08
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VIEWED: 1239
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005 9:40 PM

Again...SPOILERS to follow....
Greetings.and.....OMFG!!!!!!!
Just got back from my Serenity sneak preview viewing experience......and ...*shaking with giddy glee*......WOW........the goosebumps have yet to diminish.The adreniline is still flowing and this is hours after the last reel ran thru the projector.To put it one way, TAKE THAT GEORGE LUCAS, This is how its done!
Diehard Fan here,first time poster,converted my share of Browncoats who in turn have converted others.I took a newbie who had only seen a few episodes and she loved the movie as well ,even without being privy to the whole story so far.
I thought it would be interesting to hear the first time reactions from fellow admirers after they have finally been able to see the film.What did you think and what do you think will happen next???
I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end, and its been ages since I've felt that way about a movie. Even my personal nitpicks are minimal.I tried hard to avoid knowing anything about this movie before going in so as to retain all of its joyous surprises.The only aspect I was exposed to was the movie trailer,which thankfully has been everywhere prominantly getting the word out.
I absolutely love how Joss handled the exposition in this movie.It worried me as to how they would fill in the uninformed masses on some of the background.I had imagined that most of the first half hour of the movie might have been a dreadful retreading of sorts of the previous storylines/history.(Train Job taught them well)Thankfully he did us proud by keeping it fresh and interesting to those of us in the know,even showing us something new,as well as conveying pertinant information.I loved how the movie begins like a cliche from many a movie before as if someone is filling us in on what happened-"last time on Firefly".And then suddenly were shown this is all taking place in Rivers classroom in the past, and just as we settle into that scene were suddenly in Rivers future and from that into the present.The transitions are perfect in their timing and before it becomes too overused,Joss stops and the present story continues.This is storytelling at its most artistic.
Ok,So needless to say,I was shocked by Wash's fate,though oddly,not wholeheartly surprised.Books,I expected.Because of his last line in the series told unconsciously to River,I had imagined that it was to be at the hand of River.I had built up this whole scenario of River taking Books life by her own hands under the influence of the Hands of Blue.(which btw,where are they??Hmm saving something for the sequel are we,Joss??)But Wash...woah.Now whose going to play with the dinosaurs?*sniff sniff*.Dramatically this was a stunner,but makes sense.Adding mucho power to the final scenes.For a few seconds,with EVERYONE getting seriously wounded left n right,even poor Serenity gets her ass whooped,and good,I thought for sure more would die, including Mal.Knowing full well Joss has no problem killing off beloved characters for good drama and having seen him do just that with Wash,I thought,hmm it could happen.In hindsight, I actually think Joss showed restraint in this matter.(However,I was ready to track down and torture Joss in the manner of a Reaver if he killed Kaylee-I kid,I kid)
Both Book and Washs death make sense storywise to me. Book really served no purpose other than being an intriguing character with a past. No one on the ship was looking for religion,faith or redemption.Sure he was a mystery,and one that may get explored even still in a sequel.Whose to say his death wont have ramifications for our BDH's futures.But he had no real connection with other characters other than his personal conflict with their behavior and his involvement.He even left the ship to preach before the movies storyline. I do like that he was given the death scene speech,so to speak,that happens in movies when a character dies and not Wash.The movie takes a moment and lets Book die, and we can mourn, but when Wash's moment happens, it just happens and we cant linger and stop the story as our heroes are in the middle of fighting a battle.Good storytelling,give us a moment to mourn early,than take that moment away later.I love that Zoey goes straight into warrior mode.Much as I imagine it is in real fighting, you check to make sure your compatriot is dead and then its back to business at hand,mourning comes later.If there is a sequel, I picture Zoey reaching all kinds of dark and broodyness, much like we see Mal achieve in this movie.While Mal will most likely change in mood for the better with Inara back home on Serenity, Zoey will counterbalance this and grow darker without Wash's light.And theres no telling how this would effect the lives of the others(unless she developes a regiment of beating the crap out of Jane on a daily basis to work thru here feelings).
Wash's death came at the right moment as well, after he astoundingly flew Serenity thru the Reavers vs Alliance battle without our heroes receiving serious harm.It makes sense that in a battle there are serious casualties,how often does this happen in movies,anyway??Bravo Joss for not pulling a punch.
Ahh River.....so shes somewhat better now that she knows where all the voices were coming from?!! I hope that the experiences of this movie have released her from some of her madness. Her odd yet on topic ramblings were tiresome at times.And as anyone who has ever lived with a person of mental instability knows, its no fun day after day after day after....Eventually her overt madness would just become annoying to watch.Now that she's set up as Wash's pilot replacement,River is officially part of the Serenity crew with a place and purpose on the ship.And not a bad place for her to be since she could easily read the intentions of any other ships pilot she comes across,flying circles around them, literally.
Hmmm the Reavers are victims of the Alliance meddling too??Personnally I thought it was nice touch that Joss turned the Reavers from simply cannibals in the sky to monsters with a place in the overall story.Incorporating Reavers into the grand scheme of things was a nice twist other than just using them as a simple scare tactic. True, in the beginning of the movie, we are treated to a basic Reaver scare, but as the story unfolds our perspective on them changes. You could almost say Joss tried to make us sympathetic toward them,even while they were biting to eat us alive.No filler in this movie.
I'm glad that one of our romantically developing couples FINALLY got to the point of speaking thier peace and getting a piece as well, in the end.And Im so glad that there wasnt some overlydramatic Inara/Mal kiss.They arent at that point,yet...but the sequels fair game.
The music. Well heres my one nitpick with the movie. I'm dissapointed that the music from the series was not part of the movie. The music gave a nice atmospheric element to the series that is missing from the movie.Honestly I dont recall anything about the music from the movie.True, a good soundtrack doesnt interfere with the enjoyment of a movie by being too noticable, but this music seemed so innocuous as to not even be there.Maybe ill give it a better ear the second time thru, but my initial impression was one of dissapointment.(though that wont stop me from buying a copy,gotta support this movie in all fashions,lol.)
Im glad that the western tone of dialogue wasnt watered down.I had fears that studio heads might have pushed for less of this type of talking.
Anyone else notice the "RED BUTTON" was in the movie. Granted it moved from the ships deck to a door mechanism, but there it was nonetheless.Its the little things that can make one smile even in the middle of a horrible event like watching your beloved characters almost get slaughtered Ok, enough babbling, Im looking forward to hearing the impressions of all of those who get to see the movie this weekend for the very first time. Cant stop the signal!!!!

