Serenity (2005)

[UnSub]

So I finally saw this, as someone who also watched the series long after it had been cancelled. I enjoyed it, but it was also pretty limited in some parts.

The main plot was well done (as I expected Whedon to do) and the villain was pretty good, but some of the dialogue clunked hard and I really felt the movie never got past being a superlong TV episode. As such, I'm really not surprised it didn't do well at the box office. Acting was a mixed bag too, but that could have been a result of dialogue and direction. On a personal note, I didn't ever really care about River (Summer Glau) and her plight in the TV series, so I didn't really care for it here.

Fun enough to watch but not one I'll probably buy.

[ghost]

Yeah,  I think you have to have a real soft spot in your heart for sci-fi for this one.  The empire agent and fillian were decent actors.  Without them the movie would have been much worse.

[Hawkbit]

I enjoyed the series and movie a bit more than you guys, but I'll agree that River's story could have been done without.  If they focused only on the post-war emotion of the losers it would have been enough for me. 

Cowboy motif in space is awesome.  Only problem now is that if it's ever done again it will seem like a ripoff. 

[Samwise]

I liked Serenity okay, but would have much rather had another season of the show, or even another few episodes.  I was also annoyed that it didn't tie up as many of the dangling questions from the show as I'd have liked.  Like, say, who and what the hell was Book before he became a shepherd?  And, you know, there was the killing off of maybe my two favorite characters.

Funnily enough, people who haven't seen the series first seem to like the movie better.

[Tannhauser]

Great movie, great TV show, would love to see more. 

[Samwise]

I think the aforementioned character killings pretty much preclude that.  I took those two deaths as Whedon saying "fuck you all, my show got canceled and these actors found other gigs, so now we can't have nice things, EVER.  Watch Dollhouse!"

[stray]

I enjoyed the series and movie a bit more than you guys, but I'll agree that River's story could have been done without.  If they focused only on the post-war emotion of the losers it would have been enough for me. 

Cowboy motif in space is awesome.  Only problem now is that if it's ever done again it will seem like a ripoff. 

Well, you could watch Cowboy Bebop and just call Firefly a ripoff too


Actually, Fox also is making the Bebop live action film, so I'm sure someone will end up calling that a ripoff.

[Merusk]

Actually, Fox also is making the Bebop live action film, so I'm sure someone will end up calling that a ripoff.

Wait.. what?   

I'm sure it'll be as great as the Dragonball movie.

[stray]

i doubt it'll be that bad, since the source material is so much better than dbz and the original writer is involved with the film too.

also, keanu! rejoice! haha

yes, he's playing spike. for that it will probably be a very love it or hate it type of movie, i bet. personally, i like the choice.

[HaemishM]

i doubt it'll be that bad, since the source material is so much better than dbz and the original writer is involved with the film too.

also, keanu! rejoice! haha

yes, he's playing spike.

Wait... Keanu is playing Spike in a live-action Bebop movie? And you really think it won't be as shittastic as DBZ?

You are high. It will suck gigantic, Cthulu temple sized pillars of cock.

[Surlyboi]

Nah, I think Keanu might just be able to pull off Spike's deadpan alright.

[stray]

Like I said, it all depends if you like Keanu or not. I like him. I know I'm in the minority on that, but that's my opinion. I do think Spike's a bit more lively, but yeah, he has his deadpan side as well.. Actually, Keanu can probably do both. The real problem is that he's just getting a bit old. Still looks the part, but a bit old. Spike's like late 20's or 30. Keanu's mid 40's.

Casting Ed is the real problem. There aren't any kids that are that weird.

[Surlyboi]

True. Ed will be a hard cast.

And oh god, please don't let them cast Megan "Toe thumbs" Fox as Faye.

[Quinton]

I enjoyed the movie, but it felt a lot like they crammed what would have been the background big story arc for the second half of season one and possible part of season two into one episode.  I think this didn't work as well as it would have if it had played out at the pace it would have if the TV series hadn't been canceled.

[UnwashedMasses]

Saw this while flipping channels on hotel TV and enjoyed it.

Great villian.  Only weakness in his character was the *spoiler* phoney conversion at the end.  A hardboiled guy like this is not going to flip out over a whole bunch of broken eggs to make that perfect omelette.  I loved how he didn't include himself in the utopia he was promised.  Would watch a series just about him killing people.  The good guys were far less interesting.

Never saw the TV show, actually.

[stray]

Yeah, that was my favorite part actually.. when he corrected the dude and said he had no intentions of being part of the utopia himself. That made him an even scarier villain.

[pxib]

I agree the villain made the movie... he's the most generally accessible part of it for non-fans, and the implication that he's just a young, idealistic version of Book is fodder for the die-hards. Mr. Universe is fun for a few gags (his wedding and eulogy especially) and the effects have the same off kilter believability they did on TV, but everything else feels rushed and jammed together. Plus River and her brother were probably the most gimmicky and least likeable characters in the original series, and wasting time focused on their gimmicky unlikeable adventures sort of damaged my interest in the underlying plot.

So yeah. I was disappointed, but for folks who loved the series and want a quick fix of Whedon fucking over your fan fiction, it'll provide.

[Venkman]

I think this movie comes off best if you watched it around the same time as the show. Ya sorta need to be caught up in that world for it to flow together. I actually saw Serenity first, and that got me started on the show, which by then was long cancelled so I had the ability to watch it in its intended order. I was sad they capped it, because I thought they did a great job of inverting Star Trek, and really thought this was a stone's-throw away from just being called "Han Solo: the Early Years".

I agree the movie seemed like the end of Harry Potter: it's done fuckers, get over yourselves. Bishop I could almost see, for that Yoda moment. But Wash was just a completely useless throwaway death. Acting was what I'd expect, particularly in the context of the show (the Doctor always came across to me as one dimensional and plastic, and River was doing nothing but being River). The plot I liked though, and the villain was ok. I didn't go for him in the same way I would some who had serious fighting ability. Something about the way they shot the footage just made it look like daytime-drama fight scenes when the guy was supposed to be all bad and shit.

[Tale]

Never saw the TV show, actually.

I never did either, until one day suddenly I decided to watch it. Loved it. The greatest thing about it was the ensemble cast. They had the time of their lives. They appeared to enjoy each other's company and grew into their roles and the story.

The series starts off cheesy, but by episode 12 or 13 or whatever it ended on, you are weeping at the injustice of it being aired out-of-sequence and then being cancelled mid-story. It became a fine work of art. There are some farewells and post mortems on the DVD that are just so powerful if you've sat through the series. An added bonus is Christina Hendricks (Mad Men redhead) in an awesome recurring role.

The movie was filmed much later. They returned to their beloved roles and kissed them goodbye on the big screen. Liked it, but loved the series more.