I picked up the series DVD last week, having heard about it, but knowing almost nothing about it except that it was created by Joss Whedon, and it was about some folks traveling around in a starship...
This anamorphic 16X9 DVD has 14 episodes, including the two hour pilot; of which 11 only aired, and of those, Fox was stupid enough to not air the pilot until the last episode- the "suits" didn't want to setup the story properly, they just wanted to jump into the action, so the episodes as presented on the air were actually out of order in more than one way... when the pilot finally aired, the series was already cancelled by the idiots.
Being the long, long time SF buff that I am, and seeing as the price was really "right", too, how could I resist taking a little chance? Well, I'm glad I did, and while I put a lot of thought into how to write up my thoughts about this, these two personal reviews from others summarize it very well.
There's reports that Joss is working on a movie deal for this, and I'm really glad to hear that, because the pilot was VERY comparable in production quality and writing to a good movie. Also a very nice workout for your projector or TV....
Recommended. Highly.
P.S. Feature film has been in production since beginning of last year, and is scheduled for release September 2005.
~Jon
This anamorphic 16X9 DVD has 14 episodes, including the two hour pilot; of which 11 only aired, and of those, Fox was stupid enough to not air the pilot until the last episode- the "suits" didn't want to setup the story properly, they just wanted to jump into the action, so the episodes as presented on the air were actually out of order in more than one way... when the pilot finally aired, the series was already cancelled by the idiots.
Being the long, long time SF buff that I am, and seeing as the price was really "right", too, how could I resist taking a little chance? Well, I'm glad I did, and while I put a lot of thought into how to write up my thoughts about this, these two personal reviews from others summarize it very well.
There's reports that Joss is working on a movie deal for this, and I'm really glad to hear that, because the pilot was VERY comparable in production quality and writing to a good movie. Also a very nice workout for your projector or TV....
After you've seen all 14 episodes of Firefly contained in this smartly packaged DVD set, you'll be begging for more. The sad irony is, series creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only eleven of these 14 produced episodes had aired on FOX, and its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid suffered an inaugural setback when network executives preferred an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job") over the intended two-hour pilot "Serenity" (oddly enough, the final episode aired), which provides a better introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans may debate the quirky, semi-fallible logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.
What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine subtly-developed characters (a typically Whedon-esque extended family), each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. By the time we've gathered tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with an as-yet mysterious agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's resident stowaway as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare, it's painfully clear that Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that never came to pass. Fortunately, Whedon was developing a Firefly movie as this DVD set was being released in January 2004, so the ultimate fate of Serenity's crew remains to be seen. In the meantime, these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) offer everything you'd expect from the creator of Buffy: action, drama, humor, hints of romance, suspense, fine acting, film-quality direction, dazzling special effects, and ample proof that Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. --Jeff Shannon
What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine subtly-developed characters (a typically Whedon-esque extended family), each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. By the time we've gathered tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with an as-yet mysterious agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's resident stowaway as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare, it's painfully clear that Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that never came to pass. Fortunately, Whedon was developing a Firefly movie as this DVD set was being released in January 2004, so the ultimate fate of Serenity's crew remains to be seen. In the meantime, these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) offer everything you'd expect from the creator of Buffy: action, drama, humor, hints of romance, suspense, fine acting, film-quality direction, dazzling special effects, and ample proof that Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series. --Jeff Shannon
I completely missed "Firefly" when it was on TV. That's not surprising, since network television rarely draws me in these days. So, when a friend invited me over to watch the "Firefly" DVDs, I had no idea what to expect. It was Joss Whedon's reputation, and my enjoyment of his previous shows that drew me.
"Firefly" is a space opera of sorts, taking place in a Western (as in cowboys) themed universe, where many earth cultures have blended together. Characters lapse into Chinese when cursing. There is a school of thought among sf fandom that, when a show has to resort to the cowboy episode (as the original Battlestar Galactica series did in the first season), the writers are truly lost for ideas. I had mixed feelings about the show's merits, until I got into it a bit.
If I were to take "Firefly" too seriously, I think it's a show I'd probably detest, but 30 minutes of viewing convinced me that Joss Whedon had a sense of humor about him when conceiving and executing this short-lived series.
The "Firefly" universe is a universe populated by rogue space cowboys, escorts, religious fanatics and a somewhat under-explained political struggle loosely mirroring Star Wars' The Empire and Rebellion. There's irony everywhere, some truly cheesy writing (and acting) and some great special effects.
While I enjoyed the campiness of the show, I'd hate to leave the reader with the impression that the sometimes over-the-top humor is the only reason to watch. There are some truly superlative moments, running the gamut from tense to heart breaking. The interlaced humor serves not only the audience in making the show more enjoyable, but the character development as well.
Overall, "Firefly" is probably one of the best sf shows I've ever seen. Take any aspect of the show and drop it into another reference frame, and one would run for cover. Somehow, Whedon manages to pull all of these strange odds and ends together into a cohesive unit that is really entertaining.
Aside from the episodes, the extras on the DVD (including the gag reel) are well worth viewing, though - truth be told - I could probably go a lifetime without hearing the theme song again.
While it helps to watch the episodes in order, once the characters are explained, each episode is great for stand-alone viewing. "Firefly" could probably have lasted a couple more seasons before deteriorating, and I wish it had.
- C.M. Barnhardt
"Firefly" is a space opera of sorts, taking place in a Western (as in cowboys) themed universe, where many earth cultures have blended together. Characters lapse into Chinese when cursing. There is a school of thought among sf fandom that, when a show has to resort to the cowboy episode (as the original Battlestar Galactica series did in the first season), the writers are truly lost for ideas. I had mixed feelings about the show's merits, until I got into it a bit.
If I were to take "Firefly" too seriously, I think it's a show I'd probably detest, but 30 minutes of viewing convinced me that Joss Whedon had a sense of humor about him when conceiving and executing this short-lived series.
The "Firefly" universe is a universe populated by rogue space cowboys, escorts, religious fanatics and a somewhat under-explained political struggle loosely mirroring Star Wars' The Empire and Rebellion. There's irony everywhere, some truly cheesy writing (and acting) and some great special effects.
While I enjoyed the campiness of the show, I'd hate to leave the reader with the impression that the sometimes over-the-top humor is the only reason to watch. There are some truly superlative moments, running the gamut from tense to heart breaking. The interlaced humor serves not only the audience in making the show more enjoyable, but the character development as well.
Overall, "Firefly" is probably one of the best sf shows I've ever seen. Take any aspect of the show and drop it into another reference frame, and one would run for cover. Somehow, Whedon manages to pull all of these strange odds and ends together into a cohesive unit that is really entertaining.
Aside from the episodes, the extras on the DVD (including the gag reel) are well worth viewing, though - truth be told - I could probably go a lifetime without hearing the theme song again.
While it helps to watch the episodes in order, once the characters are explained, each episode is great for stand-alone viewing. "Firefly" could probably have lasted a couple more seasons before deteriorating, and I wish it had.
- C.M. Barnhardt
Recommended. Highly.
P.S. Feature film has been in production since beginning of last year, and is scheduled for release September 2005.
~Jon
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