After I first saw this a few weeks ago, I wasn't going to do a review, mostly because some others that I read seemed to express it's qualities pretty well. But now that I've seen it three times, I figure I ought to "go on record." What I chiefly want to plug is the underlying theme rejecting the notion of a "better world," a "world without sin." Every governmental tyranny on record has had some "good intentions" among the skeletons in it's closet; now we have an Administration that ostensibly wants to convert the whole world to our way of life, at gunpoint if necessary. It doesn't require a ton of imagination to project this attitude into the future. I'd be tickled to learn that the Operative is a descendant of Condoleeza Rice (after whom an oil tanker was once named, then re-named after she became well known), Bush's fellow Christian and current Secretary of Scolding Other Countries.
Of course it helps your appreciation of "Serenity" if previously you were a fan of Joss Whedon's lamentably short-lived "Firefly" (more on that below) and before that of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." Those shows will have prepared you for Mr. Whedon's genius in assembling a sparkling ensemble cast, extracting from each of them his or her best work (go back and watch all those movies Adam Baldwin was in--who knew he has such a flair for comedy?), creating a fresh perspective on vampires or Westerns, writing such witty dialogue (how many screenwriters create their own jargon?), directing so fluidly and tweaking viewer expectations without disrupting the premise, e.g. Mal telling Zoe "Now if something happens, I want you to take the ship and.... come and rescue me."
Now to my real point: the Fox corporation can "kiss my ass from now on," to borrow a Belushi line in "Animal House." I won't even delve into their right-wing political agenda that seeps into their fictional programming (that last season of "24" had the most justifications for torture being expressed by a character since "Battle of Algiers" forty years ago). I just want to focus on their complete and shameful transformation from nurturer of innovation to run-of-the-mill ratings whore. "The Simpsons" wouldn't last three weeks if it were a new show on Fox nowadays. It probably wouldn't have lasted three weeks back in the late Eighties if Fox hadn't been so desperate for viewers. Once Fox got comfy, though, once they had those Big Sports locked up--plus NASCAR, although I'm not sure if driving cars in a circle really fast qualifies as a sport---well then, sure they'd put interesting stuff on so they could make the announcement, then they'd yank it just as fast if it wasn't an immediate smash. I'll only mention the two shows I still miss the most, those of John Leguizamo and George Carlin. (I'd be happy to pay for cable TV just to see the specials from those guys.) When "Firefly" was on a few years ago, I was so sure that Fox would yank it too that I was reluctant to let myself get attached to it, but like a fool I did so, then of course right on cue, it was "outta here." It's nice that "Firefly" episodes are now available on DVD; it'd be even nicer if Fox could be prevented from getting any of the lucre.
To finish with just a brief (but loving) quibble about the Reavers: these guys're so rabidly crazy that it's hard to envision how they spend their time when they're not actually attacking people. They're like old movie monsters who only need to exist so they can be in scary scenes. They must need major tranquilizers to get to sleep.
How can one not love a movie where the guy piloting the spaceship has little toy dinosaurs surrounding him? I'll miss that character if there's a sequel, but that's part of Whedon's genius, knowing when to inject that sudden note of realistic tragedy; can anyone who saw Willow's girlfriend get killed on "Buffy" tell me it wasn't like a slap in the face?
Of course it helps your appreciation of "Serenity" if previously you were a fan of Joss Whedon's lamentably short-lived "Firefly" (more on that below) and before that of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." Those shows will have prepared you for Mr. Whedon's genius in assembling a sparkling ensemble cast, extracting from each of them his or her best work (go back and watch all those movies Adam Baldwin was in--who knew he has such a flair for comedy?), creating a fresh perspective on vampires or Westerns, writing such witty dialogue (how many screenwriters create their own jargon?), directing so fluidly and tweaking viewer expectations without disrupting the premise, e.g. Mal telling Zoe "Now if something happens, I want you to take the ship and.... come and rescue me."
Now to my real point: the Fox corporation can "kiss my ass from now on," to borrow a Belushi line in "Animal House." I won't even delve into their right-wing political agenda that seeps into their fictional programming (that last season of "24" had the most justifications for torture being expressed by a character since "Battle of Algiers" forty years ago). I just want to focus on their complete and shameful transformation from nurturer of innovation to run-of-the-mill ratings whore. "The Simpsons" wouldn't last three weeks if it were a new show on Fox nowadays. It probably wouldn't have lasted three weeks back in the late Eighties if Fox hadn't been so desperate for viewers. Once Fox got comfy, though, once they had those Big Sports locked up--plus NASCAR, although I'm not sure if driving cars in a circle really fast qualifies as a sport---well then, sure they'd put interesting stuff on so they could make the announcement, then they'd yank it just as fast if it wasn't an immediate smash. I'll only mention the two shows I still miss the most, those of John Leguizamo and George Carlin. (I'd be happy to pay for cable TV just to see the specials from those guys.) When "Firefly" was on a few years ago, I was so sure that Fox would yank it too that I was reluctant to let myself get attached to it, but like a fool I did so, then of course right on cue, it was "outta here." It's nice that "Firefly" episodes are now available on DVD; it'd be even nicer if Fox could be prevented from getting any of the lucre.
To finish with just a brief (but loving) quibble about the Reavers: these guys're so rabidly crazy that it's hard to envision how they spend their time when they're not actually attacking people. They're like old movie monsters who only need to exist so they can be in scary scenes. They must need major tranquilizers to get to sleep.
How can one not love a movie where the guy piloting the spaceship has little toy dinosaurs surrounding him? I'll miss that character if there's a sequel, but that's part of Whedon's genius, knowing when to inject that sudden note of realistic tragedy; can anyone who saw Willow's girlfriend get killed on "Buffy" tell me it wasn't like a slap in the face?