Serenity

[qos]

Serenity was quite a ride -- and not at all what I expected. But I can't imagine anyone who isn't a fan of Firefly getting a lot out of it. For me, the intensity of the experience was primarily because of my own emotional investment in the characters.



I don't know if Glass and Tudyk had "other commitments" or Joss is just nervey, but I did not expect him to kill off two of the series regulars in what is supposed to be the first of several movies. However, it certainly helped up the ante on the climax. I knew that there is a multi-picture deal that's been made, but I also believed in my gut that it was entirely possible the entire group could die. Or that at least one more of them might.

The performances were good, and the writing kept up the delicate balance between humor and intensity. The story was good. The chemistry between the characters was good, and consistent with the series.

Except.

Except that I was left with the impression that River is now supposed to be "cured." That the secret she was carrying about the Reavers was what scrambled her brain. And I don't think that fits with what we saw in the series. It doesn't fit with what Simon has said was done to her brain. I felt like it was a relatively cheap "fix". And I didn't like that. The Alliance has been after her all along, and I've always thought it was because she was an incredibly powerful weapon. Now it seems that it's more about secrets she might or might not have picked up in the presence of officials?

Nope. I don't buy it.

But still worth seeing, and I'll probably buy the DVD when it comes out.

Comments

[rhonan.livejournal.com]

I don't get that River is cured, just that she has now gained some control over her demons. I would suspect that there just might be more things hidden in her mind, and that the Aliance is not going to back down, as they know there's more there. I think it will show up as her being mostly in control, but losing it every time one of the memories starts to churn about.

[bbovenguy.livejournal.com]

Given Joss Whedon's track record, I'd say look for one or both of the dead characters to come back in the next movie. And be evil.

I'm just surprised he decided to kill off men. That's something different.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I was going to disagree with you on your first assertion, because this isn't the Buffy-verse -- but then I read Joss's comments in the Serenity visual companion in which he says that both characters could come back in the future.

Color me sceptical as to how that would work in a verse where an unquiet afterlife is not already part of the scenario. . . but we'll see.