# Rate Serenity



## Knightfall (Sep 30, 2005)

Okay, who else is psyched to see this movie?

Forget the hype and all the talk and vote with your heart, gut, and soul.


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## Ao the Overkitty (Sep 30, 2005)

I was so happy with the 'final' prescreening cut.  Can't wait to see it again tomorrow at 7:20pm


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## ShinHakkaider (Sep 30, 2005)

I saw this last night and it was alot better than I thought that it would be. I'm a FIREFLY fan, someone who watched it when it was broadcast and was kinda pissed when it was cancelled. 

It wasnt the best movie that I've seen this year but it was definitely up there. So much so that I'd probably go to see it again this weekend.


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## Zweihänder (Sep 30, 2005)

Oh man, I can't wait.  I'm going to see it twice tomorrow morning, and again tomorrow night.


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## Ao the Overkitty (Sep 30, 2005)

Zweihänder said:
			
		

> Oh man, I can't wait.  I'm going to see it twice tomorrow morning, and again tomorrow night.




If only I could afford to do that.


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## Dagger75 (Sep 30, 2005)

Saw a sneak peek on Monday, going to see it again tomorrow at noon.


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## Tarrasque Wrangler (Sep 30, 2005)

My girlfriend and her brother are going to a matinee tomorrow.  Stupid job, making me come in and work when movies I wanna see are playing.

I hope the theater loses power when she's watching it.  Serves her right.


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## Pseudonym (Sep 30, 2005)

I am going with my wife to the 8 PM show; though I am tempted to go to the 11 AM show by myself and just play surprised when we go tonight.

Is that wrong?


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## AelyaShade (Sep 30, 2005)

Just saw it this morning. Phenomenal! Can't wait for it to come to DVD, so I can see it over and over again.


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## Greylock (Sep 30, 2005)

Just got back from seeing it. If there ever was a perfect 10, this is it. I was afraid that large parts would be spent on backstory for the newcomers. But it doesn't dwell on it. Whedon jumped right into the action.


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## Crothian (Sep 30, 2005)

This is a solid and goiod movie.  I enjoyed it, it went were I expected but there were a few suprises.


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## Xath (Sep 30, 2005)

I'm seeing it tonight at 7:50.  I can't wait!


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## LightPhoenix (Sep 30, 2005)

I thought it was good, but not a perfect ten good.  Normally I'd have rated it a 7, but I gave it an 8 in fanboyish goodness.  It would definitely be a seven, maybe even a six, if I hadn't seen the show.  There are a lot of scenes which really resonate having seen the show, but probably wouldn't if you went in cold.  I'd go into more detail but this is a spoiler-free thread.

Personally, my feeling is it would have worked much better as the second half of the first season, and maybe that's where Joss was going before being cancelled, who knows?


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## Ao the Overkitty (Sep 30, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> If there ever was a perfect 10, this is it.




Dude, did I not tell you?


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## Dark Jezter (Sep 30, 2005)

Joss Whedon raped my childhood!  

Okay, just kidding.  I thought it was an entertaining enough movie.  I gave it a 7.  Worth seeing, but I'm not certain whether or not I'll want to get it on DVD.


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## sniffles (Sep 30, 2005)

I saw it on a sneak preview a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I gave it a 9. 
My only reservation would be that it really would have been better as a tv movie, but I'm just glad it got made. I'm going to see it again in about 4 hours.


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## Shadowdancer (Sep 30, 2005)

I rarely give movies a 10. That said, I voted it a 9. I saw an advanced screening back in May, and saw a matinee again today. It was as good as I remembered it.   

Bring on the DVD, loaded with lots of extra goodies.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Sep 30, 2005)

Just got back...absolutely loved it. I'm no Whedon fan(hate Buffy and Angel), but he really nailed it with Firefly. I especially love that they kept the whole no sound in space thing.

Between Serenity and Revenge of the Sith, this has been a good year for space movies for me.


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## Crothian (Oct 1, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> I'm no Whedon fan(hate Buffy and Angel)
> 
> Between Serenity and *Revenge of the Sith*, this has been a good year for space movies for me.




  

I don't know you anymore.....


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> I don't know you anymore.....



 ...you don't?!

With two Star Wars SHs flying in my sig and me popping in pretty much every single Star Wars thread that crosses these boards, I'm surprised. Especially coming from you.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

Loved it... yet hated a couple of parts. Two, parts, in fact. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. 

