Yeah, it's gonna be a rant, all good things about Firefly and Serenity, all bad things about the fact that I can't have more of both.
I never even heard of Firefly until Serenity came out. I went to see the movie because my sister, wise sci-fi fan that she is, needed a ride. Such a fantastic film! Never thought I'd come away that satisfied. The characters, the story, the images and dialogue stuck with me for days after, and I've been begging to go see it again ever since.
I've caught a few of the Firefly episodes and have gotten sucked in. I want more.
Unfortunately, I think that the very things I love about this show are the things that are keeping it from coming back on the air. Basically, it boils down to this: Firefly (and Serenity) are too intelligent.
Jos Wheden (Whedon?) has always written great dialogue. No exception here. The dialogue on Firefly is witty and always well-suited to the characters and the setting. But I think a lot of people can't follow it because it represents a culture so different from any in the English-speaking world today.
Also, I think the blend of genres has some viewers confused. It's not all that often that you see a sci-fi/western/samurai. Plus, these characters aren't exactly your typical space-heroes.
Mind you, I wouldn't change a thing. The very things that make this show inaccessible to some are what make it unique and fun to watch. To dumb it down just to catch an audience with a shorter attention-span and a narrower point of view would be a crime.
I could be proven wrong (it happens) about the potential this show has for reaching a broader audience. After all, I got hooked. If I am right, however, if we never see a massively sucessful movie series or a return of Firefly to our televisions, it will be because they were too well-written.
I never even heard of Firefly until Serenity came out. I went to see the movie because my sister, wise sci-fi fan that she is, needed a ride. Such a fantastic film! Never thought I'd come away that satisfied. The characters, the story, the images and dialogue stuck with me for days after, and I've been begging to go see it again ever since.
I've caught a few of the Firefly episodes and have gotten sucked in. I want more.
Unfortunately, I think that the very things I love about this show are the things that are keeping it from coming back on the air. Basically, it boils down to this: Firefly (and Serenity) are too intelligent.
Jos Wheden (Whedon?) has always written great dialogue. No exception here. The dialogue on Firefly is witty and always well-suited to the characters and the setting. But I think a lot of people can't follow it because it represents a culture so different from any in the English-speaking world today.
Also, I think the blend of genres has some viewers confused. It's not all that often that you see a sci-fi/western/samurai. Plus, these characters aren't exactly your typical space-heroes.
Mind you, I wouldn't change a thing. The very things that make this show inaccessible to some are what make it unique and fun to watch. To dumb it down just to catch an audience with a shorter attention-span and a narrower point of view would be a crime.
I could be proven wrong (it happens) about the potential this show has for reaching a broader audience. After all, I got hooked. If I am right, however, if we never see a massively sucessful movie series or a return of Firefly to our televisions, it will be because they were too well-written.
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