The blogfest is organised by Heather M. Gardner and Alex J. Cavanaugh. Visit the other participants here.
I’m a huge fan of Firefly, so when Serenity was released I was over the moon. Mal Reynolds and his crew are an absolute blast, and the film certainly has its share of blood and carnage, so it fits with the theme.
I was going to review the film, but instead, to avoid the whole issue of spoilers, I’m going to summarise the wonderful cast and the reasons I love them. To add a little context, if you haven’t seen either the show or the movie; it is an adventure set five hundred years in the future. It revolves around the crew of a small transport ship (Serenity) who fly under the radar, taking any job they can to survive.
One of my favourite elements is the humour; not to mention the loyalty within the group. They refer to their ship as the boat, and she is often held together by luck and sheer determination – dashed with a little love! In one of the opening scenes of Serenity, the ship is barely holding it together. At which point Wash, the pilot, informs Mal things are about to get interesting.
Mal: Define interesting.
Wash: ‘Oh god, oh god, we’re all going to die!’
That’s the kind of humour you can expect from the movie. It’s one of the reasons the cast work so well together. Speaking of which, let’s take a closer look:
Mal Reynolds – Nathan Fillion is in his element as the captain. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to protect his crew, and his sense of loyalty and honour are his greatest strengths. He can be stubborn, and carries many personal demons, but he’s definitely somebody you’d want watching your back. Mal is an unconventional hero.
Hoban Washburne (Wash) – Married to Mal’s second in command (Zoe), Wash is often the calming influence on-board. He is laid back, has a dry sense of humour and a skill at the helm which fluctuates between intense calm and controlled panic.
Zoe Alleyne Washburne – Zoe has a military background and his highly skilled. She has a close relationship with Mal and often offers him guidance. I love her strength; the contrasting sides to her, and her intuition when it comes to the mission. She has a wonderful relationship with Wash – they make an excellent team.
Jayne Cobb – Jayne was a mercenary before he joined Mal’s crew. He has a tendency to act before engaging his brain, but he has excellent intuition, is a good fighter and remains loyal to his friends. One of the things I enjoy about Jayne is his obsession with weapons. He is fearless.
Kaywinnet Lee (Kaylee) Frye – Kaylee is the ship mechanic. Her skills as an engineer are exceptional, despite a lack of formal training. She is extremely patient, kind, and sees the best in people. She is the heart of the ship. I love the quirkiness to her character; she has a humour which is often overlooked.
The crew are also joined by brother and sister, River and Simon Tam. The pair seek refuge on Serenity when Simon rescues River from a secret government facility. River was transformed into a weapon. She has psychic abilities and lethal combat skills, which make her extremely dangerous. In one scene, she takes on a group of cannibalistic pirates, known as Reavers, and barely bats an eyelid!
And now it’s over to you. Have you seen the movie? Are you a fan of the show? Are you, like me, still holding out for a sequel? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mel
Melissa Barker-Simpson 
Of course I’ve seen it and the show. Many times. Although, I’m more likely to watch the TV show because of a part in the end of the movie. You know what I’m talking about.
Yes I do! I wasn’t happy about that either. I pretend it didn’t happen! 😀
Good choice! Certain members of my family chose to rewatch Firefly/Serenity until I was utterly and completely sick of it, but it’s been a while now and eventually I’ll rewatch of my own accord.
It’s funny, I’ve just been reading Rose’s post over at Comparative Geeks about this very subject – having to step away when you’ve had too much of a good thing! I can relate 😀
I haven’t read her post yet, but it’s sort of random what’s a problem for me. The EXACT same thing over and over gets old fast. I don’t get tired of my favorite franchises until the point where they’ve changed I don’t recognize them… But stuff I’m just happening to enjoy, I can last about five seasons, two movies. (I’ll probably leave this exact same comment over there. 🙂 )
Interesting…I’ve never considered limits! It depends, I suppose – if a show /movie has something to say. I haven’t grown tired of Supernatural yet and we’re going in to season 10! 😀
Heh, funny example because I’m mired in season 6. Just seemed like it was kinda over in 5 and doesn’t have anything fun to do now. Obviously they found a way to have lots more, but I can’t get past how bored I am…
Give it time…Moose and Squirrel will draw you back in 😉
Started on the movie and then watched the show. To be honest, I don’t really want a sequel because I fear that it’s grown too big. I know this isn’t a popular idea and the rabid fan base of Firefly has caused me to step away a bit, but I really do think it wouldn’t live up to the dream. There’s too much of a risk of it tarnishing the legacy, which is a rather unique one at that. Personally, I think it’d be better to keep it alive in novels and comics like they did (do?) with Buffy and Angel. Again, not a popular idea.