Probably going to go see it again next week in the theatre.


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## churd (Oct 1, 2005)

Very, very good.  A few flaws keep me from giving it a 10, but it certianlly met my extremely high expectations!


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## Wombat (Oct 1, 2005)

Okay, a friend of mine is considering going to this (no, not me, this is not a cover, as I will not be going to see it), but he had a question.  Many of you would be better placed to answer this than I would.

What he wants to know is this -- can you watch this movie without having seen the tv series?  He generally likes space films, is so-so on westerns, but he read a couple of good reviews; what's holding him back is what he calls the "Star Trek Problem" -- going to a movie based on a tv show and no explanations are given, a lot of knowledge assumed.

So, what's the word?


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

Wombat said:
			
		

> So, what's the word?




I'd say yes, you can see it without having seen the series(or having any knowledge ot it). All of the important information is given in some form or another very quickly, and though a few things aren't completely fleshed out(Book and Inara might feel tacked on without knowing about them beforehand), its not enough to cause confusion.

I was amazed by how well the movie did at remaining self-contained while still giving the fans of the series some nice little things here and there.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

Wombat said:
			
		

> What he wants to know is this -- can you watch this movie without having seen the tv series?  He generally likes space films, is so-so on westerns, but he read a couple of good reviews; what's holding him back is what he calls the "Star Trek Problem" -- going to a movie based on a tv show and no explanations are given, a lot of knowledge assumed.
> 
> So, what's the word?




My opinion is quite biased, being a fan of the tv series, so take it FWIW. It seems to me that it was more than adequately set up and explained for newcomers to not feel as if they are missing something, at least premise wise. Whether that holds for the characters and their interactions, etc. I couldn't really say. I felt everything gelled well, and they hit all the right marks with the characters, but its possible that someone unfamiliar with the characters might not understand their relationships and "who" they are. 

I think it is set up well enough that your friend wouldn't have any problems, but I may be too close to the subject to form an adequately objective opinion about that.


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## Sequoia2 (Oct 1, 2005)

i'm pretty excited about this movie, but i don't want to keep these hopes up in fear of being dissapointed


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## Ao the Overkitty (Oct 1, 2005)

Oh man.  I laughed. I cried. I REALLY enjoyed myself... Again!

It was even better the second time.  Lots of little nods to the series.  Too many to note or even remember.

Theater was packed.  It wasn't easy finding two seats together.

Watching Out of Gas with the commentary really set me up for the movie.  I was watching for it after listening to Joss talk about how River walks around barefoot to feel everything.

Upon leaving the theater:

*Lori:*_ So.  How many times do you think we'll be able to see it before we're broke._

*Me:*_ Honey, we've got wedding money._




And, on the question of if you can see it without having seen the series; yes.  I've seen it with two Firefly novices and one complete newb and they all enjoyed it thoroughly.  Even the one who *didn't like firefly* really enjoyed the prescreening.


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## Xath (Oct 1, 2005)

I just got back.  

It was an excellent movie.  Everything about the production was phenomenal. 

Still, I don't know if I _liked_ it.


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## Crothian (Oct 1, 2005)

Xath said:
			
		

> I just got back.
> 
> It was an excellent movie.  Everything about the production was phenomenal.
> 
> Still, I don't know if I _liked_ it.




what makes you think you didn't like it?


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> what makes you think you didn't like it?




I can think of two things that might have made him not like it.

Though I loved it, I'm still processing, myself.


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## Crothian (Oct 1, 2005)

Her, Xath is female


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

D'OH!!!!

(Sorry, Xath- no offense meant!)


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## Tauric (Oct 1, 2005)

Loved the movie, but really hope Joss reigns in his camera  work for the sequel (please please).  Some of the shots it was pretty clear (at least to me and my wife) that he was not used to the big screen.

Other than that, I really loved the movie.  Plan on seeing it again and on buying the DVD.


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## Lazybones (Oct 1, 2005)

Just got back. Awesome. Gave it a preliminary 9, since there were a few things I wasn't entirely content with, but this is the rare movie I'll be thinking about for a few days before I make my final decision. 

Now off to find a spoilers-allowed discussion thread.


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## LordVyreth (Oct 1, 2005)

Excellent movie!  It's a shame they couldn't think of a way to better clarify what happened since the end of the series, but still very enjoyable.

