Serenity: Post-Movie Discussion (SPOILERS)

[Thermonuclearboy]

I'm catching Firefly in re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel, and I have to say, the more I watch the show, the less I like the movie. It took a while for the show to grow on me, but I do realize now that it's a pretty good show, with an interesting universe and well-realized characters. The movie pretty much ended the story, killing off a few good people and revealing some of the big mysteries that drove the plot. And worse, ended the story on a bit of a downer. I think I'm going to pretend the movie doesn't exist, and that Wash is still flying Serenity somewhere out there in the black.

Mind you, the movie did have tiny little Summer Glau kicking huge amounts of ass, which was cool and oddly sexy...

[Shep'sSocks]

I think that it's impossible for a crew like that to always remain intact if they're always in dangerous situations. The death of Wash and Book made it real.

[Ascended Times.2]

Mind you, the movie did have tiny little Summer Glau kicking huge amounts of ass, which was cool and oddly sexy...

Glad i'm not the only who thought this...

Anyway, all in all, I quite loved the movie, i'd call it a classic, but I don't think enough people saw it...

[Shep'sSocks]

Got No. 38 in the ABC's 'My Favourite Film' list last night. The power of the Browncoats.

[Nathan]

So I'm the only one that disliked this movie then?

Someone mentioned Zoe in a dress. Which one was Zoe again?

[Shep'sSocks]

Nathan, have you seen Firefly?

[White Knight]

Got No. 38 in the ABC's 'My Favourite Film' list last night. The power of the Browncoats.

Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise.

[Ascended Times.2]

Really? Dang, I musta missed it...Oh well, hurrah!

And nathanus, I believe you may be...and Zoe was the woman with long black hair, the one who was sliced in the back and used the shotgun(s) mainly, she was also Wash' wife (Wash is the pilot who...*cringe* was killed by the harpoon)

[Shep'sSocks]

Really? Dang, I musta missed it...Oh well, hurrah!

I didn't see the thing on the ABC so I don't know if they showed any of it.

[Nathan]

Nathan, have you seen Firefly?

Firefly is Serentiy yes? I've seen the Serenity movie. Is that not what this thread is about?

And nathanus, I believe you may be...and Zoe was the woman with long black hair, the one who was sliced in the back and used the shotgun(s) mainly, she was also Wash' wife (Wash is the pilot who...*cringe* was killed by the harpoon)

Ah okay, yeah her.

[Shep'sSocks]

Firefly is Serentiy yes? I've seen the Serenity movie. Is that not what this thread is about?

No, have you seen the TV series Firefly, to which Serenity is a sequel.

[Nathan]

No, have you seen the TV series Firefly, to which Serenity is a sequel.

Nope never seen it

[Shep'sSocks]

Nope never seen it

Just wondered.

[Nathan]

Just wondered.

Care to elaborate?

[Shep'sSocks]

Care to elaborate?

Er, that was about it, really.

[Nathan]

Er, that was about it, really.

Right then, glad we got that all cleared up!

[Madeleine]

If you'd seen Firefly then it would be a fair assumption that you'd liked it or you'd not have bothered seeing Serenity. People who disliked the film aren't hard to find; for a lot it's just Not Their Thing, but actual Firefly Fans who dislike the film are rarer. It's interesting to hear from them why they disliked it, especially if their reason ISN'T that Wash died.

The most thought-provoking (JMO) comment from a browncoat who didn't like the film was that Firefly was all about the little people, doing their little things, running away when they had to and winning their tiny little battles when they got lucky or inspired. Serenity was about little people becoming big people in the big picture, and however briefly and unwillingly they became important it shifted the focus of the thing from what that particular fan had first fallen in love with.

I get that, but I think the story we were told had enough good stuff to more than compensate for the loss of the claustrophobic little picture that I also loved in Firefly.

[White Knight]

I'd say that Firefly and Serenity aren't too disimilar. Its still the same characters who, for the most part, are doing the same basic things. The only big differences are that their goal is grander (though not so grand in the scheme of things - all they did was what people do in newspapers every day) and their enemies are more dangerous (either 'cause they're new or 'cause they're a little closer).
The crew encountered Reavers in Firefly, its just that in the movie, they had to fight them rather than run. The crew tangled with the Alliance in Firefly (Serenity, The Train Job, Ariel, Trash), just not with someone so dangerous as the Operative. The crew believed in doing the right thing in the series (The Train Job, The Message), but doing the right thing was always a damn sight easier than sneaking and shooting Reavers, outsmarting the Alliance and fighting a guy dressed like who knows some Smackdown Fu.

[Easter Lily]

The most thought-provoking (JMO) comment from a browncoat who didn't like the film was that Firefly was all about the little people, doing their little things, running away when they had to and winning their tiny little battles when they got lucky or inspired. Serenity was about little people becoming big people in the big picture, and however briefly and unwillingly they became important it shifted the focus of the thing from what that particular fan had first fallen in love with.

While I see that where that browncoat is coming from (and would even agree with their analysis of the series), I would like to add that the big picture was always lurking in the background. For instance, the Blue Sun Corporation, and the government conspiracy to turn gifted children into psychic assassins was an ongoing arc crying out for resolution. Sooner or later things would have come to a head. To me that was always inevitable when one considers that River is an escaped fugitive being hunted down by agents of all descriptions. But the way the story began was also hinted that it wouldn't be long before Mal and the full force of the Alliance would come head to head.
On a more practical side: I think it suits the television format to have the little battles and little victories but the film was made for a wider audience not just people who have seen the television series so it had to bigger and more kickass. The believability of the little guy though came from Mal's spiral into darkness and his redemption.

Ultimately I think, it all depends whether the little differences or shocks are enough to put you off the film entirely.

[Hex.FTB.enabled]

I agree Easter Lily. I think if the series had continued this story still would have been told, with some obvious tweaks and a smaller budget. Prolly as a season finale. This is River's story, and the series had been building up to it anyway.