Serenity is a Big Damn Roller Coaster

I've just finally seen Serenity. So, if you're concerned about spoilers, bugger off now—if you cared about spoilers, you should've already seen the big damn movie.

Some quick, fully spoiled thoughts:

In any case, this was the first movie I've seen in at least a decade that had me wanting to walk out, go straight to get another ticket, and watch it over again. Like I remember doing a few times with roller coasters when I was little.

I am surprised that the truth managed to snap him out of it, though. Religious zealots seem very rarely turned by the facts. It was a good admission at the end though, having failed the mission, when he said "there's nothing left to see".

And, of course, in the movie as independent from the series, the Shepherd wasn't given much story to become a central concern. But, he got his dying scene and a fairly closure-rich exit.

Archived Comments

  • My wife and I were both deeply disappointed by Serenity... and part of it is was the treatment of Wolver-- I mean, River. To my mind, her character was completely trivialized as Joss recycled yet another plotline from 70-80's X-Men stories.

    RE: the guys with the blue gloves... see the Serenity prequel for more on them.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593074492

  • Heh --- it was your post about "pulling an Enterprise-D" that I was thinking about when we saw Serenity last week. I thought "They're doing it! They're wrecking the ship!" and then that harpoon came and for once I really wanted someone to find the Deux Ex Machina switch that'd turn back time. Sniff.

  • I feel the same way - the first movie, perhaps since Star Wars, that I wanted to watch again as soon as it was over the first time. I think Wash's death traumatized some of the Firefly fans (one guy I talked to asked "why would you do that to yourself?" when I told him that I planned to see it again) but it's what makes Whedon's stories believable -- people actually die, in pointless ways that make the stories more real. Sadder, perhaps, but more real.

    Based on its box office performance, I'm not optimistic that there will be a Serenity II -- but if not, it was a very suitable way to close the book on those characters.

  • I too wanted to see the Blue Gloves. I thought the prequel story was weak closure on that thread.

    If there is a Serenity 2, they better find someone to fill Wash's void. He was my favorite of the series...

    I am a leaf on the wind

  • hate to say it (well, not really i don't... :-), but: told you so.

  • I remember a theatre director once telling me that you shouldn't have a gun on stage because everyone knows it's not going to go off. I thought of this when Wash was killed (after my heart broke) - the gun went off this time. And then I had the same thought you did: Damn, they might all die. Mal may lose, after all this. You have to respect that lack of conceit, that unwillingness to be precious, on Whedon's part.

    But, sadly, I think it was also a signal to all the fans: There will be no encore.

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