SerenityMovie.net

[jeremy]

A note regarding spoilers. Depending on your definition of spoilers, I consider this a spoiler free review. However if you consider general impression and details of my reaction a spoiler then don't read any further. For those that want to delve more into REAL spoiler territory I'm going to re-open the spoiler room shortly. But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't put any spoilers in the subject, as some people like to use the "View Posts Since Last Visit" feature, and that would bring up your spoiler subject names as well.

Sorry for the delay in posting this review. I've been away from the Internet, I stayed in Vegas for a couple of days after the screening and then I've been hanging with family all day today. Here goes:

But first a caveat, my anticipation and excitement regarding this movie was... how do I put it... obsessive. (Hence this website and forum). At this point, I'm still having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that the movie is now in my past -- that I've even seen it, as in past tense. As a result, much of my memory of the event is a bit foggy, the details even more so. You will probably find much more accurate and less fanboyish reviews elsewhere on the Internet - but what else did you expect from me?

Also, I'm no where near as eloquent nor as good at finding deeper meaning or symbolism in things as many of you are (yes I'm talking to you Companion Kate). But I'm happy to tell you what I thought on a superficial level.

The movie ROCKED!

In many ways it was everything I had hoped it would be and much much more, in other ways it fell a little short, but that is probably just a result of the aforementioned anticipation. I had built up a lot of theories and ideas about what the movie would be, and it of course didn't match exactly what I was expecting.

I'm not the type that tears up in movies easily, that moment in Braveheart when William Wallace saw his wife in the crowd just as the axe fell... that teared me up. As did Anya in the Buffy episode "The Body". That's about it... until now. I can honestly say that this movie brought me near or to tears at least twice. But unlike any other movie, it was also able to make me laugh before I even had a chance to realize I was tearing up. Powerful stuff.

Speaking of humor, Serenity has some of the best laughs since well... Firefly. I haven't laughed this much in a theater in years, yet the movie is by no means a comedy. Serenity is pure unadulterated action-drama. It has tragedy, it's meaningful, and is so action packed you won't have time to touch your popcorn. You'll just be gasping for air, seriously the movie is non-stop action beginning to end. This is where the movie really shines in comparison to the series. The budget obviously allowed Joss to do things he never would have been able to do in TV, it's actually hard to believe this is a $50 million movie. In less capable hands the movie would have cost at least three times that.

The FX in this movie were nothing short of amazing. Not the razor sharp, crispy clean, Star Wars/Trek FX, but rather nitty gritty, at times insanely chaotic FX that fit the movie perfectly. Speaking of FX, I know many fans are concerned about the issue of sound in space. Did Joss allow sound in space? I can't really answer that for sure, there were certainly scenes where there was no sound, but there were other scenes that appeared to be in space that had sound. However, those scenes may have taken place in the upper atmosphere of a planet, it was hard to tell. Either way, I think it worked out great. Nobody ever accused the Firefly verse of being hard science-fiction anyway.

In summary, I.Absolutely.Love.Serenity.

However, in an effort to not seem to fanboyish, I should point out that I don't think the movie was perfect. First and foremost the movie felt rushed. Especially when it came to character development. I wanted so much more detail, which obviously wasn't possible in the two hours allotted. But then again, I'm much more of a TV show fan than I am a movie fan, so seeing the movie only reinforced my desire to see this back on the small screen again some day. These stories need to have a chance to breathe, to be told in more detail and with more subtlety. Which brings me to my next concern - How available will the movie be to Firefly virgins? I think Joss did everything in his power to introduce nine characters plus a villain or two, make you care about them, add a mystery, some conflict and a big ending all in two hours. Frankly it was probably impossible to do more. Will newbies care about all nine characters? Probably not. Will they still have a rocking good time? Most definitely. Is the movie much more enjoyable if you've seen the TV show? Of course. In fact if you are planning to take a FF virgin, you should at least convince them to watch Firefly:Serenity and Out of Gas before going. It will increase their enjoyment dramatically. Lastly, needless to say, this show is a Joss show and he will always give you what the story needs, but not necessarily what you the viewer want. Do I agree with all of his decisions? Nope, but did it work on screen? I think so, but I'm pretty sure others will disagree.

The version I saw was not complete, much of the music was place-holder music, and a few of the FX were unfinished. And the color seemed way too dark and contrasty. I'm not sure if the color was intentional, to give it a gritty look or it just hasn't had it's final color correction pass, but either way, I didn't like it, especially in the first 3rd of the movie.

Without getting into spoiler territory, it's difficult to say much more. Again, I loved the movie, and I cannot wait to see it again... and again... and again.

Jeremy

PS No I did not see myself in the movie... DAMN! Joss if you are reading this, you remember that scene with the lizard thing in the cage? See the guy just past the cage with the tattoo on his head, talking to the hooker? Sneak that in for me would ya? Cool - thanks! Actually somebody else said they thought they saw the front of me, but they weren't sure... I think I need to go see it again, just to be sure.

[August 2005 update] I've now seen the movie 4 times including the final cut and I wanted to update a few of my comments above. As they have changed a bit with multiple viewings. The 4th time I saw the movie was at Comic-Con and it was the first time the final cut had ever been shown to a group. (Only two people, presumably Joss and the editor had seen that cut before us.)

Feeling rushed: The movie does go by fast, and if you don't pay attention you can and will miss important subtleties. Is it too rushed? Not really, other than the already mentioned short shrift that some of the characters get.