Edit: Removed spoilers.  Sorry; didn't know they weren't allowed.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

Tauric said:
			
		

> Loved the movie, but really hope Joss reigns in his camera  work for the sequel (please please).  Some of the shots it was pretty clear (at least to me and my wife) that he was not used to the big screen.




The camera work was some of my favorite parts. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I like the style he used to pick shots, even if it wasn't at all normal most of the time, it drew your eye just to the right place where it needed to be for the scenes.


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## Tauric (Oct 1, 2005)

See, with me, some of the scenes, I didn't know where to look, so there ya go, YMMV.

Still, loved it, even the two bits that I wish didn't happen.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 1, 2005)

Best movie of the year. Period.


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## Hijinks (Oct 1, 2005)

> hated a couple of parts. Two, parts, in fact. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about




That's why I rated it a 9 out of 10.  Those two parts.  The later one more than the sooner one, omg I cried   I couldn't believe it.


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## WingOver (Oct 1, 2005)

LordVyreth said:
			
		

> Excellent movie!  It's a shame they couldn't think of a way to better clarify what happened since the end of the series, but still very enjoyable.




Dark Horse released a 3 issue Serenity comic this month (Sept.).  It chronicles some events between the end of the TV series and before the movie... notable stuff about Book and Inara.  Joss wrote it so the dialog and story are spot-on.  The art's not very good though (IMO).


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

You know, I LIKED the two parts. Despite not liking them...they just...worked. I don't know how else to put it. They fit. It was right. Even though it was...yeah. Why again is this not a spoiler thread?!


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## Truth Seeker (Oct 1, 2005)

Everything has its place in the universe...

Then there is Serenity...

And what makes her go?

Love...

Love...you give it. She flies, you show it. She shields you from the coldness of space.

You share it.

She becomes your home.

That is...Serenity.

10 out of 10.

Yahoo Movie Review From Yours truly.

And a All Viewers Review.


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## Greylock (Oct 1, 2005)

Tauric said:
			
		

> Loved the movie, but really hope Joss reigns in his camera  work for the sequel (please please).  Some of the shots it was pretty clear (at least to me and my wife) that he was not used to the big screen.




The loonngg opening shot reminded me of the first Star Trek movie, and I always thought that was the "money" shot of the entire film series. "HEY GUYS!!! WE MADE THE BIG SCREEN!"

The rest, well, it's frenetic at times, and the big space battle lost me once or twice, but hey, I'm gonna see it a few more times anyhoo. I'll get it straight.


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## LightPhoenix (Oct 1, 2005)

WingOver said:
			
		

> Dark Horse released a 3 issue Serenity comic this month (Sept.).  It chronicles some events between the end of the TV series and before the movie... notable stuff about Book and Inara.  Joss wrote it so the dialog and story are spot-on.  The art's not very good though (IMO).




The problem I have with that is you shouldn't need a comic prequel to explain stuff for the movie.  The biggest failing of the movie, IMO, is that a lot of it is lost if you haven't seen Firefly or read the comic.  The movie was, IMO, not sufficiently self-contained as to make certain points, for a big example Book, mean anything.  He would have been better off leaving Book and a couple other points out of the movie altogether.

Like I said earlier, I thought it was a good movie... I gave it an eight out of ten.  However it's readily obvious to me that while Whedon made a decent movie, it definitely felt like it should have been on TV, and that isn't praise when it comes to movies.  I would have liked to see the story spread out over a half a season or more, not crammed into two hours.  There was resonance that I felt was missing because of the movie format and for new viewers, because they hadn't at least seen the series.

Also, for those interested, the movie I base all my opinions on is The Shawshank Redemption.  If I feel a movie is as good as that, I give it a ten.  Needless to say, I haven't felt we've had a ten movie in a while.  A couple nines, a few eights, a bunch of sevens, but no ten.

And what happened to Ron Glass?  He seemed so much older and more gaunt.  Is he okay?


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## Darthjaye (Oct 1, 2005)

I liked the movie quite a bit.  Entirely entertained from beginning to end.  This is coming from a guy who wasn't so turned on by the series.  While the series introduced some interesting characters I never really got into the episodes.  Found myself at times playing the series eps (which I would record and watch when I got home form work) later while doing other stuff cause my attention waned from a lack of interest.  The movie however made me consider going back and taking a harder look at each episode to try again.  I hope they find a way and a good story for any future movies to be made.  If not, the ending of this one is a good sendoff as well.


