Damn… Sunday estimates put the weekend take at about 10.1 million (good for second place. I hope it gets some good word-of-mouth traction.
If you’re still reading this far, I’m guessing the show you saw was Starhunter. The show’s cast changed almost completely from season 1 to season 2, but you could find a similar group of characters in either.
Indeed – surely that isn’t the only dirty secret known to those “key members of Parliament”.
Reynolds mentions in one episode that the pece negotiations dragged on while both sides left there troops suffering in the field. Maybe they handed out medals during that time.
Zoe mentions that Reynolds was in command of some absurd number of troops for a sergeant at one point; maybe there was a battlefield promotion to Captain.
RE: the Reaver timeline.
I know Mal said that the message was at least (about?) 12 years old.
But is it possible that the Pax was administered more than 12 years in the past. Maybe the Alliance took a while to go to Miranda to find out what had happened, why they no longer heard from the people on the planet?
And/or maybe for a few years they only sent small ships to investigate, which disappeared when the Reavers got them?
I guess it’s a stretch.
As for getting to Miranda armed with only a cannon, that makes perfect sense. It’s the Reavers’ planet; they know there’s nothing down there but dead people. What’s going in has to come back out, eventually, and that’s when they’ll attack. I’ve the feeling they’ll let anyone and everyone down to the planet without a fight. Presumably they identified Serenity as not one of their own, despite the disguise, when they flashed her with the light on the way in. It’s the getting back out that’s a challenge.
Depends upon how hungry they are. Or if they need something to decorate there spacecraft. Or if they need a new pair of pants. Or how horny they are. 
Er, but Mal didn’t know it’s the Reaver origin world until he got there.
The simplest explanation is that one cannon is what he could scrounge up at short notice.
Loved the dialogue. I don’t know where to begin, but there were so many places where the tension was thicker than heat on Texas and some line made the entire audience crack up. Like eating the bug. Or Jayne replying that he would survive (he’s the hero, according to him, remember?) Great production overall, and good acting. I also really loved the crew watching Mal and Inara’s conversation (was that popcorn they were eating?)
I don’t feel that Book’s secret needed to come out. When Book said “no, you don’t” in response to Mal, I didn’t take that as foreshadowing that Book’s story wouldn’t be told; I took it as Book simply stating that he wasn’t willing to discuss his past, which seems perfectly in character. And him dying – well, that’s exactly what he would do; take his secrets to the grave. The Serenity crew might or might not have learned Book’s secrets if he had not died; and they may yet; but they were never going to hear them from Book anyhow.
The dramatic tension was good. Some details about the deaths were accidentally spoiled for me; I knew which two characters would die, and that the others would live, before entering the movie. In spite of that, I was still completely surprised and shocked by Wash’s death; I didn’t see that coming. And during the Reaver battle, before river ex whedona saves the day, I began to wonder if everyone was dying, and I had heard wrong. It was just that convincing. He did a good job with that.
I have a few nitpicks:
I miss the opening song. They should have used it somewhere…
In the scene back on Tattoine, I mean, back where Shepherd Book was holding on to deliver his dying cliché lines, did anyone notice that the child the crew looked at, and assumed dead, was very obviously breathing (and therefore alive)? Minor error, I guess.
Every place that Mal’s ever gone to ground was toasted? That’s a lot of places to hit in a short time, not to mention try to find, no? If they were that easy to find, why hasn’t Mal been caught before?
I don’t buy Jubal II’s sudden surrender. He seems very goal oriented, and didn’t really care how bad the Alliance was before. I understand what Whedon was trying to say, but I didn’t see any hint that Jubal II was a person who would come around. It seemed like he would have let the Alliance have the Serenity crew at that point, and certainly wouldn’t help the ship get repaired. That just rings false (character-wise) in my opinion.
Overall, though, it felt too… final. I felt that Whedon tried to reveal all these points that he did not get to in the series – the origin of the Reavers, some of the things the Alliance would go to, River’s background, why they were after her, Kaylee and Simon’s relationship – and used the movie to tie them up. I’m left with the feeling that he’s saying “Okay, now I’m done, and can move on.”
Does anyone have an opinion about River’s state of mind? A few things led us to seeing her as a bit more clear.
First, wasn’t she carrying a book on Dianetics?
But beyond that, after seeing the hologram she retched. When asked if she was ok, she responded yes twice, the second “I’m all right” came out more emphatically and with a tinge of sanity. I don’t know how much can be read into Weadon’s work, but if he drops symbolism here or there, the vomiting right before it could impart some insight.
Then there was the apparent rational decision to kick some Reaver ass. Not the standing around, closing her eyes and helping Kaylee out sort of ass kicking, but a much more determined, “I’ll do it” type of decision.
Lastly, there was her taking the controls in Wash’s place. Seems strange for Mal to suddenly trust her with the controls if he didn’t have some inkling/faith that she wouldn’t go all batty on them again.
So, did anyone else get the impression that she’s some sort of normal now?
