I liked it, Whedon made some choices that will probably irritate some, but I gotta give him credit for not making a predictable movie.

Some beautiful shots of Serenity, great special effects, and excellent acting by the original cast. The guy that played the villian was a great bad guy.

Personally, I thought it lost a little momentum toward the end, though again I give Whedon points for being unpredictable. I just knew the bad guy was gonna get eaten by the Reavers, I'm still not sure that wouldn't have been better than having him flip sides.

Ok, the deaths. I'm surprised they remained secret this long. The first one didn't particularly surprise me and seemed formulaic, the last one caught me completely off guard and was pretty effective.

All in all, it was better than I expected.

Mal did better then kill the guy. He took away his perfect world. He no longer believes what he is fighting for and has in fact turned his back to it.

The first time I saw it I was cursing at Joss. After thinking about it I liked it more and more. War is not simple and easy and people die.


Alex
Styrofoam Guy

It was definately nice to see Mal win a battle in his war after so many years.

Less overwhelmed than I thought I'd be. It moved a little slow towards the middle and I'm not sure non-Firefly fans would get the impact of the secret that they discover.

The second character death came not
only as a surprise but as a disappointment. I had
hoped this character-balanced crew would go on
to a sequel but without this one person, the ensemble
seems much weaker. And, OK, it was my favorite
character. The first death was not a surprise and,
frankly, the actor didn't look so well in the first place.

Otherwise, I liked it and I'll buy the DVD.

Jim

Loved it! Tho I'm with Jim in that I was upset - not exactly disappointed - in Whedon killing off Wash. He was my favorite character who probably had the most growth throughout the series. He went from "I'm just the guy who flies the ship" to "I'm not only the guy who flies the ship, but might become nearly as good a fighter as my wife. Well, I'm learning how to handle a gun better all the time and can even shoot bad guys and hit them!

"Well, I'll let my wife win an occasional family fight."

Really gonna miss seeing Alan Tudyk on the show. He really brought that character to life, man. So much potential for some great stories down the line and now it's gone. I had thought I'd read a rumor that it was Zoe that died and was saddened, but was thinking that it would give Wash a reason to become a bit more stoic and hard-nosed.

Oh, well.

Great movie and am gonna try and drag my family to see it sometime this weekend, if at all possible.

Knowing Joss and what he has done in the past, Wash and Book will be in the sequels. And it will not be cheesy.

How he will do it I have no idea but it will be brilliant. I was also upset about the deaths but I trust in Joss.


Alex
Styrofoam Guy

It was everything I had hoped for and more.
The only time it came close to dragging for me was after River's fight in the bar. When she was locked up on the shop, and her brother was talking to her. That scene seemed a bit slow and useless to me.
The rest was awesome.
That huge space battle was pure eye candy and sensory overload.
My daughter and I have been quoting lines from the movie all day today.

As to the deaths, I agree with what has been written.
The first was not unexpected or all that hard to take.
The second was tragic, sudden, and a complete surprise.
As to sequels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And knowing how Joss works, death is not always the final chapter in a characters story.

I think Wash's death was actually necessary dramatically. When the crew is taking its stand against the Reavers, we would assume they'd all come out all right if we hadn't already seen a beloved character suddenly and cruelly killed. I fully expected someone else to die. I wasn't even sure if Mal would get out alive.

During Buffy it was the only TV show that I never knew if a main character would die or not. A sharp contrast to Star Trek where you know the main characters will live no matter how bad it gets. If someone dies it is into time travels and stuff and there is a happy enging.

Thought Zoe bought it with the cut in the back. Thought Kaylee was gone with the darts. Thought Simon was gone with the gut shot.

So yes I agree the Wash death gives the rest of the movie more of an edge.

I like the movie and I agree with everyone here about the deaths. Unlike any of the Trek films it was nice to see something where you were not sure if even the main character would survive. I liked the whole Reaver thing, the explaination in the series never made sense to me, plus did everybody notice the cool Classic Sci-Fi reference? Research and Rescue ship C-57-D!!!

