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Post by tjaman on Oct 10, 2005 10:51:28 GMT -5
I'm a copycat on the boards ... watch how I emulate.
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 10, 2005 20:51:47 GMT -5
I was kinda hoping for ...
I'm a bored diva on the Fraud, watch how I throw a tantrum.
;D
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Post by tjaman on Oct 10, 2005 22:07:02 GMT -5
Pshaw. I haven't thrown a tantrum in hours.
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 10, 2005 22:09:13 GMT -5
Which means you should be due for one ....
Now.
Have at it.
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Post by Charisma69 on Oct 10, 2005 22:15:31 GMT -5
I was kinda hoping for ...
I'm a bored diva on the Fraud, watch how I throw a tantrum.
;D
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Post by tjaman on Oct 10, 2005 22:16:07 GMT -5
OK, I'm a bored diva on the boards. Watch how I ...
* gets staked *
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 10, 2005 22:40:45 GMT -5
Why does this feel more like Book's death than Wash's?
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 11, 2005 5:50:07 GMT -5
Enough time has passed that I can now think about Serenity without automatically thinking of making a Joss-shaped doll and sticking it with pins. And yes, that means you guys will get subjected to my thoughts of the movie, whether you want to or not. Mwahahaha, for mine is an evil laugh.
Here's the thing, over the months before I saw the movie. I have inadvertantly been exposed to some spoilers of the movie, some minor, some major, all by accident, and totally my fault. Some of it did ruin some minor aspect of the movie for me, and the one that I thought would, didn't. (I'll go in to that later)
Anyway, I'd thought it'd be fun to list the spoilers I've seen, and explain how it affected the movie for me.
- River's trigger. This was one of the earliest spoilers I've found out about, and mostly, it didn't really affect the movie that much since it's revealed in the first 9 minutes of the movie.
- River's Rape Okay, this one was totally a red herring, but I fell for it. Until I saw the movie, I believed that River eventually gets raped in the movie. So glad that didn't happen.
- The origin of the Reavers Now this one did spoil some of the effects of the show for me, since I knew ahead of time that the Alliance had something to do with the Reavers, though not how. I had assumed that the Alliance engineered them the same way that they did River. Turns out I was wrong, but it did spoil the moment of the big reveal for me.
- Wash Dying Possibly the biggest spoiler I've seen, and one that least affected my enjoyment due to the skillfull misdirection of Joss Whedon, whether intentionally or not. By having Book bite it early on in the movie, I had convinced myself that it was another red herring on the net, or the poster couldn't tell the difference between Book and Wash. Never did it occur to me that Joss might actually kill off two main cast members, though in retrospect, I should have suspected. This is Joss were talking about. Either way, I'm glad I didn't think of that, because I totally didn't see Wash's death coming. It was like I wasn't spoiled after all.
Anyway, on to the movie.
The opening sequence segued the exposition nicely into some backstory on River and Simon. I know some people had problems with this, since this scene openly contradicts what Simon said in the series, but there are kinda 2 ways to see this. 1) Either Joss did some creative retconning to make the story fit better, or 2) Simon wasn't, and still isn't telling the whole truth. While the first one is more likely, the second one certainly has potential for future a plot. After, in Joss's world, there's always consequences.
And then we meet The Operative, the 'verse's version of the shadow killer, moving freely within and without the goverment to protect it's interest. While the concept of The Operative itself is not the most original creation, but the part is played with just the right amount of awareness by Mr. Ejiofor that it's neither undertstated, nor overstated. It might be of interest to note that the sword, a kitana, and the concept of harikiri as a good death are both Japanese Concepts.
Then, possibly my favourite scene in the whole movie, the Title, which zooms out to reveal our beloved Serenity, flying through the space. It was a moment, the moment, in fact, when I a thought occured to me. "I'm home" The score accompanying this scene was just so well done, intergrating so seemlessly into the moment that it only heightened the feeling, reaching it's peak when we zoom into the cockpit to focus on Wash and Mal. A feeling of Deja Vu hit me, when Whedon did his trademark long cut throughout the ship, showing us which goes where. If you remember, he did the same thing in Serenity Pt. 1. A homage? Very likely.
The heist itself was a fairly routine scene, at least until the Reavers showed up. And that's when the adrenaline started kicking in. The escape scene was intense, and evokes memory of the Reaver Chase Serenity pt. 2, with great lines by Jayne and River ("If they get me, promise you'll shoot me too." "Not now", "I swallowed a bug"). I can't say Simon knocking the s**t out Mal was a big surprise; it was certainly building up to this moment since the series, but some seem to think it's out of character. Eh
Simon and River leaving seemed inevitable, in light of both Book and Inara not being onboard. In my opinion, both of them were sort of a buffer between Mal and everyone else, and with them gone ... let's just say I'm not that surprised that Mal would be this bitter and dark. Of course, it never goes that easily, and The Alliance chooses this moment to activate the trigger in River, and she goes all Dana-like, only she doesn't wind up in a crappy teen-drama show.
So what do you do when you get into these type of problems? Go see a priest, of course. So they jet of to find sanctuary with Lorne, I mean, Book, who then consoles and advices our intrepid hero about belief. *lightbulb moment* And at this point, every browncoat and his mother immediately thinks Book at one point has been an Operative. The thought had occured to me at the time, but it seemed too ... simplistic for Joss. Eh. Well find out soon enough, I'm sure.