Speaking of the final scene—it was great seeing Mal throw Wash’s three mystery switches. It was about the only direct nod to the series we caught. We really wished that someone in the bar scene during Rivers flip-out would have told her “no touching guns.”
Rhythm
I didn’t notice it but it could have been actor error. young child actor may not yet be skilled in holding his breath while all this action is going on around him -
Mrs. Plant…I’m not a woman, so I guess it’s a gender thing, but I thought Mr. Universe was a much more negative portrayal of men than his bot was of women. She’s not even a living thing. She’s just a blow-up doll.
Mr. Universe, on the other hand, typifies the slobbish loser who can’t get laid because he’s too shy around women, and has to satisfy his sexual urges with this metal thing made out of circuits and plastilene flesh. It’s the socially maladjusted basement-dwelling male whacking off to pr0n 500 years from now. I for one hate seeing that archetype but know it exists.
Did the Alliance whack Badger?
Two responses:
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They live in a spaceship, Sam.
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By having the “ion cloud” present they did an end-around on the no sound in space rule, preserving it while still bowing to studio demands that the big space battle have explosions.
I don’t believe the Battle of Serenity Valley was the end of the war. In one episode, someone (I think it was Captain Gay Matt) said something along the lines of “some say Serenity Valley broke the back of the Independents” – it was the turning point, but the war might have lasted months or years longer.
–Cliffy
Yep, I got that too, Whedon ending it on his own terms.
Also, with all the shots of River’s feet, I got the impression Joss was channeling Tarantino.
Overall quite good.
the implication (Zoe’s comment “they didn’t know we were coming here”) is that they followed all 7 trails, the 6 decoys, and Serenity’s itself, and just lay waste to everything
I don’t remember the exact quote The Operative used, but the gist is “if your enemy runs for cover, make sure there’s no cover for him to run to”
Prior to this movie, though, much of what was ‘known’ about the Reavers consisted of wild rumour and speculation, helped along by spectacularly bloody raids that might not have been all that frequent. I find the movie suffers when the Reavers are shown to be pretty much exactly as feared. It would’ve been a nice opportunity to throw in an extra twist, but I guess the movie was complicated enough already.
I’d like to work up a comprehensive review, but given all the nitpicky stuff I feel deserves address at least among the true believers it would be next door to impossible. So, I’ll just address some points, hoping you’ll just take it as read that I loved the movie:
The Lack of Western Feel – they underplayed the western aspect. Well, obviously there was no place for horseback chases in the story. But I noticed that Mal’s braces were no longer Civil War era style, with buttons outside the pants, but were these thick rubbery things that clipped onto plastic looking things on the pants. There was also no fiddle music. They did have some western-style dialogue, but this will surely seem strange to an audience given no other clue about the way genre is being played with in the series.
The Technology – I liked the hover capabilities of the new mule, and the fact that Serenity now has ambulatory landing gear, but they made me think that it would be difficult to go back to a TV show budget after that. In the show, the crew often seem to be using caseless ammo fired electronically. In the movie, we see Jayne’s ammo is clearly not caseless, and indeed we can hear the clinking of spent casings when he fires into the vault.
Miranda – The planet is in extreme orbit, which will help hide it, though it provokes questions about how it manages to get enough sunlight. But I get the impression that what’s really hiding it is that nobody wants to go through Reaver territory. Since it moves in an orbit like any other planet, this would have to mean that the Reaver territory rings the solar system. But if the Reavers are only one tenth of one percent of 30 million, that’s a lot of territory to cover. Plus, how did people just lie down and stop caring when there were these Reavers being born among them? Also, I had the impression that Joss was trying to capture the feel of 70’s sci-fi cinema when he filmed this part.
The Reavers – We only ever see them when they’re berzerking, but clearly they’re doing a great deal of organizing and logistics, which must be difficult to organize after you’ve stapled your lips back. They are supposed to be hyper aggressive, which doesn’t explain anything. Like the zombies in 28 days later, they do not tear their own kind apart, which you would expect from sheer aggression. They also engage in organized behavior designed to create more of their kind. I buy it for the sake of the plot, but I don’t buy that aggression is all there is to it. There is still a great mystery here.
Training the Reavers – It seems plausible that The Captain expected a fleet waiting for him, but even though the ion cloud was shown early in the episode I sort of clucked at how conveniently it was placed to create a dramatic reveal.
Firefly/Serenity Continuity – That Mal considered the Tams part of his crew was established at least twice that I can immediately call to mind. At the beginning of the movie, he suddenly doesn’t, and we don’t know why. It might be because he doesn’t have Book and Inara on board, as some have said, and has turned into Captain Mean Old Crankypants. We know from the commentaries that Joss Whedon had wanted Mal to be a more bitter character in the series and then grow into a softer one as the series developed, but the network wouldn’t let him, and it seems like he was trying to retroactively squeeze it into the movie. But it’s a shame to have to understand a story based on some fact external to the story.
