One of the more common worries that one sees about Serenity is that people aren’t sure how well non-Firefly fans are going to be able to follow what’s going on. As I’ve not yet seen the movie, I can’t comment on that, but I think it’s an interesting question for science fiction in general.

Science Fiction (and fantasy, for that matter) is usually set in a universe that the reader is unfamiliar with. Many people consider this a problem, especially if the writer doesn’t fully explain every aspect of this world that he even so much as touches on. For me, though, the unanswered questions, the promise that there are more stories just around the corner, these things make the universes of science fiction novels real.

I saw a comment somewhere that a viewer who wasn’t familiar with the Firefly series wouldn’t have understood why the crew would go to Shepherd Book (who has left the ship by the time the movie takes place, as is shown in the Serenity miniseries comic book). Again, I haven’t seen the movie, but I really can’t imagine that not knowing Book’s backstory hurts the film’s story. At the very worst, I would see it as another question, another symbol that these people have a history, that they don’t just exist in the story we see told.

I love seeing what goes on “behind” the scenes, so I’m a fan of books that provide advice on how to write science fiction or fantasy. Every one of those books that I’ve ever read has emphasized one thing: world-building. They say it is essential that you know more about the world than you’re willing to tell, that you can drop little hints that there is more to the world than just this story, because if you don’t have any idea of the world “outside your windows”, so to speak, then the entire story feels flat. That’s the sense I get from most sci-fi movies and shows, and it’s a sense I never got from Firefly.

Ah, well. There’s no accounting for taste, I suppose.

While we’re talking about unanswered questions, I wonder why I haven’t gotten any comment or trackback spam today. I usually have at least three or four to clean up. Maybe the spammers are being nice and giving me a birthday gift. I prefer the one I get tomorrow, myself: Serenity!

Before I bought the MINI, I was driving a “Spice Orange” Chevrolet Aveo. One of the comments that I got (indirectly) was that it was definitely me, because it “definitely [was]n’t ‘mainstream’.”

My tastes only rarely coincide with mainstream culture. As things I like are recognized by more and more people, they are, almost invariably, changed to meet the perception of “mainstream” demand, and I almost always lose interest at that point (though I’ll remain a dedicated fan, simply because I’m incapable of letting go).

Actually, though, that’s true for just about everyone; no one is “perfectly” normal. Wired has an interesting article about the phenomenon, The Long Tail:

But most of us want more than just hits. Everyone’s taste departs from the mainstream somewhere, and the more we explore alternatives, the more we’re drawn to them. Unfortunately, in recent decades such alternatives have been pushed to the fringes by pumped-up marketing vehicles built to order by industries that desperately need them.

Hit-driven economics is a creation of an age without enough room to carry everything for everybody. Not enough shelf space for all the CDs, DVDs, and games produced. Not enough screens to show all the available movies. Not enough channels to broadcast all the TV programs, not enough radio waves to play all the music created, and not enough hours in the day to squeeze everything out through either of those sets of slots.
This is the world of scarcity. Now, with online distribution and retail, we are entering a world of abundance. And the differences are profound.

Honestly, I find this amazingly encouraging. One of my friends, every single time I mention something I’m excited about (Serenity, for example), asks me how well it will do. Most of the time, the objective look at how commercially successful something is doesn’t bode well for me getting more of what I like. Firefly was given the shaft by Fox executives, but they’re not entirely to blame for that. It simply didn’t fall into any easily marketable genre, and would’ve been almost impossible to market well (outside of just letting it run and generate word of mouth, which may not have helped, because it’s really a niche product).

How well something fares in the mainstream may not be the ultimate indicator of whether or not it’s profitable (and, therefore, whether or not similar products are created) anymore, and if groups like the Browncoats can get more of what they want (the Firefly universe, in this case) while more mainstream people still get more of what they like, then I can’t help but be pleased.

As some of the blogger previews end, we’re seeing the reviews start to roll in, and I’m dividing them into two main categories: Firefly fans and non-fans (or unknown, if the review doesn’t indicate and I don’t know by reading other entries of the blog).

Firefly Fans

Jon of Misplaced Keys liked it:

This story, called Firefly in the beginning, and now continued as the aptly titled Serenity, has its ups and downs, bends and turns, dips and veers. Not just the movie that played on the screen tonight, the story of the failed series, resurrected by the fans, picked up by another studio that gave it back to Whedon to complete the story. This movie fulfills the vision, and sets the stage for the step after. The taste, for this fan, is bitter-sweet, like the last bite of a bowl of chocolate ice cream, it is delicious and I’m a bit sad that it is over.