Music: This is a tough call for me. Having a real soundtrack is obviously better than a placeholder soundtrack. But to be totally honest, the music in the final cut felt too mainstream dramatic, and a bit over the top for the intimacy that is our little show - but then I guess this isn't our little show anymore. Personally, I preferred the style of music that Greg Edmonson gave to Firefly. The music in Serenity doesn't have that slightly quirky mix of western, world and orchestral that Firefly had. Is it a bad soundtrack? Not at all, I just don't think it matched the feel of the firefly 'verse as well as Greg's music did.

Color: The Comic-Con viewing was shown digitally, and this was my first in-theater digital experience, and it looked AMAZING! The dark and constrasy concerns I had were all color corrected away, and the movie was stunning in it's digital perfection.

Editing changes: I'm not quite sure if any of the scenes were shorter or longer in the final cut, but there were a couple of scenes that were "watered-down" slightly, presumably to get a PG-13. Nothing too dramatic, but where you previously saw a violent act, it looked like the camera zoomed in a bit on the shot so that it was mostly a reaction shot rather than seeing the actual "gore".

Overall experience: This movie really does get better with multiple viewings! The first time I was totally overwhelmed. The second and third times I was able to pick up on a lot of the details I missed, and the fourth time I was just able to let it flow. So don't just see this movie once, see it multiple times. Preferably all in the first 2 weeks. (You want sequels don't you?)

Jeremy

PS... I did see myself in the movie this time! I'm the blurry guy in the background.
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[Dane]

So if joss makes a second one you'll go see that as well?

I heard something that made me consider swearing him of forever.
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Screw that. Just nuke the site from orbit.

[anne_in_az]

[Dane]

So when Firefly gave me what I wanted, that was random chance. Oh well, time to find someone who will give me what I want then *sigh*
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Screw that. Just nuke the site from orbit.

[Duncan]

But the real question, Jeremy, is...

Did you leave Vegas richer or poorer?

[ryanflan]

Jeremy, I really appreciate the candor in your review. I think I'd go see this movie even if everyone around me told me it stunk to high heaven. But to hear that it's not going to be perfect sort of...grounds me.

I think if i went thinking it would be this colossal awsome thing my disappointment would be greater, you know what I mean?

From what I'm gathering the movie is going to be quite good, though! I can't wait!

Oh well. I really appreciate what you do with this Web site. It's well-balanced and you watch out for spoilery stuff quite well.

-ryaN

[jeremy]

[jeremy]

[jeremy]

[Asa]

[Dane]

[Cynewulf the Saxon]

Ummm . . . what are we talking about here? Why are we swearing off Joss forever?


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Official forum Purplebelly
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Wyrd oft nereth unfaegne eorl, thonne his ellen deah.

[bc2112]

Some folks are very upset over an event in the BDM. Over on the OB a few have gone over to the Alliance and are raising quite a rukus. Judging from those posts, they appear to be young small minded people without much life experience. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but if you read the thread you'll understand. SPOILERS IN THAT THREAD.
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Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings,
they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

[anne_in_az]

[anne_in_az]

[Dane]

[bc2112]

[bc2112]

[Dane]

So pejorative descriptions are not discussion. Check.
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Screw that. Just nuke the site from orbit.

[Cynewulf the Saxon]

So some people who saw the preview are a tad cranky about what they saw in the movie? Is that it? Or is it that some people are cranky about what some people said they saw in the movie?

What is the OB? I know what it is in RL.

And what's wrong with going over to the Alliance?

*folds arms and tries to glare*
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Official forum Purplebelly
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Wyrd oft nereth unfaegne eorl, thonne his ellen deah.

[Dane]

[bc2112]

[bc2112]

[Cynewulf the Saxon]

RL = Real Life

Good comeback, BTW.
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Official forum Purplebelly
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Wyrd oft nereth unfaegne eorl, thonne his ellen deah.

[bc2112]

Duh, I knew I'd be sorry.
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Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings,
they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

[Dane]

[Duncan]

[ecgordon]

I am still struggling to come to terms with Serenity myself, and I am neither young (54) nor small-minded. The only thing I will say is that while I enjoyed a great deal of it, and think that the majority of movie-goers will as well, Firefly fans or not, there were portions of it that were not what I was expecting nor what I wanted from the first adventures of our BDHs in 2 1/2 years. I also think that some rabid Whedonites are overly praising the film and are seemingly unaware of its few (minor) flaws.

And by the OB, in this isntance I believe the new official movie board at serenitymovie.com is the one meant, not the old OB powered by Prospero, which is still being maintained by FOX Home Entertainment. Over there they are extremely vigilant about spoiler warnings, whereas at the new site there are some who don't seem to care who they spoil.
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wo men ren ran zai fei xing

[bc2112]

Man am I starting to regret that post. Look folks, I’ve obviously offended several of you, and for that I sincerely apologize. It was not my intent. The comments I saw on the OB were claiming Joss has killed Firelfy, that that was his plan , he was finished with it, and they were no longer supporting it or Joss. I thought that was way out of line, so I fired back and the collateral damage may have cost me friends and potential friends. I don’t usually make a habit of criticizing other peoples opinions in such an offensive manner and this incident has been a painful reminder.

Peace
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Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings,
they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

[Cynewulf the Saxon]

Penance! We demand penance!

*smacks bc2112 with a wet trout*

There. That'll learn ya.
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Official forum Purplebelly
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Wyrd oft nereth unfaegne eorl, thonne his ellen deah.