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## Greylock (Oct 1, 2005)

My only disappointment? I missed the horses, sure, and I missed the dust and the excessive Mandarin, but that wasn't a big deal. The only thing that I really MISSED was that corny-ass theme music from the OS. There really should have been a nod to that.

The soundtrack in general was sub-par.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 1, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> There really should have been a nod to that.




It was.

At the very end of the credits, there was an instrumental version of the TV theme played.


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## Warrior Poet (Oct 1, 2005)

A 10 for me.

That movie was big damn heroes, sir.

I'm still reeling.  Awesome.

Warrior Poet


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> At the very end of the credits, there was an instrumental version of the TV theme played.




Arrrgh! I had a feeling there would be, but my friend had to get back to work so we couldn't stay very long into the credits. Man!

Well, just gives me another incentive (as if I needed one) to see it again.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 1, 2005)

Ankh-Morpork Guard said:
			
		

> You know, I LIKED the two parts. Despite not liking them...they just...worked. I don't know how else to put it. They fit. It was right. Even though it was...yeah. Why again is this not a spoiler thread?!




I wholeheartedly agree that they worked. They certainly served the functions each was (IMO) intended to do, and then some. I just wish, well...

Anyway, on the shooting thing, I absolutely *loved* the oner of the the crew in the beginning. One take, from start to finish, Wash and Mal on the bridge to River in the cargo hold. The dialogue in that scene (parts- particularly Mal and Simon) seemed a little rushed, unfortunately, but man. What a shot. 

That's what I absolutely love about Joss' direction, is that he does those takes. Both from a visual standpoint, as well as (to me) from an acting standpoint, long takes like that are just amazing. You really get to see the actors do their thing- interact- and you don't have all these close up headshots where the editors just pick the best take and flip back and forth.


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## Ao the Overkitty (Oct 1, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> The soundtrack in general was sub-par.




See, I thought the soundtrack was great.  I felt the music added to every scene.  And the instrumental of the Ballad of Serenity was nicely done.


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## Xath (Oct 1, 2005)

Crothian said:
			
		

> what makes you think you didn't like it?




I'll go into that on a more spoiler-oriented thread.


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## Greylock (Oct 1, 2005)

Ao the Overkitty said:
			
		

> See, I thought the soundtrack was great.  I felt the music added to every scene.  And the instrumental of the Ballad of Serenity was nicely done.




Kinda like the person above, I had to leave quickly to get ready for work. I'll see it again soon enough.

I just hoped for less of the standard Hollywood fare (that was a Newman, wasn't it? Memory foggy), and more twang.


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## Pseudonym (Oct 1, 2005)

I loved it, and can't wait until it comes out on DVD.  My wife gave it a 10 too.  Having said that, there was a fair amount of talk about this moving bringing back the series to TV.  Having seen the film, I don't think so anymore.

Definately can't wait to see it again, though I wonder how the crowd reactions would be if the theater had folks who hadn't seen the series.  The showing last night was a stereotypical geek fest, with many people in brown trenchcoats and almost a whole row of guys in knitted hats.  Thankfully no one tried to dress as Inara *shudder*

Would people who went into this cold have gotten as much out of it?  Aside from my one dissapointment (leaf on the wind), there was no cameo of Jubal Early, who was undoubtedly my favorite minor character.


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## EricNoah (Oct 1, 2005)

Good stuff.  I'd never seen the TV show and found it to be accessible and exciting.


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## Ao the Overkitty (Oct 1, 2005)

Pseudonym said:
			
		

> The showing last night was a stereotypical geek fest, with many people in brown trenchcoats and almost a whole row of guys in knitted hats.




Heh.  The family a Jayne hats at our showing got a smile out of me.


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## Fast Learner (Oct 1, 2005)

Pseudonym said:
			
		

> The showing last night was a stereotypical geek fest, with many people in brown trenchcoats and almost a whole row of guys in knitted hats.  Thankfully no one tried to dress as Inara *shudder*



You need higher-quality geeks, evidentally. At a Serenity party at a local scifi con here last month, there were several Inaras, all of whom were absolutely lovely. (We import 'em, the high-quality geeks.)