The Operative – I think his change of heart made sense. He saw that his trust in others to make the world better was misplaced. I also get the impression that he had been cooperative in getting the crew of Serenity back on their feet. There was some line about “patching them up.” I also favor the theory that Book was one once like this guy, but was turned around because of something perhaps similar.
Wash’s Death – Early in the movie I noted, “Huh. I guess Zoe’s a pretty good pilot, too.” That thought came back to me when the spike went through Wash’s chest, though it turns out that The Captain and River are also qualified. I don’t know that I’d have done it with a sudden spike if I’d have been writing, but the sudden certitude of it at least eliminated false hope. And indeed I experienced for the first time since Ariel the unique sensation of seriously believing they would kill off a major character. It was spread misere from then on. The second time I watched it, just hearing the line “I’m a leaf on the wind” broke my heart.
Jayne – He went through a tremendous and unsubtle change in character that doesn’t make much sense. He checks other people’s seat belts? He is clearly heroic in the stand off against the reavers? I mean, I do think that he has an even stronger reaction to the Reavers than anyone else. It seems to affect him deeply, and I had the impression that he was enobled by a chance to do something about them. But this is interpretation – it’s not at all clear what motivates his change.
For those who Haven’t Watched the Show – Obviously the characters who die wouldn’t affect a stranger to the series so deeply. It would seem like they just killed off a couple of throwaway characters. A lot of nuances of character would be missed. Kaylee would probably come across as a slut rather than as a free spirit, because her two big lines are about how horny she is. They didn’t have time for those domestic scenes you get in the show with everyone sitting around the table eating dinner, so you never get the feel for Serenity as a home. A speech about ‘loving your ship’ can’t create that ex nihilo. You get no glimpse into the spark between Mal and Inara.
Assorted Nitpicks – The incriminating evidence can only be broadcast from one place? Yeah, right. It conveniently turns out that a crucial nerve cluster has been moved in Mal’s back, but he knows to play possom when it’s hit? Um, maybe. If it’s a well-known maneuver. In a world in which it’s possible to hide an entire planet, the feed from a tavern’s two-way vidscreen run by criminals who conduct business there can be collected far, far away? No. The Op just happens to walk right by the flashbomb set up several minutes ago just as it’s ready to go off? Nuh uh. The Alliance, who for months hasn’t been able to get a bead on The Tams all of the sudden knows all of Serenity’s hideouts? Suspect at best. Book of all his camp managed to live long enough to deliver a speech? Please. A professional assassin leaves a guy alive long enough that he can play possom for the whole time it takes for some schmucks to wreck his command center and then crawl away and die while leaving a message? Feh.
Good Stuff – Clearly, despite the fact that Glau has been mostly called upon to deliver unfocused fey expressions, Whedon must have noticed that she could do marvelous things with a cocked eyebrow. We also get to see Jayne being competent, which is an important thing about his character I felt got underplayed in some episodes of the series. He’s good at what he does.
I suspect people are right about some things like sound in space being studio interference. Perhaps this even explains the lack of fiddle music. And perhaps this will be corrected with the Director’s Cut DVD.
And the Best Little Whorehouse in Space?
Maybe they just whacked everything in the area Mal was in, not everything everywhere.
Loved the movie. Agree with most of the favorable points made
A few thoughts:
- The Chinese: I also wondered why with so much Chinese influences there aren’t any major characters that are Chinese. The only reasoning I could come up with is that it is the dominant culture and lingua franca. Just as here in the States you have a lot of people who are clearly not Anglo-Saxon using English.
Also it occured to me that the Tams are Chinese, at least in name. They’re name might be a Han Chinese name, but with intermingling for generations they no longer resemble ethnic Chinese.
- I think the Reavers are much more complicated that just 28 Days Later style zombies. Yeah, it seems weird that they can pilot ships and broadcast their atrocities, but it takes a weird sort of intelligence to not just kill you, but torture you for days on end. I think that is why they didn’t shoot River. No pleasure in shooting someone to death. Shooting you so that they can get closer with flesh-tearing weapons, yeah. Shooting you to make more orifices for them to rape, yeah.
Also the Parliament members seem like guys who although disappointed that Pax didn’t work as planned, would be able to see the ‘silver lining’ in gaining a chem weapon. They seem like guys who would no have any qualms about using Pax again. Maybe that is how the Reaver ranks are being replenished. Any planet on the Fringe that is doing too well and might be a thorn for the Alliance gets a special delivery. Everyone would assume that the planet got ravaged by Reavers.
Also the Reavers served the additional purpose of making the Alliance seem more attractive. Yeah, you might be a guy who doesn’t like the Alliance and all their laws, but one close escape from the Reaver might make Alliance Hegemony look real good.
-Is it just me or did River seem almost designed to fight Reavers.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor is phenomenal. The man definitely has screen presence. He was also good in ‘Four Brothers’.
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I found it interesting that three of the big badasses in the 'Verse are black men. Seems like any match up between Jubal Early, The Operative, and Shepherd Book would be even money.