Did anybody else notice the better explaination of what happened to "The Earth-That-Was" and how they created the 40 plus planets and moons of their star system?


Faster than light travel is not included.

Just got back. Loved it! A VERY good sci fi actioner with a good sense of humor. Maybe a bit too much action and not enough humor, but maybe Joss was playing to the average audience.

Wash was my wife's favorite character too. She's pissed.

My wife's quote:


It was great until it I hated it, and then it was good again

I think Wash was growing on her ;)

I was upset about the deaths. I like the whole crew, now it feels empty. Otherwise, It was a really good movie. THe humor was there, and the action put me on the edge of my see. Really! Going through the Reavers was a very scary. I was panicking!

So I think for Joss did right for the most part for us fans. And, yes I noticed right away, C57-D. Nice touch.

The only reference missing was Robby the Robot! :jest:

The rescue ship C57D on the forbidden planet where the monsters of the id were well and truly released.
Nuggets of joy for the SciFi fan! :hat:

-Leelan

I see it made around 10 million, so lets hope it keeps up decent numbers. We are going next week to see it, maybe even more then once.

Except for the Wash thing (which is right up there with a couple of rough TWIN PEAKS moments in terms of infuriating me), I thought the flick was well-nigh perfect, especially considering how many different criteria it had to measure up against, what with the tv history and feature demands.

It has only been a few hours since I saw it, but the Wash thing is seriously seriously messing with me. I really wonder if it was a studio imposed thing, to create some future dynamic of River/Mal as Kirk/Spock or Picard/Data. I can see no good dramatic reason for offing Wash, except to put the fear of god into folks that everybody would end up croaked.

A couple too-close shots of SERENITY (the first one in particular) were way too CG for my taste, but overall I found it to be very sound solid filmmaking. Whedon had to do one of those 'I'm a director' things up front with a five minute take showing off all of the ship interior, but it was not masturbatory filmmaking, just a good way to show how things related. I noticed lots of little bits that probably have their basis in other genre films, but the main thing is that this is what trek's FIRST CONTACT film should have felt like.

After Wash's death, I really wasn't certain that the rest of the crew would be "safe". Like when most regulers of a series get in trouble, you know their going to be alright. After Wash, I was not at all sure the rest of the crew would still be breathing at the end of the movie. Had Wash not died, I would've been certain that the same formula would be in effect for Serenity. <i.e. bring them to the brink of death, and pull them back at the last possible second.>

I am glad that Inara seems to want to be back aboard Serenity........

Inara...Kaylee...... ohh I'm going to the special hell.

Inara...Kaylee...... ohh I'm going to the special hell.

I think I'm headed there first. :freak:

If they HAD to off Wash, I think it should have been when the Reavers were breaking through. His wife could have shot him, so you'd have nice symmetry from the beginning with Mal drilling the Reaver-target, something she chews him out for later. But I'd've hated it no matter when it happened, this is going to really make WAR STORIES and the SERENITY pilot (playing with dinos) hard to watch.

I didn't like that he died either, but I have to give credit to Joss.
He has never been afraid to take out a main character.
I was shocked at the abrubtness of it though. That was the most disconcerting thing about it. One minute, relief that they survived, the next, he's gone. (kinda like the final ep of NCIS last season)
And I agree, his death let everyone in the theater know that anyone else could be next. That's why it had to be before the big fight scene with the reavers. So people would be thinking that at any moment, someone else could be next.

Partly I think Wash was killed exactly to set up the huge battle at the end with practically everyone wiped out; pretty much expected someone else to go in a brutal way, and nearly half the crew came THAT close. The other part, Wash was Serenity's Tara - the plot of the movie felt like an entire second-year story arc of Firefly (and probaly was), and his death has already set things in motion for a sequel.

(How many of you caught the Forbidden Planet touch of River becoming ship's pilot in the same way that Robby ended up behind the controls of the C-57D?)

I think I'm headed there first. :freak:

Nope, I was headed there when saw the pilot....You know the scene: Kaylee eating a strawberry:p

Nope, I was headed there when saw the pilot....You know the scene: Kaylee eating a strawberry:p

I don't know...she had me from her first moment on-screen in "The Train Job."

