GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

It's almost four years now... when can we consider Serenity a CLASSIC already?

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Saturday, January 31, 2009 16:23
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:13 AM

CHRISISALL


My initial opinion has not changed since the day I saw it, and I gave it time.

Serenity is greatness.

This ain't the rush talkin'. It ain't the emotional flood of seein' my BDH's again. This is measured thought here...Serenity is among the best movies ever made.




The broken record Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:33 AM

BLUESUNCOMPANYMAN


Well, I answer this by saying that Serenity isn't the peak of greatness.

Firefly is.

Serenity was the by-product of a canceled show, and the need to suddenly compress 3-4 seasons of development into a little more than 2 hours. When I think about it all, Serenity always takes a backseat to the show, which right there makes it less-great.

I never felt that the movie betrayed me, like others did. But I will say that it exists as a shadow of what should have happened.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:39 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by bluesuncompanyman:

I never felt that the movie betrayed me, like others did. But I will say that it exists as a shadow of what should have happened.

Compressed, rich excellence escapes you, obviously.
It is what it is, and it is great.


The existential Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:52 AM

ECGORDON

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


I'm still not prepared to use the terms "great" or "brilliant" concerning Serenity. It is a very good film, well acted, photographed and edited (my highest accolades for that), but it's still just an action-oriented SF film that has too many cliches to consider it the pinnacle of film artistry. And I agree that the Firefly series is superior, in fact that the pilot episode "Serenity" is superior to the film Serenity.

Chris, we're well aware of your opinion. Creating yet another thread that says essentially the same thing your last one did is not going to sway opinions that are opposite.




wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 6:23 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:

Chris, we're well aware of your opinion. Creating yet another thread that says essentially the same thing your last one did is not going to sway opinions that are opposite.

Colour me a pro-Serenity troll then.
This movie speaks to me like no other, more intensely than the series, more intensely even than Blade Runner.

I understand that I am near alone in this opinion, yet I care not.

Be seeing you.


The #6 Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 6:53 AM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:
I'm still not prepared to use the terms "great" or "brilliant" concerning Serenity. It is a very good film, well acted, photographed and edited (my highest accolades for that), but it's still just an action-oriented SF film that has too many cliches to consider it the pinnacle of film artistry. And I agree that the Firefly series is superior, in fact that the pilot episode "Serenity" is superior to the film Serenity.



This is pretty much how I feel, though I may be a bit more pro-movie. But whereas Firefly was unique, Serenity was, though high-quality, one of dozens of scifi action flicks. I love it, and it's a classic to me, but I don't think it's really earned a spot on the official list, just yet.

And really, we're not exactly good judges here, being all Firefly freaks and such. Of course folks here are gonna love it (for the most part), so a question like this is preachin' to the choir.

At best, I'd say it's place is secured as a cult classic.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 7:26 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT


Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:
the pilot episode "Serenity" is superior to the film Serenity.




Exactly. The entire situation summed up so well, you could send it in a telegram. ( Anybody here remember telegrams? Base price covered 10 words. )

Or on a postcard . ( Come ta think of it, anybody remember POSTCARDS? ) Jeez, I'm gettin' to be an old guy.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 7:31 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

At best, I'd say it's place is secured as a cult classic.


I'll accept that because it excludes the somnambulant public.


The laughing Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 7:34 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

And really, we're not exactly good judges here, being all Firefly freaks and such.

I step outside of my fanishness for a moment to say that it is in the top ten to be sure.

*wakes up*

No, it's THE BEST!!!!!!


The obsessed Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 7:49 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST


Well there are some people who think Titanic is a classic, or American Pie, or even The Untouchables! So if those films are deemed classic then so be SERENITY. I named it such as the credits rolled way back in 2005.

What makes it a classic....? Buggered if I know. I just know that if I ever end up on some desert island with a convenient supply of electricity and a TV/DVD player - then I want that DVD player to have SERENITY in it's pouch waiting for me to press play/repeat.




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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:27 AM

TRAVELER


Well Serenity is was a classic on opening day.
Just as Firefly is a classic from its beginnings.

