When the X-Files theatrical addition to the wildly successful tv series came out, thousands of devoted fans flocked to the theatre to jeer at the near kiss between Mulder and Scully. The movie capped a decade of alien abduction stories, and unexplained phenomena that ranged from being horribly grotesque, to puzzling, and downright intruiguing. Everyone knew that Mulder had a penchant for porn, was nicknamed Spooky, and had a sister that suddenly vanished when he was young, kicking off a lifelong quest for "The Truth". Scully was scientific, religious, and cautious about jumping to conclusions.
When Serenity hit the theaters, it was at a time were Lucas had just finished off Episode III containing mind dazzing graphics effects that unfortunately included a detracting, less than believable love story, and a rushed attempt to tie up loose ends leading to Episode IV. Star Trek as well, had branched off in more directions than I care to detail here, but the discovery of new worlds and civilizations always seemed too distant to relate to in any meaningful way, and there were never typical problems with dirt or rust that such travel must have worn on the the Enterprise/Space Station/shuttle craft. In stark contrast was Galaxy Quest where humor, believable characters, and seemingly real world problems abound. Serenity seemed to bring the best of each of these flavors to the big screen in it's theatrical debut, leaving most anyone that took the chance to see it, pleasantly surprised by the result.
What many people didn't know, was that like X-Files, Serenity was an extension of a tv series called Firefly, leaving me to wonder where the series had fallen short before it's cancellation. As I paused to consider the possibilities I remembered the trailer for the show depicting a space ship flying over a herd of wild mustangs. The answer had to be positioning. I remembered immediately how stupid the idea has seemed, and did not give the show another thought at that time. As I loaded the 3rd DVD from the canceled series and uploaded up the theme song on to my phone as my ring tone, I couldn't believe how wrong I had been.
Apparently I'm not the only one who has discovered Firefly through Serenity. On my commute to work the other week, as I rounded the freeway onramp at the metering light, bellow the "one car per green" sign was a bumper sticker that read "Finally a good movie: Serenity". While the explosions were bigger, and the details grander in Serenity, the Firefly series lost nothing in translation, and did a superb job of retaining familiarity with an entertaining sci fi twist. The mix between old west bandits and futuristic smugglers with a crew including a captain that doesn't know how to fly the ship, a strong willed woman that mixed it up with the shadiest of characters, an emotional female engine mechanic, and a highly regarded companion that could be considered an intergalactic escort all working together to make a living in the cold, lonely clutches of outer space, and the even colder reality of survival among the human race. Subplots of morality, spirituality, bravery, and comradery made every episode seemingly better than the previous.
The movie left me wanting the series to be resurrected, and hoping for a movement of both the original cult fans and a whole new group of followers that have discovered Firefly through Serenity.
No comments:
Post a Comment