Clearly we're going to need a Inara/Kaylee thread to go with the Ginger/MaryAnn one. Kaylee/MaryAnn all the way for me (though the faux Mrs Reynolds was pretty hot too.)

I'm only leaving Mrs Wash out of the equation because she is a recent widow.

I don't know...she had me from her first moment on-screen in "The Train Job."


I guess you are the first arrival then ;)

Put me in for Kaylee/Maryann as well :)

Well, as much as I'm a Mary-Anne-preferring guy, I'll take Inara over Kaylee. Nothing against our Miss Frye - she's cute as a bug and a real sweetie, but - holy crap, look at Inara!! :eek:

In a beauty pagent, Inara wins. Kaylee is just more my type.

I'm thinking foursome.
;)

I'm thinking foursome.
;)

Just finishing watching NIP/TUCK?

Seems like they ran out of writing and are just relying on sensationalism this season.

Inara, definitely can't be compared to Ginger.

As for Serenity, amazing. Want to go see it next week, again. I prefer films the second time round. This one has to be at the theater.

(How many of you caught the Forbidden Planet touch of River becoming ship's pilot in the same way that Robby ended up behind the controls of the C-57D?) - Orne

That one I missed. :rolleyes:

I did catch the C57D on a rescue mission to the forbidden planet where the monster from the id really did kill everone.

What really pleased me about them was the quiet sublety in the delivery of these in-jokes.
Nothing really called your attention to them.
Joss didn't waste screen time shouting about how clever he was.
He just put it up there for us SciFi geeks. :hat:

Very cool!
-Leelan

I didn't get the "forbidden planet" and "monsters from the Id" until I thought about the movie for a while - but I noticed the C57-D logos immediately. The River/Robby comparison is a nice touch, too.

I'm thinking foursome.
;)

I'm dismayed that no one responded with, "I'll be in my bunk."
What kinda Firefly fans are you?!

Actually, the whole Miranda story is based on an old Jewish folk tale. I remember hearing someone talk about it on the radio several years ago, claiming that the STAR TREK episode "The Enemy Within" was also based on it. The story was about how a village was able to capture and imprison their "dark side." The next morning, no stores opened for business, no one showed up for work, no one bothered to prepare meals. Without our selfish impulses to get ahead, we have no motivation to do anything.

2 words : LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! :D

The death of wash totally caught me off guard. Hated to see Book die as well, but I can see that as the crucial trigger to set Mal into action against the Alliance. I was surprised to see no reference to the Blue Gloves either.. they seemed an integral part of the series, but alas, time will tell.. let's hope for more sequels! My kids and I saw it tonight and we all agree that The Operative will at some point join the crew.
Serenity herself was beefed up also. I noticed the larger landing feet right off and it looked the the bridge had some updates as well. In short, Loved it, will see it again and a definite 'must have' DVD.

"Firefly" fans were quick to embrace "Serenity" at the box office (big surprise there), but the general audience has stayed away in droves. The film came in 9th place this weekend, for a two week total of approx. $15 million. So much for becoming a sleeper hit. :rolleyes: Fortunately for Universal it cost next to nothing to make.

I saw it this afternoon and the theater was half full, suprising for a Sunday afternoon.
I really liked it, I wasn't "into" the TV show, but I watched some episodes from the marathon to kind of get up to speed. Very clever writing.

"Firefly" fans were quick to embrace "Serenity" at the box office (big surprise there), but the general audience has stayed away in droves. The film came in 9th place this weekend, for a two week total of approx. $15 million. So much for becoming a sleeper hit. :rolleyes: Fortunately for Universal it cost next to nothing to make.

If DVD sales of the series are any indication, the film will make plently of cash when it comes out on disk. Got my fingers crossed that Universal greenlights a second film.

Hey, if Deuce Bigelow can spawn a sequel, anything can.

:rolleyes: Fortunately for Universal it cost next to nothing to make.

