serenity

no. 78 Serenity

I make it a policy to only to post a movie if I've seen it from beginning to end. If I've got my hands on a DVD, I've got to watch the special features as they may inform me of something I may have missed and enlighten me on a reference that went over my head. In other words, I like to know what I'm talking about. Me? Go figure. I took this a step further. As I was trying to finish the last Firefly DVD, I was frustrated that it kept getting hung up. After cleaning it about three times, logic kicked in: only 11 of the 14 shot episodes were aired, all included on this Disc Four, along with the Special Features. This DVD looked like a piece of crap because it was the most requested of the quartet. Because of the hang ups, I went online to look for scripts so that I "wouldn't miss anything," again, go figure. In this, I found a great essay, which of course, I read before I would post.

In his review, Julian Sanchez waxes somewhat poetic on the concept of existentialist libertarianism of the film. While watching the last episode of the series, "Objects in Space," I felt the ghost of Sarte walking in the quiet corridors of the ship. However, the movie really does hit this head on. We know Mal, his discontent with how life has panned out, the fact that he's just looking to move on his (somewhat) merry way and not to be bothered with anything or by anyone around him. But overall the film does fit nicely into this box...

About the movie - overall, I did enjoy it. To quote the DVD extras, Serenity is the Cinderella story of cancelled tv shows. NO ONE ever gets to wrap their story up in a feature. I really thought Deadwood was gonna at least get a reprise as an made for HBO movie, but even they didn't pull through on their in house property. It's also tough for TV shows to make the leap to big screen (hello Chris Carter, did you really think you could do a second X-Files movie so long after it left the air??) How in the world do you establish characters who have a detailed backstory quickly enough to satisfy the one time viewer but not piss off the rabid fan? The storyline is good enough to stand on its own and follow through with some series mythos - what the hell IS River? (I know it was needed for the movie goer to get what happened to River, but the truth is that we had to learn that her neural cortex was stripped during an episode, Simon wasn't given this bonus when he literally lifted her out of her captor's grasp.)

What didn't I like? The series did such a great job of projecting the syncretism of the two cultures who stood after the dust settled. Not just visually, but verbally. It conveyed the pioneer spirit of the American Wild West with colorful metaphors unsavory to the FCC cloaked in Mandarin. I would assume they toned down on the vernacular previously used so that it didn't alienate a wider film audience. This is where I was terribly disappointed - it was one of my favorite things about the writing. I would have enjoyed the film SO much more with it's word play that made me pause, think and giggle.

You can only tackle so many loose ends. I think Book was a Operative or something similar. The Operative knows that he will not see the Eden he hopes to create, but believes in it's potential so fervently that he will do anything to enable it's creation. It's his belief that makes him who he is and what will lead to his (off screen but pretty self explaintory) death. I think Book may have stopped believing in that particular Eden and looked for something similar, hence his dying words to Mal to believe in something, no matter what that something is. Again, mythos conjecture on my part, but the script clearly led me there. Mal and Inara will continue their unrequited love story, where Kayleigh is finally getting something that doesn't require batteries. Simon and River understand and comprehend. Mal doesn't get his hope back, but he's won a battle, that's for sure. Zoe will always remain the Captain's First Mate.

Now I'm really kicking myself in the ass, wishing I would have gotten on this ship earlier. I really enjoy my Joop pals and am very glad I get to talk about the finer points of LOST with some pretty smart individuals.