> Aside from my one dissapointment (leaf on the wind), there was no cameo of Jubal Early, who was undoubtedly my favorite minor character.



Mummified space trash is surprisingly uninteresting as a cameo.


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## Pseudonym (Oct 2, 2005)

Fast Learner said:
			
		

> Mummified space trash is surprisingly uninteresting as a cameo.




I am still hoping that the writers will find a way of saving him from his predicament for a future movie.


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## WayneLigon (Oct 2, 2005)

9. Wow. What a ride. It was amazing. Despite you know what, I am still stoked about it. I must see it again.


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## Nikosandros (Oct 2, 2005)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> Good stuff.  I'd never seen the TV show and found it to be accessible and exciting.





Agreed. I also had never watched the TV show, but found it a very good movie.

Now I might have to get the DVDs of the tv show...


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## Mythtify (Oct 2, 2005)

I  went in cold.  I have seen it twice already.   It inspired me to go out and buy the  DVDs  of the series.   It was as good as the first  Star Wars.


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## Greylock (Oct 2, 2005)

Mythtify said:
			
		

> It was as good as the first  Star Wars.




A "lived-in world". Lucas kinda forgot that was part of the charm.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 2, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> A "lived-in world". Lucas kinda forgot that was part of the charm.



 No, he didn't. The specific point of the clean look to the prequels was not because anything was forgotten...it was a different style, and a different time period. I.e. Golden Age.

[/thread-jack]


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## Tetsubo (Oct 2, 2005)

Just got back from seeing it. Both my wife and I loved it. Makes me mad that the series was canceled all over again. I thought it was better than the last (first?) three Star Wars movies combined. I own the series, I will buy this movie on DVD.


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## Banshee16 (Oct 2, 2005)

LightPhoenix said:
			
		

> The problem I have with that is you shouldn't need a comic prequel to explain stuff for the movie.  The biggest failing of the movie, IMO, is that a lot of it is lost if you haven't seen Firefly or read the comic.  The movie was, IMO, not sufficiently self-contained as to make certain points, for a big example Book, mean anything.  He would have been better off leaving Book and a couple other points out of the movie altogether.




I disagree.  I saw the movie tonight with a buddy of mine who hasn't seen the show before.  I didn't have to give him any background.  He had a few minor questions about some specifics, but mostly "got it".  The opening sequence provides all the "introduction" that's needed.  And it was worked into the story really well.  Brilliant.

I just don't get it these days.  I talk to people who haven't "got" a movie, or didn't understand what is going on.  Usually all that's needed is to listen to the dialog, IMO.  The only movie that left me stumped that I can recently remember was Van Helsing.

Banshee


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## Banshee16 (Oct 2, 2005)

Greylock said:
			
		

> A "lived-in world". Lucas kinda forgot that was part of the charm.




I don't think he did.  In Ep 4, 5, and 6, it's a lived in world, in the middle of a galactic civil war, and the heroes are....well....criminals (according to the law of the time).

In Eps 1, 2, and 3, the heroes are, well, the Alliance, enjoying the cleanliness, perfect technology, order etc. of being the forces of law and order.  I think there was a point to that.

However, the dialog and story in Serenity....awesome....Lucas just got schooled.  Again.

I gave this one a 9.  Not like the first Alien, or Empire Strikes Back, but pretty durned fine 

I only saw one or two episodes of the show when it was actually on.  I, like possibly many others, was rather confused by shows appearing in the wrong order, and not knowing which night it was going to be on.  Then I picked up the DVDs earlier this year about reading all the threads about Firefly here on EN World, and "got it".

I'd love to see the show come back.  Though I'm not sure if that would ever happen.  Interestingly, I saw the actor that plays Simon is in an upcoming episode of Ghost Whisperer (I don't watch it, but my fiancé was).  And Nate Fillion is the lead in another movied called "Slither" coming out next year.  So it's possible the cast is going to be all snapped up, and unable to commit to the show coming back, even if it was given the chance.  Though, according to the documentaries on the DVD, the actors seemed to indicate that they largely felt it was the best project "crew" any of them had been on before.  So maybe that would make them a bit more willing to make the effort.

If they can't get the TV show back together, I'd be happy with a few sequels in the theatre 

Definitely a few sad moments.  One I kind of expected, the other surprised me.