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Tuesday, September 27, 2005 10:15 PM

RIVERBIRCH

I loved the movie as well!

So we never learned in the comics what Book's big secret was? He seemed so warm in the series but "colder" in the movie. Anyone know why Ron declined a larger part? What about Mark S? I missed Badger.

I am a leaf on the wind

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Wednesday, September 28, 2005 7:08 AM

JEFF179

Just saw a sneak preview last night here in Orlando. Sorry if this review/summary comes off as fanboy-ish, but I was utterly impressed, and found little to fault with the film.

Wow.

I’m trying to think of accurate words to describe my experience watching Serenity, but the main thing that keeps popping up is WOW. I even had trouble sleeping last night, as my mind kept spinning, with the wheels of thought-provoking imagination constantly turning over what Joss and this truly outstanding cast has accomplished.

This may be long, so be forewarned. I’m just going to ramble here for a bit, and as I've posted this in a few places it won't be too spoilery – no specifics – but some concepts or ideas may fall out of my brain here.

Prior to watching, I’ve read some of the non-spoilery reviews by both Firefly fans and non-fans alike, who spoke about the quality of the film – ranging from mildly surprised and entertained, to the all-out gushing and falling all over themselves with praise, with some grumbling over details mixed in.

I definitely find myself in the second group of supreme praise, but I don’t want to cheapen the phenomenon with "OMG! This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen! Joss is a GOD! I am going to DIE if I don’t see this again RIGHT NOW!!!” Believe me, those sentiments are very much present in many of the people I saw this with last night, but for me, the gravity of the content, and what it means for these characters we have come to know and adore over the series Firefly, is something that is hard to verbally do justice. I can say that this IS one of the best films I have ever seen. Not just sci-fi or action. One of the best FILMS. Period.

First of all, the entire night was kind of surreal, as I wasn’t sure if I’d even make it into the show. I arrived at the theater – one I had never been to, and is apparently an independent under fairly new management the last couple of months – shortly after 6:00, well ahead of the 7:30 start time. All I knew was that my name, along with 30 or so others, was on a list given by Mike Case (evilmike here) to a Universal rep/P.R. spokesperson who was supposed to be there. I saw a fairly large group of people – at leat 50-60 people at this point – waiting in the roped-off hall, and wasn't sure if that was the right place to be. I told one of the mangers of my online group’s admission "arrangement", and she looked at me like I had two heads, and said everyone in that line had a "hard ticket", apparently part of promos Universal had arranged with a local radio station and some businesses. I had no news of this, and felt pretty stupid showing up with nothing. At this point, I was moving into all sorts of uncomfortable-ness, thinking I may have been had.

A few minutes later, a couple of other guys showed up in the same situation, but actually brought a print out of the thread from this place, showing the "list" of names to be admitted to this Orlando showing. We brought this to the management’s attention, but were still rebuffed with no new knowledge. But at least I knew I wasn’t the only crazy person (or sucker, if you will). I had allies in my plight and concern. We all waited for another 10-15 minutes (nothing else we really could do), and finally, a woman showed up with a big binder and notepad, with a couple printed lists, and we saw her talking to the management staff. I guess the one manager remembered our disenfranchised group, and she came walking over to us, brandishing her magic list. My name was there. So were those of the other handful of Browncoats I was talking to. She was very nice, and explained the management just was never made aware of this P.R. arrangement, and that we should move the VERY FRONT of the line, into a separate waiting area to be seated (so as to not further anger those in that long-ish line who may have been there for a couple of hours already).