So, some more exposition about Miranda, and some great facial expression from River ("Am I talking to Miranda now") before we fly off again, this time for some companionship. And once again, we're exposed to Mal's female clothing fetish as he tries to rescue Inara from the Operative. And I love, love , love Mal shooting first, even though I've seen it umpteenth time in the trailers. ("Let's talk like civilized man ... I'm unarmed" "Good" *blam*)It's just something that he'd do. And I like that it was Inara that rescues him instead, much like their relationship.
So, now the cast is back together, oh wait, they forgot to pick up Book. Well, only thing to do would be to fly back and ... huh. So much for his backstory. Truth be told, I didn't feel much over his death. Make no mistake, I loved his character in the series, yet his role in the movie seemed ... perfunctory. There wasn't enough time to fall in love with his character all over again, like I have with the others.
He did serve two purpose in the movie though, to set Mal's path, and to make Mal angry enough to do what he was about to do, though I had a feeling anyone could have filled that role.
Anyway, Mal's pissed, and he's there's hell to pay. Little advice, don't piss off a man with tight pants cause they're so very unpredictable. I think it has something to do with the fact he doesn't get much blood circulating his nether region. Anyway, Mal comes up with a plan to fool the Reavers, and it actually works. I felt slightly sick to see them doing that to Serenity though. And if I felt sick, I wonder how Kaylee felt about it.
They finally reach Miranda, and she's dead. The dead people look slightly icky, and the horror buff in me expected one of them to come to life in the close up scene. Kinda disappointed when that didn't happen. The reveal of the Reavers origin didn't do much for me, though I think it probably would have if it hadn't known about it beforehand. And this is why you shouldn't see out spoilers.
And if you thought Mal's pissed before ... it's worse now. He's actually righteous with anger now, and that makes him mighty. So he stops running, and decides to take the fight to the Alliance and showing that they can't stop the signal. And all with a Firefly class ship with a last minute gun turret addition. Seems impossible, doesn't it? But one thing you learn from watching Joss shows (and Not Fade Away) is that you don't underestimate the little guy, cause when you belief enough ...
In possible the coolest scene in the movie, we see The Operative going from calm confidence as he prepares to destroy Serenity to outright panic when The Reavers appear is immensely satisfying. And we see again (or for the first time, depending on your browncoat status) why Wash is simply the best pilot in the 'verse. Plenty of chuckles amidst the action, most coming from Wash ("I'm a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar", Wash explaining to Mal "I'm a leaf on the wind" "What does that mean?", "No" "Yes" "No" "Yes" "No" "Yes")
If you're reading this, then you know what happens next. It would've been a good death if done by anyone else just by the strength of the script alone, but Alan Tudyk made so much more than that. The look of disbelieve in his face, the wonder of it all, that he had managed to bring them out safely, the contemplative tone as he recites his mantra ... All of it elevates from a good death to a great one, one that will be felt for a long time to come. Kudos to Alan for his performance of a simple man doing everything to be with the woman he loves.
The next scene felt alot like how I imagined the Angel finale would have been had it continued, and it some way, I think Joss does too. And there are so many great moments here that I don't think I can do them justice. Zoe's calm demeanor as she reloads her gun, but you can feel her anger simmering beneath the surface. Zoe's suicidal need to do some violence. Kaylee's "Wait, where's Wash" line and subsequent "Hell with this, I'm living" rejoinder. Jayne's "well, I might" to Zoe's "None of us is getting out alive". The moment when you think she's right. The final showdown between Mal and The Operative and the screwdriver. River kicking ass and taking names later, and her subsequent "Anne" moment. The dinosaurs was almost too much.
The movie ends with Serenity, 2 crew down, but still flying. And perhaps that is the most important message in the movie, that you keep flying, no matter what.
But probably not.
So, final verdict? I LOVED the movie and I simply can't wait till I see it in the big screen.
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 11, 2005 5:53:39 GMT -5
Whoa ...
That turned out longer that I intended it to be.
You were warned.
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Post by tickie on Oct 11, 2005 9:23:47 GMT -5
I knew you'd end up loving it, I'm glad you finally got to see it though. December is a long time to wait.
Nick I think your review made my allergies act up....
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Post by tjaman on Oct 11, 2005 11:29:41 GMT -5
Why does this feel more like Book's death than Wash's?
You heartless -- and yet magnificent -- bastage! ;D
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Post by Charisma69 on Oct 11, 2005 15:43:47 GMT -5
Whoa ...
That turned out longer that I intended it to be.
You were warned.
That. Was. Awesome!!!
But now you've gone and got my allergies acting up again Damn you!
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Post by Dr. Purple Goddess on Oct 11, 2005 17:03:07 GMT -5
Aye Nick, loved what you wrote about the movie.
Gotta ask though, has anyone around here waxed poetical about the gracefulness of River's dance with the Reavers? Well, I would but really only got one thing to say...beautiful.
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Post by GreatMuppetyNick on Oct 11, 2005 20:44:57 GMT -5
Thanks guys.
And I always loved the movie as a whole, but Wash's death did kinda eclipse everything for a while there. It's this love-hate relationship I have with Joss's works.
I've read a lot of people complimenting her "dance" moves, Feigy. I would too, if I could actually see it from the grainy image I got.
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Post by Aunt Arlene on Oct 12, 2005 19:43:18 GMT -5
That was a wonderful review, Nick.
I loved your list too, tj. I just got around to reading it.
I was impressed by both.
Cupcakes for all.
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