Guess we just wait and see if the movie does well.  With a $40M budget, it probably doesn't even have to do huge numbers to be a success.

Banshee


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## cuteasaurus (Oct 2, 2005)

Awesome...just awesome.   I gave it a 9.  I'd watch it again in the theaters (which is saying a lot for me) and now during what times I should cover my eyes.


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## Kryndal Levik (Oct 2, 2005)

Fantastic movie.  I would recommend it to anyone, whether you're a fan of the series or "new" to Firefly.  I would recommend that anyone seeing it rent/buy the DVDs to get full enjoyment of the film, but it's not absolutely necessary.


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## Pielorinho (Oct 2, 2005)

I think this is the first time in any of these threads that I've given a movie a 10.  The only SF movie I've *ever* seen that I liked this much was *Gattaca*, and that one had a very different feel to it.

Daniel


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## KingOfChaos (Oct 2, 2005)

I just love Joss's witty dialog ^_^  I plan on seeing it soon.  "This is your captain speaking, you can expect a bit of turbulance and then we..uh...explode."


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## Hand of Evil (Oct 3, 2005)

If you have not seen this movie, see it now!  I loved it and will be seeing it again this week, it is that good.


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## Arnwyn (Oct 3, 2005)

I gave it a 9. An excellent movie, but (like Cthulhudrew) I hated two parts. _Hated_ them (not that they were badly done by any means - it's just my fanboy/"teh bias!1!" part of me talking).

In any case, I certainly did not come out of that movie thinking it was awesome - I came out feeling rather unsettled... and I still feel that way, days later.

[I do know for certain that I have no intention of ever seeing any possible sequel, should they ever make one. This movie was Firefly's swan-song, to me.]


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## Laurel (Oct 3, 2005)

*Plus/Minus*

I have to say I went in thinking it would just be a long episode, but came out thinking all I got was a cool movie.  'Cool Movie' meaning it had the action, humour, and plot, but it was missing some of the cool camera effects and character fun that endeared the show to me.  I talked to some friends who really hadn't seen the series, and after seeing the movie had a worped view of some main characters.

It did have some cool plots twists and expanded the universe. Joss was able to answer some huge questions, while leaving some unanswered and even creating a whole slew of new questions.

Still voted 'Very Good' since it was a very good movie, and I will no doubt be seeing it again and again one in second run and DVD   But the show itself would have rated more along the lines of 'WOW!'.


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## RangerWickett (Oct 3, 2005)

My friend Acquana (here's her art thread) doesn't want to see Serenity. Even though I've offered to pay for her tickets, she refuses to go. She has never seen the show, but she simply hated Buffy (she never saw Angel, and despite her love for Toy Story and me telling her that Joss Whedon did a major part of the script for Toy Story, she refuses to trust me).

So, my friends, especially those of you who already read Acquana's art thread, any suggestions on how I can get her to watch this great, fun movie?


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## Laurel (Oct 3, 2005)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> My friend Acquana (here's her art thread) doesn't want to see Serenity. Even though I've offered to pay for her tickets, she refuses to go. She has never seen the show, but she simply hated Buffy (she never saw Angel, and despite her love for Toy Story and me telling her that Joss Whedon did a major part of the script for Toy Story, she refuses to trust me).
> 
> So, my friends, especially those of you who already read Acquana's art thread, any suggestions on how I can get her to watch this great, fun movie?



Rope, a chair and ducktape.....

Actually, hating Buffy or not the two shows are very, very different.  One is a group of teenagers fighting vampire/evil while trying to go to the prom, and the other is a group of adults in space fighting for thier lives in real ways like here is a bullet in your stomach.

I can agree that if she did not like Buffy then Angel is out.  But Firefly is a whole other beast.  Just as the script for Buffy and Toy Story are not the same neither are the script for Buffy and Firefly.  And he also wrote for Rosanne  luckily VERY different from his later works, since we can assume that he was told what to write for Rosanne.  Really though, it is just different.  Seeing one Joss anything will not give you a direct link to his other works.

You maybe able to find other things here that he has done that she can say she liked.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Oct 3, 2005)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> My friend Acquana (here's her art thread) doesn't want to see Serenity. Even though I've offered to pay for her tickets, she refuses to go. She has never seen the show, but she simply hated Buffy (she never saw Angel, and despite her love for Toy Story and me telling her that Joss Whedon did a major part of the script for Toy Story, she refuses to trust me).
> 
> So, my friends, especially those of you who already read Acquana's art thread, any suggestions on how I can get her to watch this great, fun movie?