The figure I've consistently seen reported on various sites is $40 million. That's certainly low for a effects laden sci-fi film but is no small amount for a film that, I'm sorry to say, really is tanking.

Sci fi fans (of which I obviously include myself) tend to live in an insular world. We always seem to use the phrase, "Everybody loves [fill in your favorite show]". Of course, the general population DOESN'T always love our favorite show.

It's easy to believe that the series was cancelled because Fox screwed up, Fox didn't promote it, Fox showed it in the wrong order or pick the cause of your choice. Sometimes shows get cancelled because people just don't find it interesting enough to watch. And movies fail at the box office for the same reason.

The marketing campaign (or lack thereof) isn't helping. The first TV spot I've seen off of Sci-fi was during a baseball game a few days back.

And I'm not too concerned about the drop-off...yet. A lot of "sleeper" type movies take a while to get going. The friday edition of my campus newspaper had a glowing review of the movie (4.5 out of 5 stars) - and this from a non-Firefly fan who is not at all generous with his reviews. 3.5-4 stars is just about the best I've ever seen from his column, and that was a while back. I wouldn't be surprised to see an uptick this coming week - I'm going back, and I never see a movie again in the theatre.

[QUOTE=spe130I wouldn't be surprised to see an uptick this coming week[/QUOTE]


Dream on.

"Serenity" lost over half its audience this weekend, and while it will eventually turn a small profit you can expect it to disappear from theaters real soon.

Blame the marketeers if you like (everybody else does) but the fact is "Serenity" has ZERO cross-over appeal -- which is probably a good thing in that a more General Audience-friendly feature would no doubt have disappointed devoted "Firefly" fans.

By the way, the reason you didn't see a lot of TV spots on Sci-Fi is because that network's audience was already sold on the product.

MIRANDA!!! I just got it! :lol:

Everybody has been noticing the "Serenity" and "Forbidden Planet" connections - C57D, a forbidden planet, monsters released from the id and River flying the ship at the end of the movie.

But I just got the signifigance of the name of the forbidden planet, Miranda.

The movie "Forbidden Planet" is an obvious SciFi translation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
Walter Pidgeon plays the Prospero part. Anne Francis as his daughter, Altaira, who has never seen any men other than her father. But in Shakespeare's play the daughter is named Miranda.
Very subtle!

Would Joss Whedon happen to be an English major by any chance? :p

-Leelan

P.S. I am also disappointed by the underwhelming box office. I have told everyone I know to see it. I have seen it three times myself and the audiences have been very receptive if not overly large. I think there were thirty of us at one showing. But I only see matinees with my work schedule.

Have you seen this shirt?

http://www.thinkgeek.com/pvp/swag/77da/

JOSS WHEDON IS MY MASTER NOW.

Seeing as how SERENITY has done everything we wanted StarWars to do
- AND underbudget! - I think this is very appropriate.

-Leelan

Well, the wife and I enjoyed it. I, too, was bummed about Wash (and, for that matter, Shepherd Book). The whole movie came across darker than the series.

I did enjoy the camera movement through the ship; it gave a better feel for the layout of Serenity.

And as far as Kaylee or Inara? My answer is "Yes!"

By the way, the reason you didn't see a lot of TV spots on Sci-Fi is because that network's audience was already sold on the product.

Actually, most of the spots I've seen were on Sci-Fi. The ones I've seen on other channels have all been post-release.

Before release, I saw spots on SciFi, Fox (irony!!) and CBS (during CSI!)

The biggest limiting factor around here is that no theaters are showing it!
There are a total of 2 places showing it in about a 40 mile radius around me (and neither of them are at the malls).
I managed to make the drive opening day, but I haven't been able to get that far out since then.
If it were showing locally, I would be close to a dozen times by now.
My daughter's friends all want to see it, but their parents don't want to take them that far to see a movie. They were all hoping it would show in town. They had plans of going up together as a group of 20-30 to see it.
I was hoping maybe a few more places would get the second week, but that didn't happen either.

Serenity will be on DVD 12/20/05!!!! Can't wait!!