DVD
Review | Firefly (The Complete Series)
Written by: Kage
Alan
The folks making decisions at Fox sure dropped
the ball when they canceled THIS show. Not only did they give it the
kiss of death with its timeslot and promote it to be something it
wasn’t, but they aired the pilot months after another episode
premiered (which means nobody got a proper introduction to the
characters) and axed the show after 11 episodes when 3 additional ones
were shot. Before home video and DVD, though, this would have simply
died under the radar and been a warm memory of something that once
was. Fortunately, we can now revisit it anytime we want.
While Gene Roddenberry may have attempted to sell a
“Wagon Train to the stars”, Joss Whedon has created the first successful
science fiction Western. Ex-soldier Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds may no longer
be fighting in a war against the Alliance, but he’s no friend of theirs
either. Surrounded by one heck of a crew that includes his second in
command and war buddy Zoe (Gina Torres, “Alias”), her husband and pilot
Wash (Alan Tudyk, “A Knight’s Tale”), registered Companion (legal
prostitute) Inara (Morena Baccarin, “Perfume”), self-taught engineer
Kaylee (Jewel Staite, “Gold Diggers”) and tough, crass Jayne (Adam
Baldwin, “ID4”), the motley group travels around in their Firefly class
starship called Serenity doing whatever odd jobs they can get, legal or
not, to keep themselves fueled and running. Damn that was a long
sentence!
In the original pilot (the one Fox SHOULD have
aired first), Serenity takes on several new passengers for money and
ends up keeping them on as additional crew. They are a preacher named
Book (Ron Glass, “Deep Space”), Dr. Simon Tam (Sean Maher, “Party of
Five”) and his unique sister, River (Summer Glau). Though all are quite
different in their own right, they soon find a home aboard the ship and
partake in all the adventures 14 episodes can hold. From every
backwater world where the residents double cross the smugglers to space
stations housing powerful crime lords, the crew of Serenity must watch
their backs at every turn. Filled with six shooters, futuristic
showdowns at high noon, lots of slang and the like, “Firefly” never
fails to entertain.
I have to admit that I didn’t take a liking to the
show when it first aired because I just didn’t understand the
relationship between the characters. Now I know why and it helps that
the episodes are put back in the order that they were meant to be seen.
Furthermore, we’re also given the additional 3 episodes that never aired
in the US. Ultimately, what makes “Firefly” work is the writing, but
what really makes it successful is the actors combined with that
writing. There wasn’t a single episode I didn’t like and that is just
plain rare. The show is truly something special and while its light may
have burned briefly, it burned very brightly.
Fox has released “Firefly” in its original
Widescreen format. The video transfer is excellent as is the audio. A
great deal of thought went into the look of the show and the often
unconventional camerawork adds to the real feel of it. As for extras,
here again the box set shines. We begin with the 28 ½ minute “Here’s
How It Was: The Making of Firefly” featuring plenty of interviews with
cast and crew, 4 deleted scenes, the 9 ¾ minute featurette “Serenity:
The 10th Character”, a minute of Alan Tudyk’s audition tape,
a 2 ½ minute gag reel, the 1 ¼ minute “Joss Tours The Set” that takes
place during an impromptu visit, the reason Joss is a writer and not a
singer in “Joss Sings the Firefly Theme”, a 2 ½ minute hidden Easter egg
of Adam Baldwin’s hysterical tribute to the music tribute to Jayne from
the episode “Jaynestown” and several audio commentaries (featuring
single participants or combinations of Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Tim
Minear, Jane Espenson, Morena Baccarin, Shawna Trpcic, David Solomon,
Alan Tudyk and Jewel Staite). Some commentaries are better than others,
but all provide some terrific insight and Whedon is forthcoming with a
huge number of details.
So, what could be better than this box set? How
about news for fans that Joss Whedon is turning the show into a movie.
With a little luck, a slew of new fans who watched the DVD set and then
paid money to see the movie with the old fans (who aren’t really that
old since the show isn’t that old), someone at the studio might get the
really innovative idea that this would make a terrific TV show! To
quote another film, “Does the word ‘duh’ mean anything?” Run, don’t
walk, and buy this set!
Series Rating:
A
DVD Special Features: A
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