Well, I hate Buffy and Angel, but loved Firefly and Serenity. Its a very different style for his stuff...and the movie is just simply a good movie. I'd say she should give it a try, as I was in a similar situation until a friend bought me the Firefly DVDs and hooked me.


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## takyris (Oct 3, 2005)

Wicket: Honestly, don't push. While I've been talked into stuff I wasn't planning to see and ended up enjoying it, I've never enjoyed something I knew right off the bat that I didn't want to see and was forced to see by my friends. Most people are actually pretty good at figuring out what they like and dislike.

I liked _Serenity_, but I'm not going to have trouble sleeping because other people don't. Their dislike of the movie isn't a personal affront to me, much, I assume, like my dislike of *Surface* doesn't cause people who like the show to get night terrors or paroxysms of pain. (That would be caused by the writing. *cough*)


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## Morrus (Oct 3, 2005)

Laurel said:
			
		

> I can agree that if she did not like Buffy then Angel is out.  But Firefly is a whole other beast.  Just as the script for Buffy and Toy Story are not the same neither are the script for Buffy and Firefly.  And he also wrote for Rosanne  luckily VERY different from his later works, since we can assume that he was told what to write for Rosanne.  Really though, it is just different.  Seeing one Joss anything will not give you a direct link to his other works.




I find the dialogue very, very similar.  There's a Whedon-esque phraseology which is in all three shows, and I can easily imagine the characters from the other shows saying exactly the same lines in almost exactly the same way.

I'm not complaining though - I like it.


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## SilentJay (Oct 5, 2005)

Tauric said:
			
		

> Loved the movie, but really hope Joss reigns in his camera  work for the sequel (please please).  Some of the shots it was pretty clear (at least to me and my wife) that he was not used to the big screen.




That's why I gave it an 8.  It's a good movie, but could've been a better movie if Whedon'd had more experience with the big screen.  That said, having Jack Green shoot the movie for him was a big bonus for him.  I mean, the guy's been making Eastwood look good for years, and helped him win the Oscar for Unforgiven, so who better to do Serenity.


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## BluWolf (Oct 5, 2005)

Outstanding!!!! Gave it a 9. Only one issue bothered me around pacing and it primarliy had to do with a peerception on my part that the distance between locations seemed negligible. Nothing more than a minor distraction.

This movie IS THE Traveller flick I have always hoped for.


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## Welverin (Oct 6, 2005)

It was better without music, but it's still good.


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## Silver Moon (Oct 10, 2005)

LightPhoenix said:
			
		

> the movie I base all my opinions on is The Shawshank Redemption.  If I feel a movie is as good as that, I give it a ten.  Needless to say, I haven't felt we've had a ten movie in a while.



Well, IMO if Shawshank Redemption is your standard I'd say you'll only find a ten once every decade or so, as I consider that one of the best movies ever made.

I'd give Serenity a solid 7, possibly an 8.


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## Fast Learner (Oct 10, 2005)

I liked it much more _with_ the right music. They managed to get me worked up over stuff in the second viewing, even though I knew what was going to happen, and I give the music a lot of credit for that.


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## Cthulhudrew (Oct 10, 2005)

Just got back from a second viewing, and if I had to rate Serenity again, I'd definitely give it a 10 this time. Even better secondhand.

I think it was just the shock of the first time that dropped it to a 9, really.


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## Zander (Oct 10, 2005)

Pseudonym said:
			
		

> Definately can't wait to see it again, though I wonder how the crowd reactions would be if the theater had folks who hadn't seen the series... Would people who went into this cold have gotten as much out of it?



I went in so cold that I didn't know until reading this thread that there was a TV series or associated comics.

Although I enjoyed the film and understood what was going on, I felt after seeing it (and before discovering this thread) that too much was packed into the movie and that there was more to the setting and characters that needed to be explained. It's not that you couldn't follow the plot line or character development without it, it's more a feeling that the film was 'choppy' or 'bitty' with too many interesting ideas that weren't fully explored.

I suspect I would have liked it a lot more with additional background material. I gave it a 6.

I did find the somewhat realistic dialogue refreshing.


