Firefly

I saw Serenity in Charlotte on Thursday night, and - oh God, oh God, is this movie good. I said before that this movie would rock and I love it when I’m right.

I was one of those people who didn’t see Firefly until the DVDs came out. I became an immediate fan. Two of the things I wanted to know (as if this is a surprise to any other fans out there) was the back-story on Book and what they did to River. Now, one of those mysteries has been solved, and when the big reveal came, it was enough to shake even Jayne to his core.

IF all you’ve seen so far is the trailer, you’ve seen absolutely nothing. Let me repeat - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Most of the scenes in the trailer take place in the first third of the film. If you’ve managed to remain spoiler-free for this long, take my advice and remain that way at all costs. You’re only going to cheat yourself out of one hell of an experience otherwise.

A lot of people are trying to compare this movie to Star Wars, and you just can’t do that. Star Wars is sci-fi for kids of all ages: bloodless fight scenes, clear lines drawn between good and evil, cute furry aliens. Serenity is none of that. Serenity is for grown-ups. The main thing the two movies have in common is that both creators had a vision; George Lucas dreamed of spaceships and robots and aliens and amazing effects and beautiful awe-inspiring visuals and (some) fun characters, where Joss Whedon dreamed of characters who make mistakes while trying to do the right thing and bad guys who might not be all bad and, above all, a well written story. (By the way, I’m a big fan of the Original Star Wars trilogy. Not so much Episodes I-III.)

Chris Buchanan attended the show with us and I talked to him a bit before the movie. I told him my concerns about the non-descript movie poster, and he assured me a new poster was on the way, one with a bit more flash and character. He held a Q-and-A session after the movie and signed autographs later in the hall, where we got our key chains, mini-posters and postcards.

For anyone worried about the non-fans being able to follow the movie, let me assure you that it shouldn’t be a problem. My daughter, who has seen maybe three scenes total of the TV show, thoroughly enjoyed the movie and had no trouble keeping up or figuring out the relationships of the crew. In fact, she now wants to watch the DVDs. Another convert, coming up.

I wish I could go all out and talk about everything I liked about the movie, but if there is anyone out there trying to stay unspoiled, I don’t want to be the one to ruin it for them.

I know people are saying this movie is only good for a finale, it won’t make enough money to become a franchise, only fans will go, etc., etc., etc. I think they have a few surprises coming their way. Word of mouth does wonders for movies, and I think this one will go for the full burn.

But it sure would be nice if we had some grenades.