Neither a Browncoat nor a Nazi

[triadruid]

Watched Serenity yesterday afternoon with my other thirds, right before Gaia. It certainly wasn't the worst way I could have spent two hours, but it wasn't anything more than a Saturday matinee serial. Sorry, Browncoats; nothing too groundbreaking or visionary in this material, that I can see.

Joss Wheedon clearly cut his teeth on the small screen, because his movie-making skills are a little over-the-top. Subtlety isn't even in it; messianic halos? Check. Dying expository speeches? Check. Improbable space battles and ground firefights? Checkity. Buffyesque fight scene? Check! Untrained actors unable to maintain their dialect? Check-checkity-check.

Actually, the movie had a lot going for it (gorgeous if improbable sets, terrific soundtrack, eminently quotable), but it suffered from the same disease most fandom movies do; it cuts out backstory to a degree that makes it unapproachable to the new viewer. Why do they curse in Chinese (which I only knew that's what some of the mumbles were because I read a website or two)? No idea. Where did the concubine come from, and why does she know how to shoot as well as the rest of the crew? Practically nothing. What is River's "kind"? haven't the foggiest. Why was the Operative a philosopher, and not a conditioned killer? Plot device; okay, I understand that one. It's probably heresy to say so, but with better voice actors and a more disciplined director, it could have been a much improved movie (and about a half hour shorter, or at least a half-hour different). As it stands, I probably won't recommend it, which is a shame since it did at least pull in second place at the box office this weekend, according to IMDB - but only with $10M or so.

Probably my richest criticism, however, is that I remarked at one point in the movie about how that scene/scenario was very original, and then 5 minutes after the movie was over I couldn't remember what it was, because of the sea of clichés that drowned it out in my mind! It may have had something to do with the Zen-spouting pilot, but I don't remember, because he only got 1 or 2 lines related to that.

::edit:: And finally, months later, I get to finish watching the show and review it.

Comments

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

The cursing in Chinese is never "explained" in the series. However, the explanation of it is that Mr. Whedon believes that since China has more than a billion people, and is an emerging economic power that Chinese as a language became intertwined with English during the intervening 500 years from present day to the time of the series. Hence people swear in Chinese, but it is not something that is pointed at, it's just a bit of texture to the language to remove it from the flow of present day English.


D.

[zanzaboonda.livejournal.com]

I'm *so* glad you clarified that for me.

I wasn't as on the up and up as our friend triadruid here, so I had no idea what was going on. I didn't even know it was in Chinese-just suddenly couldn't understand what they were saying, lol.

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

The thing that is cool about it is they are quite definitely saying very, very nasty things, which is one of the reasons they did it...they could say things freely on TV that way.

It also allowed for the language to be removed from present day idiom.


D.

idioms

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, whenever anyone hears one of us say "shiny!", they now assume we're Firefly fans... *sigh*

Win some, lose some...

[chainwoman.livejournal.com]

Actually, I thought they explained River's "kind" more so than they ever did in the tv series...

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. River was a complete mystery throughout the series.


D.

thanks

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Oh, so her kind actually are part of the TV episodes as well??

Well, that removes one criticism, and backs up another...

Re: thanks

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

The mystery as to just what the fuck happened to River is one of the major plot threads which winds through the series...it is for that reason it is really the major focus of the film (easiest to explain to those who had not seen it, but also a good wrap up for those who watched the series). It is in the film that it is made clear that there are others "like her".

The only thing not really explained clearly about both Inara (the companion) and Shepherd Book was that they had both been on the ship previously. It was alluded to in the mention of "you are a part of my crew" by Mal at the end with Book and the mention of the shuttle being "her" shuttle by Inara and the allusion to her being "driven off the ship" by Kaylee, but these were passing references rather than explicit statements which could have made it clearer.

I've seen people who have gone both ways about that level of sublety in the rendering. Having seen one of the screenings, I can say that they did add more material to make things more understandible for those who had not watched the series. Obviously, not enough for some.


D.

Re: thanks

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

"It was alluded to in the mention of "you are a part of my crew" by Mal at the end"

Oh thank the gods. With no context, that was one of the biggest groaner moments of the film, as Mal apparently claims the Shepherd as some sort of last-rites gesture. If he actually was part of the crew, that scene plays with a lot lower cheese content.

Re: thanks

[zanzaboonda.livejournal.com]

ohhh... I took it the same way you did at first.

That does make more sense, then.

Re: thanks

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

You guys really got to watch the series.

In the pilot of the series, you watch Mal take on passengers as a necessary step to keep his boat running (they have to take any job they can get as members of the failed resistence). Shepherd Book was one of the passengers taken on, as well as River and her brother. Inara was already there, plying her trade from one of the shuttles, as it gave the ship a veneer of respectability to have a trained Companion on board. Sheperd Book is a mystery for the entirety of the series (you figure out he has some heavy government related past, but you never find out what...in fact when Mal says to him "you have to tell me about that sometime" and Book says "no I don't"...that was a big deal.


D.

Re: thanks

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I think we will/should, at some point... of course, watching them out of order with the movie will be slightly weird, but the things we liked about the movie, seem to lend themselves to tv at least as well as the big screen.

Re: thanks

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

I don't think it will be all that wierd, other than the fact that you will know the fate of Wash and Shepherd Book (which will make certain things quite poignant in the series).

It would be my suggestion that you watch the series and then take in the film again.


D.

Re: thanks

[safadancer.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone who loved the movie and the series, and is a rabid Firefly fan...I think that's the point triadruid is trying to make: that the movie doesn't make as much sense if you haven't seen the series. You shouldn't HAVE to watch the series, or have bits explained by someone who has, to understand the movie.

Now, I loved the movie, and I'll see it again in the next few days, and I can't come at it from the point of view of someone who's never seen the shows. But if people are saying "Oh, that makes so much more sense" AFTER having something explained to them...that's not good. And it's not like one of those "What'd he say?...Oh." things. This is "What is that major plot point? Oh."

Re: thanks

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

I would agree that it is problematic, however, I have talked to other people who have watched the film who had not watched the shows that didn't feel as if they weren't keeping up. One said "oh there must be some backstory there" but it didn't effect his enjoyment of the flick at all.

I think it depends on the viewer, at some level.

There were some things they could have explained a bit better, but not necessarily to drive the main plot. I think what they were looking for was a balance between filling in everything and letting the story roll.


D.

Re: thanks

[safadancer.livejournal.com]

Yes, and one of the things my husband said that I totally agreed with was how much more UN-subtle the movie was than the show. We really got bludgeoned over the head with some things that it probably wasn't necessary to bludgeon with.

My favorite example of this is in the beginning, when the Operative is in the Alliance Archives. Someone says something like "He left one of the Core Planets to rescue her," and the Archive In-Charge Guy says, "Yes, gave up a promising career as a doctor, too."

Now, I forget what it's called when you get smacked in the face with a dead fish of exposition (there is a specific term, believe it or not), but that made me laugh every single time because it was so "You MEAN...?"