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## amethal (Oct 10, 2005)

Finally saw the film yesterday.

I really enjoyed it, and it was perfectly easy to follow even though I've never seen so much as a trailer for Firefly. I gave it an 8. I love the dialogue in particular. (Its what makes Buffy watchable for me, which is handy because my wife is a fanatical Buffy fan.)

I'm looking forward to watching Firefly, then watching the film again. It might get a higher mark from me next time round.


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## Shard O'Glase (Oct 10, 2005)

I'm litterally boggled by the high reviews this keeps getting, especially from firefly fans.  Virtually all the good lines were in the comercials, so maybe if I'd gone in blind it would of been better but it just wasn't that great.  It's like 3 connected below average episodes of firefly whoose ramifications make me never want to see another movie.  The only way I'd see anymore firefly is if the first scene of the next movie they snap rivers neck and she's dead.  I thought it looked worse, I didn't lile the mods to the ship, or the costumes for example.  But hey there were good lines, some good action, and a good story for most of the movie, though there were some story elements that were flat out bad.  But really what wrecks the movie for me is how some things were resolved makes every furture movie a world of suck ass.

This is what it feels like to e in D&D terms.  Your playing a forgotten realms campaign you get you characters up to 10th level and the DM says here's a new NPC that will be tagging along you may recognize him its elminster it will be fun having him solve all the problems, don't worry I'll occasionally write in a part where he lets you shine.

But hey if you like super ninja, mechanic, pilot, mind reader, hot chick movies the next movies will be for you.


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## Mark Chance (Oct 10, 2005)

Like everything Whedon writes: trite, fairly predictable, flash over substance with tissue thin characterization. I should've gone to see Wallace and Gromit instead.

Still, with all of that said, Serenity was bucket-loads better than RotS.


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## Neo (Oct 10, 2005)

I saw it and really enjoyed it, personally I hope they make more..

Only had one disappointment for me.. but that was more a personal preference than a flaw with the film..

All in all thought it was very good


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## Rel (Oct 10, 2005)

Saw it yesterday, and I give it a 9.  I thought this was a GREAT movie and it's been a long time since I saw a GREAT movie (probably The Incredibles was the last one).

My only other comment is that this whole linear 1-10 rating system for movies has got to go.  Are we not D&D geeks?!  We need a 3-18 bell curve rating system!


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## Agamon (Oct 10, 2005)

Saw it Tuesday.  That was awesome.  Even my buddies that haven't seen Firefly thought it was great.  In fact, I think I was the only one in the theatre that saw the series...nobody else seemed to get any of the inside jokes.

I really hope it comes back as a show, though it sucks that Wash is gone.


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## Neo (Oct 11, 2005)

Agamon said:
			
		

> I really hope it comes back as a show, though it sucks that Wash is gone.




That was the one disappointment I had, though I held off mentioning it as this is not a spoilers thread so shhhhhhhhh


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## barsoomcore (Oct 11, 2005)

A solid above-average. I gave it a six. As ever, Joss delivers great dialogue and awesome character drama, but as ever his plotting sense isn't what you'd call sophisticated and the hackneyed devices in the story really disappointed me. And the space battle sucked a lot.

The River fight scenes were AWESOME, however. Girl's got moves.

And Zoe in a dress makes up for a lot. Mm, Gina Torres.

Still, Joss is MUCH better on TV. He needs the time and space to let his characters suffer and misunderstand each other and break each others' hearts over and over again. Not save the universe in one hundred and twenty minutes.


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## Jakar (Oct 16, 2005)

I voted a 6.  I was a good way to spend a couple of hours, but I found that it was not that great.  Good, but not great.  I felt that the TV series was better, but this was an alright way to finish it all off.

One bad thing was the music.  I thought that was a big let down.

The best thing about it was that there was only my partner and I in the theatre that we saw it in.  Made it feel more personal to me.


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## glass (Oct 17, 2005)

Neo said:
			
		

> Agamon said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So don't compound the problem by quoting the offending info without diguising it!


glass.


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## ecliptic (Oct 17, 2005)

I went and watched it a second time. Best movie ever.


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## ecliptic (Oct 17, 2005)

Here is something interesting. Both Orson Scott Card and Stephen King like Serenity.

Orson's review:
http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml

Serenity makes Stephen's weekly pick
http://www.stephenking.com/stephens_picks.php


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