I’d certainly have no objection to more comics/books. And I see your point, but I’m still holding onto my hope! There isn’t much chance of a sequel happening, but you never know…look at the X Files! 😀
True. Though a sequel would be missing my favorite character, so I might be biased.
That is an excellent point. That character (who I will not name) was one of my favourites too. It won’t be the same without the entire family.
Yeah. I have other issues with it, but spoilers aren’t allowed.
I know, look at me, doing a spoiler free post! I’m used to reviewing Arrow and Daredevil and there are plenty of spoilers in those! But then they’re episode overviews and readers have generally seen the show already 😀
Still haven’t seen either. Though I’m terrible at keeping up with shows.
Adore Firefly/Serenity! It took me a while to get into it, but then I was hooked. It’s one of those few shows I’ve watched over and over again (without taking a number of years in between)… The characters are really what makes it for me, I love how they interact and their personalities. 🙂
I agree one hundred percent. And I never grow tired of the show/movie either. If I do, it won’t be for long 😉
One of the best movies ever and certainly the best series! Excellent choice. You rock.
Thanks for participating in our blogfest.
Agreed 😀 Thanks. You and Heather are the ones who rock for organising the blogfest. It was really fun to take part, and it gave me an excuse to watch the movie again (not that I need one!)
There is definitely carnage when River takes on the Reavers in Serenity. It is so awesome. Good pick. A true fan can fit Firefly into any blogfest.
Agreed 😀
I said I wasnt commenting from the phone, but am. Good job encapsulating the Firefly in this few words.
And maybe we should start referring to Sourcerer as “the boat.” People might respond to that.
Thanks 😀 I think Sourcerer could use an affectionate name – something with an equally cool play on meaning. Hmm…I’ll give it some thought.
They ended it way too soon. I could have watched lots more.
Me too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Browncoat high five!! 🙂 God I love this series (and movie). I know at this point a revival would not measure up to the nostalgia, but I still love every time it comes up in the news. And looking forward to Alan Tudyk’s webseries… 🙂
Cheers!
Love that! Browncoat high five right back at ya 😉 I can’t wait for the webseries either. I get giddy just thinking about it! 😀
No Shepherd Book? No Inara? They were two of my favorites! I loved watching Mal and Inara squabble. 🙂
Yes, sorry. Shepherd and Inara are great characters, but I was focused on the main crew from the movie and trying to keep my word count down! But they do deserve to be part of the list and have a lot to offer 😀
Oh, the movie. It could have been so great! I was not happy with the things that happened in that movie. 😦
I know the main thing you didn’t like! I think we can all agree on that 😦
Indeed. Time to console myself by rewatching the series! 😀
I have never even heard of the show. My son gets me into these sorts of scifi shows–he’s home in a few weeks. I’m going to ask him about it. Thanks for the tip!
My pleasure 🙂
Haven’t seen the show but I do have the DVD and have watched that. I need to rewatch it I think.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
With all this discussion, I think I need to rewatch it too 🙂
I enjoyed the series, but I have mixed feelings on the movie. I would have preferred another TV station picking up the show and giving it at least one more season.
I would’ve been extremely happy if it had been renewed and we got more seasons! 😀
Oh, yes! This is a phenomenal choice!
If The X-Files can pull of a 6 mini-episode comeback then Joss Whedon can make another Serenity movie! It can happen!
THANK YOU for joining Alex and me in this EPIC blogfest!
Heather M. Gardner
My pleasure. Thanks so much for organising it. And I live in hope! One day… 😀
Huge fan of Firefly! I need to watch it again. Even though they lifted their first episode basically from the Japanese cartoon Outlaw Star, I was able to forgive them and get into it. The casting was impeccable. 🙂 Such a shame it was cancelled!
I agree. It is a real shame. I think I need to watch the series again too…just to cheer myself up! 😀