The proof is by how much attention it gets.

It will be hard to judge about the film standings in that it is following the great TV series that certainly gave it a good start.

It certainly will prove the test of time considering the amount of media a show like Firely, that only had ten episodes aired, has received.

I am sure Serenity will be popular for ages and this will grow as people discover it. I am not up on the DVD sales for either Firefly or Serenity, but if forums, like our own Fireflyfans, is any proof then I am sure the sales are high and will continue to grow.

So if you have not guessed yet; I consider Serenity a classic already.


http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:33 AM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by traveler:


The proof is by how much attention it gets.



By that measure, there's a whole lotta stuff that qualifies as "classic", so much so that it kinda devalues the title of classic.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:43 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)


Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
My initial opinion has not changed since the day I saw it, and I gave it time.

Serenity is greatness.

This ain't the rush talkin'. It ain't the emotional flood of seein' my BDH's again. This is measured thought here...Serenity is among the best movies ever made.




The broken record Chrisisall



Okay, off the cuff here, and I haven't had a chance to read any of the other replies, but here's mine:

Uhmmm... Chris? Buddy? Didn't you just have a thread about this very thing, like, two days ago? (I'm jes' funnin' ya, by the way!)

Here's my take, and it's going to be different than my take on whether Serenity is one of the greatest SCI-FI movies of all time. My feeling is, I'd rather watch Serenity than 2001: A Space Odyssey. Maybe it's because Serenity is fresher, and I haven't seen it as many times, but my feeling is that it's really just because Serenity is a whole helluva lot more fun to watch.
Sure, it doesn't have as heavy a message, and it doesn't beat you about the head and shoulders with its message and leave you sore and with a headache (actual AND existential, as it were). But it's a damned fun movie to watch.

The acting is better than Star Wars - any of them. The writing is better, too.

While Serenity might not be one of my top 3 sci-fi movies of all time, and might not be on my list of ten best movies of all time, it's still awfully high on my list of movies I really enjoy watching. I watched it again over New Year's holiday, and it hasn't diminished in its appeal. When I got my big honkin' flat-screen hi-def TV, what was the first thing I watched? Serenity, of course.

Other movies might have heavier messages, and very important things to say. Some might - *MIGHT* - have better effects and action. Some may have better acting. Few have a better story, or a better way of telling it, nor as much humor AND action AND drama, without any of it getting too damned preachy and out of hand.

Mike

"It is complete now; the hands of time are neatly tied."

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:47 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by Kwicko:
[
Uhmmm... Chris? Buddy? Didn't you just have a thread about this very thing, like, two days ago?

I'm makin' up for the two weeks I was gone


The prolific Chrisisall

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:28 AM

TRAVELER


That is true about a lot series and movies geting attention. It just seems with only ten episodes ever broadcast and how poorly the FOX network treated Firefly that its popularity grows. We continue to get new members here and the media still brings up something about this show.


http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:42 AM

JAYNEZTOWN


I don't really like Serenity, I would love it to be a great five star movie but it definitely loses at least a star for me

Joss made River into a Buffy the Reaver Slayer, now I dig the action and stuff but 70% the movie should not be all about River turning into some kickboxing barbie

The death of two main characters was just done a bit lame, only for the sake of shock value

Kaylee lost her innocence and charm, she was totally out of character for the whole movie

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:47 AM

BLUESUNCOMPANYMAN


Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:
The Firefly series is superior, in fact that the pilot episode "Serenity" is superior to the film.



Great obseration Ecgordon. I've never actually sat and thought how the film rates along side different episodes. Truely the greatest sci-fi episode I've ever beheld was Objects in Space. The pilot episode always rates 2nd in my mind. Both of these at 42 minutes (OIS) and 1hr 20min (pilot) are far superior to the movie.

How then can I rate the film as "Great"?