Long story somewhat short, I WAS THE FIRST PERSON INTO THE THEATER, and I got the exact middle seat that I wanted, with no one in front of me, able to kick back and put my feet up in the reclining stadium seats. I was feeling pretty pleased, and almost like I was sneakily getting away with something. Coincidentally, I ended up sitting next to a couple of the organizers of the Orlando Shindig this Friday, who had of course already seen the film twice. I was completely unspoiled though, so I was getting giddy. Then the radio station intern-lackeys asked some local sports/events questions/gave information, that no one really gave two cents about. The next guy, though, was a rep from Coliseum of Comics (the store where I have my subscription box, btw), and he was giving away stuff, so people perked up. I knew the answers to all the questions, of course (most were way too easy), but never got called on, even though I was dead-friggin’ center in his eyeline. Most of those prizes were store stuff anyway, so I wasn’t too peeved. The last prize though, was one of the officially licensed action figures, and the question was "Name three of the nine actors who play characters on the crew of Serenity". I just about jumped up from my seat, raising my hand, saying "YO! RIGHT HERE!" He had no choice but to call me, as I was easily first, and I got my prize – turned out to be 'Final Battle Mal', so that was cool. I got a few dirty, jealous looks, but the women and the guys next to me were happy for me, so I didn’t care.

Finally, after a few minutes of house light issues (they wouldn’t stay off), the film started about 5 minutes late. And I was enthralled for the next 2 hours. I swear to God. The setup is artfully done – a very nice recap for the Firefly fans, but also a superb succinct introduction into this ‘verse for the Firefly virgins. The average moviegoer can watch this film as a self-contained plot and be thoroughly entertained – as was proven by comments I heard from no less than 5 or 6 non-Firefly watchers after the film – and that’s just what I heard.

To me, the pacing of Serenity is spot-on, as the circumstances/relationships of each of the crew members are established, and the overall plot for the movie gets introduced. Again, to refrain from spoilage, I won’t give much away, but Joss’s ability to tie in what we should know about River and Simon, and their place among the rest of the crew, to the big, big mystery behind what really happened to River is just amazing. Some of the shooting of the sets and actors – with some hand-held/steady-cam – is reminiscent of the series, but with a harder, edgier tone. And the lighting of the characters/scenes marks the biggest differences between the show and this film, IMO. There is a blue-ish hue to many of the indoor scenes, and the contrasting of light and dark is stark at times. It makes for an impending-doom vibe that works well to establish the "here-and-now" immediacy of the danger all of these people are in. It’s hard to accurately explain, but you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see the film. And also, Joss makes damn good use of his less-than-$50-million budget. Some of the space flight/battle scenes are as good as anything to come out of Lucasfilm or ILM. There are less of them, naturally, but each one sure as hell counts. I was simply blown away by how integral to the story all the visual effects are. Nothing is wasted here just for "the pretty".

I’m not going to summarize the story or what happens to the characters, but I will definitely say that the outcome of this film will profoundly affect the way you view these characters, and reminisce upon Firefly as a series forever. There is almost a sort of paradigm-shift in the way these characters will view their world from now on, and how they will respond to the threats posed to them. Joss goes for the jugular as well as the heart-strings, and he succeeds wildly – more than I even suspected he might. There are moments that keep you on the edge of your seat with the action; moments that make you laugh out loud with the sharp wit and sarcasm that permeates all of Joss’s dialogue; moments that make you nervous with anticipation with "what the hell is gonna happen next?"; moments that will make you gasp and cringe with delight, surprise, shock and horror; and moments that will make you cry, with a feeling of your emotional center of gravity being completely ripped out of your chest, turned upside down, and stomped on a few times. At least, for the Firefly fans, I think this is how you may feel. Knowing these characters as well, as I do, I commend the confidence – and just plain balls – that Joss shows in where he chooses to take this story.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention that I cannot give enough credit to the cast. None of these players are major film stars, and few of them have ever even had much success on television. But you would never know it by the nuances shown here. There are steady progressions and evolutions that viewers of the series will be able to see in each of them. Their respective journeys on and off Serenity have culminated them all into the people we see here, and all of the roles are brought to the larger-than-life silver screen with heart, and a true emotional investment into what happens to each of them.

When Joss has said in interviews that this is the hardest thing he has ever had to write, I completely believe him. He is essentially condensing a couple of television seasons’ worth of story arcs into a jam-packed 2 hour feature. That kind of task is monumental, in order to satisfy the die-hard Firefly fans, while at the same time initiating a brand new audience, not getting them lost in this ‘verse in the process. For everything that he was able to accomplish on both of those fronts with Serenity, I think this is just about the best work – film or TV – that he has ever done.

I don’t know what else to say beyond going into specific plot details. I have tickets to see it three times Friday, and I will be ecstatic upon each viewing, I’m sure. I’ve also done my best to recruit fans into the series – or even to just take a chance and watch the film – prior to seeing it myself, and will continue to do so, especially now knowing how much the average, non-Firefly fan can still honestly appreciate Serenity.

I know the fans' reactions will be varied - some in praise, some dismayed - but I’m basically just still sunned with awe. I don’t know what else to say.

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