Why this brilliant series was cancelled is beyond not only myself, but a fair few other people judging by the growing number of Browncoats on the web. If the term I just used whistled over your head rest assured that this will not be the case by the end of this review. Suffice to say Firefly converted me from only healthy sci-fi geekery (Star Trek, Stargate, Star Wars etc) to fully-fledged obsession. For your £14.43 (delivered) to Amazon you get four DVDs and fourteen episodes of complete perfection that personally speaking, will remain a favourite for the rest of my life.
An extremely good summary of the plot can be found in the other review of this DVD, so I will merely precis it here: 500 years into a post-apocalyptic future, a ship of smugglers unaffiliated with the dominant system power (the Alliance) take on a pair of fugitives. The series follows the adventures of the crew as they take on jobs smuggling goods in and around the border planets (those terraformed to resemble Earth but undeveloped and barely colonised) and the core planets (essentially city-worlds). The border planets have largely regressed
to technology which is more rustic and easy to maintain, and so have come to resemble the old Wild West in appearance and moral code. For reasons unknown the Alliance really, really want one of the fugitives back and will do anything to achieve their end.
When simplified so objectively it doesn't seem all that groundbreaking. However, after one episode the Firefly/Serenity universe leaped into my top five...ever. Yes, the premise is odd, but it works owing to a combination of superb acting, fabulous writing and really, really good cinematography. It's just so darn pretty - every frame is simply a delight. I was particularly impressed with the computer-generated sequences in space outside the ship - for a start, there's no sound (hurrah!) and it's been made to look like it was filmed, somewhat impossibly, using a hand-held camera. It feels real.
It has that self-aware, wisecracking style so redolent of Whedon in spades. I don't know whether you are familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel or all the good lines in X-Men and Aliens 4, but Joss Whedon is the man responsible. He has a genius for realistic characters, comedy and making you feel like you've known a group of his creations for years. I appreciate that some people got annoyed with the Valley Girl-isms of Buffy - here it's more about a language and lexicon that has evolved from an interplanetary scattering of cultures, with that same wit retained. It's for this reason that the characters will occasionally break into Chinese (the idea being that the two superpowers on Earth annihilated each other and the survivors escaped to other planets). This is reflected in the soundtrack, along with the predominant country sound that goes with the Western theme. I could just listen to Firefly without the picture as the thought that has gone into the writing is so evident and gratifying. And it's absolutely, utterly hilarious, ripping the guts out of the stiff, overly mannered faux-science arsewittery that poor belatexed actors usually have to spout in spacebound series.
The extras on the DVD are amusing and absorbing - having Joss natter on in the commentary as to why they did this or that is fascinating. I loved the blooper reel and the 'making of' documentary, as well as the commentaries by Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk (who play Malcolm Reynolds and Wash respectively). The latter induced embarassing guffawing. As much as there was, I just wanted more - this universe sucks you in by means of original ideas and emotionally involving characters.
Malcom Reynolds as the captain of the ship is not, as has been alleged, a carbon copy of Han Solo. For a start he'd sure as hell shoot first (and frequently does to my delight). The crew are a varied collection of characters, each interesting and with a depth rarely seen in similar series. This is not hard sci-fi (although doesn't do that badly) and it does not need to be. It's all about those characters and I could watch another ten series about them if those network executives would bloody well pull their finger out. Apparently, it was axed for the utter toilet that is Dark Angel, and the heart does sink a little at this. But Firefly (and Serenity) will always soar. Watch this series. It will be good for your soul.
And the Browncoats? Well, it's a name for a Firefly fan. In the series, it means- pssht, just buy it. Seriously.
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Production Year: 2004 - Science Fiction - Director: Alex Proyas - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, Alan Tudyk
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Much praised and much missed after its premature cancellation,Fireflyis the first SF TV ... more
series to be conceived by Joss Whedon, creator ofBuffyand cocreator ofAngel. Set five centuries in the future, it is a show where the mysterious personal pasts of t...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
All 14 Series EpisodesFive hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and a ... more
crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food ...
Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier and the crew of the ... more
Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job legal or illegal to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But th...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Much praised and much missed after its premature cancellation,Fireflyis the first SF TV ... more
series to be conceived by Joss Whedon, creator ofBuffyand cocreator ofAngel. Set five centuries in the future, it is a show where the mysterious personal pasts of t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: The boxset is inexspensive, and you can also get a feature length movie called Serenity to go with it, long lasting entertainment, crosses genres so that nonsci fi fans still get hooked Disadvantages: Fox cancelled it, so unless someone commisons more, this is it. Did I mention this show is addictive?
Advantages: Excellent script/writing, fantastic characters, and a good overall "look" and "feel" to the show. Disadvantages: There is only one season of Firefly
![Firefly - The Complete Series [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78518679.jpg "Firefly - The Complete Series [DVD] [2003]")
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