Finally! I was about to bemoan the fact that no one else has even mentioned Serenity since I posted last weekend. Thanks! I agree with you that everyone was fleshed out, and the movie kicks into high gear and stays there. And like you, my test is whether I want to see a movie more than once. If I really love it, I'll see it three or four times, like all the Lord of the Rings flicks, Batman Begins, etc. i definitely want to see "Serenity" at least one more time. By the way, it made about ten mill last weekend, which was in line with the studio's expectations.
-----Original Message----- From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of B. Smith Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 15:40 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: "Serenity" Everything I Expected--and More I loved the series and the movie was even better. Not many folks saw it with us but the audience was into it and a couple of moments had people gasping out loud. The true test of a how much I like a movie is whether I want to see it again. I saw Serenity last night and I wanted to stay and watch again as soon as the movie ended. I loved it. The introduction of the Operative was excellent. From there the movie shifts into high gear and we get a bank robbery, a narrow escape, traps, betrayals, great one liners, an epic space battle and some unexpected twists. If you've never seen the show you can watch the movie and enjoy it as a standalone film. If you were a fan it becomes something much more. Characters are fleshed out, a couple of mysteries from the series are solved and we get the introduction of a great movie villain. Chiwetel Ejiofor has another breakout role as The Operative. He and Summer Glau aka River steal the show. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Saw "Serenity" yesterday. Really enjoyed it! I was concerned that Whedon > would be able to make a standalone movie that was true to the series, > yet enjoyable on the big screen. I'm sure we've all seen directors who > have trouble moving from television to the theatre: the pacing, camera > angles, dialogue, etc., all still seem "small", as if someone had taken > a little picture and tried to blow it up into a blurry larger one. > Whedon, however, shows little of that weakness. "Serenity" looks good > on the big screen. The directing is sharp, FX are mostly good and > convincing, the sets, vistas and action expertly handled. It looks like > a "real" movie. The dialogue is sharp and often funny in the midst of > turmoil, just like we've come to expect from Whedon. One minute it's > deadly serious, then someone cracks wise and the audience cracks up, and > the next moment, back to deadly serious. I won't divulge the story > other than to say that questions about River get answered, and some > secrets about the Alliance are revealed. The crew faces the ultimate > test as they struggle with the decision of trying to save everyone, or > sacrificing some for the good of the others. > > I was struck at how *good* all the actors are. Though none are exactly > household names, they were as capable as many better-known actors. This > is especially true of Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, and Summer Glau. > Glau is moving with her portrayal of the sympathetic, > vulnerable-but-dangerous River, whose genius has been warped by the > Alliance for their own purposes. The performance is all the more > impressive given that Glau had to do all her fight scenes without the > benefit of stunt doubles! Torres brings her trademark commanding > presence to the role of Zoe, which tests her more than anything in the > series ever did. Torres is in fine acting and fighting form, having > trimmed down to a sleeker size (not that she was ever heavy!) She's > trully a warrior. Fillion to my mind carried the movie. His Captain Mal > Reynolds has always been complex, one moment a heroic freedom fighter, > the next a smal-time smuggler doing whatever he has to do to survive; > here a caring father figure protecting his crew, there a bullying > commander letting his inner demons drive him. Not quite a hero, but > often heroic, Reynolds is one of the most realistic ship captains we've > seen in a scifi series. The challenges in this movie test the dual > sides of his nature to the extreme. It'd be a shame if Fillion doesn't > get more high-profile acting jobs. The remaining cast does a great job. > Some of their roles are smaller than others, but each is memorable. > Chiwetel Ejiofor is effectively chilling as the Alliance assassin who's > all the more dangerous because he *believes* that his leaders are making > a better world for humanity. > > I had a couple of minor complaints. A few action scenes were marred by > an over-active camera. A couple of scenes seemed to have been edited > down for time, making me wish the characters had more time to explore > specific situations. I wish they could have used some of the cast more. > There were some lingering questions about plot resolutions and what is > to come next (hopefully another movie!) > > But overall I found "Serenity" to be engrossing. It's engaging, serious, > fun, nail-biting, hilarious, poignant, full of edge-of-the-seat action, > and sad. A couple of developments really got to me, I was upset at > times, emotionally drained at the end, but I was never bored. This is > an impressive effort, especially for someone who's done the bulk of his > work on TV (and writing for comics), and especially for a cancelled TV > series. Kudos to Whedon and his fine actors. This *definitely* calls > for either more movies, a renewal of the series--or both. By the way, > to answer a common question, you can still enjoy this movie even if > you've never watched the TV series. I feel the experience would be more > rewarding and involving for those who've seen the series, but it's not a > necessity. > > Oh--one more thing. I saw the film in the middle of the day on Saturday, > not at the cheap matinee, and not at the more crowded night showing. > Still the theatre was full, as were the showings before and after mine. > Hopefully this bodes well for the weekend ticket sales. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] SPONSORED LINKS Science <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Science+fiction+and+fantasy&w1=Scie nce+fiction+and+fantasy&w2=Music+genres&w3=Genre+magazine&c=3&s=71&.sig= WW5HCAgpfChc95M2eIZwBA> fiction and fantasy Music <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Music+genres&w1=Science+fiction+and +fantasy&w2=Music+genres&w3=Genre+magazine&c=3&s=71&.sig=eBBC-oYTvZZOh4b _F7hgIA> genres Genre <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Genre+magazine&w1=Science+fiction+a nd+fantasy&w2=Music+genres&w3=Genre+magazine&c=3&s=71&.sig=bCgD6I32HHduG k_b5XfJDg> magazine _____ YAHOO! 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