There are times when a profound sadness overcomes me. It always happens when I sit and think...truely think...about what SHOULD have been. Firefly was a rich and complex tale trying to reach up to the light of day, and it was killed. Nay, murdered. Later we adopted a step-child named "Serenity" that possessed some of the qualities we loved so much, but it was nevertheless, a shadow of it's slain predessor. Painful plot points of the film were certainly destined for canon in the series (Wash's fate) but this was to have happened over time and developed with care.

This is why I'm producing my fan film. I started a thread about it in Firefly-Immediate Assistance, and it stalled out at 17 responses. I believe in the orginial vision of Firefly so much I feel like I have to do something, anything, to clone that feeling which emerged from the series. My work isn't to profit, it's to ask Joss Whedon, in the form of a short-short, to continue the storytelling. Because frankly, I cannot rest on the heels of the film. I just can't.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 3:49 PM

CORNCOBB


I find myself in your corner once again, Chrisisall :)
Serenity was indeed a top-class flick. While I would have preferred 3 seasons of Firefly, I think Joss and our BDH did an incredible job of telling the story in a different format. Love our Big Damn Movie, definitely one of my favourite films ever, definitely a worthy follow-up to Firefly.



"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:58 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN


Quote:

Originally posted by bluesuncompanyman:
Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:
The Firefly series is superior, in fact that the pilot episode "Serenity" is superior to the film.



Great obseration Ecgordon. I've never actually sat and thought how the film rates along side different episodes. Truely the greatest sci-fi episode I've ever beheld was Objects in Space. The pilot episode always rates 2nd in my mind. Both of these at 42 minutes (OIS) and 1hr 20min (pilot) are far superior to the movie.

How then can I rate the film as "Great"?

There are times when a profound sadness overcomes me. It always happens when I sit and think...truely think...about what SHOULD have been. Firefly was a rich and complex tale trying to reach up to the light of day, and it was killed. Nay, murdered. Later we adopted a step-child named "Serenity" that possessed some of the qualities we loved so much, but it was nevertheless, a shadow of it's slain predessor. Painful plot points of the film were certainly destined for canon in the series (Wash's fate) but this was to have happened over time and developed with care.

This is why I'm producing my fan film. I started a thread about it in Firefly-Immediate Assistance, and it stalled out at 17 responses. I believe in the orginial vision of Firefly so much I feel like I have to do something, anything, to clone that feeling which emerged from the series. My work isn't to profit, it's to ask Joss Whedon, in the form of a short-short, to continue the storytelling. Because frankly, I cannot rest on the heels of the film. I just can't.


More of this at
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&T=34212

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Monday, January 26, 2009 6:34 AM

PENNAUSAMIKE


The BDM Serenity is a classic compared to other movies.
But it falls short of the series.
I saw the movie first and loved it...
...until I saw the series.
(I still like the movie OK, except the needless death of Wash, which I can't get over.)
Broken Down:
Music-the series
Props-the series
Costume Design-the series, except
Jayne's T-shirts-the BDM
Character Development-the series

My three areas where I prefer the series as superior are
Series Light vs. BDM Dark
Series Showing the gritty side of life vs. BDM Featuring the epic struggle
and
the BDM tried to Sci-Fi-ise the western elements to appeal to a mundane audience that failed to show anyway.

The movie tried to serve two masters and did a good job,
but the series is more true to the original vision and it shows.

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Saturday, January 31, 2009 11:23 AM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by pennausamike:
The BDM Serenity is a classic compared to other movies.
But it falls short of the series.

Never said the series wasn't superior in many ways, I was just comparing Serenity to all the other movies out there, of which only a few are as good or better.



The critical Chrisisall

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Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:15 PM

FREEBROWNCOAT


How ong was it after the first Star Trek that the sequels came out? I still am holding out, gloomily, the faint hope for more Firefly.

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Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:23 PM

CHRISISALL


Quote:

Originally posted by Freebrowncoat:
How ong was it after the first Star Trek that the sequels came out? I still am holding out, gloomily, the faint hope for more Firefly.

I'd like more too, but at roughly 15 hours of it, we got more Firefly than Lucas gave us Star Wars, there is some consolation in that, IMO.



The laughing Chrisisall

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