The action is intense, the story intriguing, love (requited and unrequited) lost and found. Belief. Faith. Loyalty. Wrath. Good. Evil. Whether you’ve never seen one bit of the Series That Was, if any of those themes strike a chord, than see this movie. You won’t be dismayed.

I’ll be seeing this movie again, on Friday.

The BlogFather liked it as well (and he has links to more reviews).

Combs Spouts Off says:

Tonight, I saw Serenity. No spoilers, no long plot summary, just my strongest possible recommendation: Go see this film. Don’t wait for the DVD. Don’t skip it because you’re not into sci-fi or special effects.

If you’re into engaging, quirky, human characters, go see this film. If you’re into clever, funny, intelligent dialog, go see this film. If you’re into heroism and nobility from the unlikeliest cast of characters, go see this film. If you’re into an intense, action-packed, visually stunning experience, go see this film. If you’re into a powerful libertarian message, go see this film.

Vodkapundit Stephen Green, a huge Star Wars fan, enjoyed it and compared the villain favorably to Empire Strikes Back-era Vader:

I haven’t seen a character-driven action picture this much fun since the last Indiana Jones movie, or maybe since the first Die Hard. Only instead of one or two heroes to cheer for, you get nine. And Chiwetel Ejiofor’s “Operative” character is the best bad guy since Darth Vader. And I don’t mean the whiny, petulent Vader from “Revenge of the Sith.” I’m talking about “Empire Strikes Back” full bad-ass mode. And with just a touch of “Jedi” for good measure.

Booklore, whose opinion on the “Big Dumb Movies” is similar to mine (I actually enjoyed The Core), has this to say:

Before I begin, I would like to say that there is a difference between a fun movie and a good movie. Fun is Armaggeddon, what I like to refer to as a “big, dumb movie.” I like big dumb movies; to give you a rather appalling example, I knew I’d have a good time watching Van Helsing when we entered, late, and they were doing a shot-for-shot cover of the storming of Frankenstein’s lab. Sometimes you just enjoy the schlock.

Serenity is not just a fun movie.

Non-fans

mrlawson, of Weather Underground didn’t like the movie, though there’s not much information about why (except that he can’t remember the cast members’ names).

On the other hand, Dan Karipides of the Internet Freedom Trail also hadn’t seen Firefly, but he seems to have enjoyed it well enough:

Overall I enjoyed the movie. Judging from the reactions of the rabid fans in the audience, it will be a huge hit with people intimately familiar with Firefly. Compared to the wealth of horrible sci-fi and action movies out there, Serenity is heads above its competition. While it won’t be winning any major awards, it is sure to please fans of the sci-fi genre.

Dan also explains why a blog devoted to political issues would have a movie review:

It was definitely an interesting experience. I arrived a half-hour early to find a long line of people waiting to see the free screening. I was able to bypass the line, as my name was on the press list–along with I’m assuming more traditional Austin media members. It seemed surreal that I would be on a press list just because I maintained a blog. But they guy with the clipboard had a list with my name on it and into the theater I went, up to a reserved section.

I’ve not seen many other comments from non-fans, but due to the nature of the blogger-preview, it’s unlikely that many non-fan bloggers went (several bloggers had non-fans in their party, though, and the reaction appears to have been generally favorable).

I may add more reviews later, but if I don’t get around to it, you can probably find them by hitting the links in the above reviews.

Does anyone know where (or whether) I can buy international movie posters? Every site I’ve found offers this one, the American poster, but none of them offer this one or this one.

Why do we get the hideously ugly one?

Oh, I’d like the “vintage” one here (It’s a ways down through the interview), too, but I suspect it’s not real.

[Update: I figured out where to buy the small version of the first international one -- eBay. Now, I just need full sized versions. And frames.]

[Update II: Found one of the big ones. Can't afford to bid on it, though. Crap.]

I was extremely sorry to hear that Don Adams is dead. My condolences and prayers go to his family.

While I’ve watched Get Smart on TV Land (WHY isn’t that show on DVD yet?!), my strongest memories of Mr. Adams are, oddly, from a cartoon series he voiced, and it’s not Inspector Gadget. I remember Don Adams from Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. To this day, I can’t hear Don Adams’ name without hearing his voice in the back of my head, saying, “Tennessee Tuxedo will not fail!”

He will be missed.