DVD Review: Firefly, the complete series
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::Movie review
Before I officially start talking about Firefly, I need to tell a story to put my thoughts into perspective.
I was 6 years old when Star Wars was first unleashed upon the world. It was, perhaps, the perfect age for that movie. I remember well the lines that wrapped around the block, and comprehending on a level I couldn't articulate that this was Something Important.
When The Empire Strikes Back was released, I was mesmerized by the transformation of Darth Vader from a scary bad guy into a truly epic villain (an opinion that would be more strongly reinforced a few years later when the full implications of the "torture" sequence fully dawned on me).
Finally, I was slightly disappointed by the release of Return of the Jedi, as was much of the rest of the world, but the magic was still there. It was thrilling to finally see the Emperor out from behind the shadows, and to witness Luke and Vader finally resolve their confrontation.
To say that Star Wars was a huge part of my childhood, and helped to shape my love of movies today, would be a vast understatement.
When I learned that George Lucas was finally going to revisit those great movies and complete the story, the child within me was elated. Imagine my reaction, then, when the awe and wonder of the originals was replaced with bloated eye candy and tenuous character development. It isn't that I didn't find the new films entertaining, but rather that they didn't come close to existing on the same level as the originals. The spark was gone.
I bring this up in my review of Firefly because it's important to stress the profound disillusionment George Lucas' prequels left me with. The new films simply don't tickle that inner child. I thought maybe this that sense of giddy wonder just wasn't possible for my jaded and sarcastic adult self.
That's when I saw this film called Serenity. I can't really explain the how's or why's of it, but that film touched everything within me that ignored the prequel films. It wasn't so much that I "felt like a kid again" while watching it, but rather that I was so completely taken in by the breathlessly reckless storytelling that I became immersed in the film much in the same way I had been absorbed by the original Star Wars.
Somehow the Firefly series had slipped through my review radar, so immediately after watching Serenity, I ordered the box set from Amazon. When it arrived, I devoured the series in just a couple of days -- not as a reviewer, but as an eager new fan.
Admittedly, I initially had my doubts about the series. I knew that it had been cancelled before even completing its first season, but at the time, I didn’t know the details. It was possible, I thought, that creator Joss Whedon had simply gotten it wrong on the small screen and had somehow managed to correct the problems for the theatrical release. This proved to not be the case at all and Firefly was equally magical, if only slightly less epic.
With intelligent science fiction enjoying new popularity on the small screen, it's easy to take Firefly for granted. I'm reminded of the lush cinematic qualities and in-depth character development found in the likes of the new Battlestar Galactica series. But Firefly came first. And Firefly is a heck of a lot more fun.
Even more amazing is how quickly and thoroughly Joss Whedon managed to establish his characters. My introduction came through the film, but every episode is rich in character development and interaction. You can jump in at any point and grasp a feeling for who these characters are and how they relate to one another.
What I find most astonishing is that Fox let this series slip through its fingers. For years, interest in the Star Trek franchise had been waning, but the explosive success of Battlestar Galactica suggests that science fiction fans have been eagerly awaiting something meaty to devour. And yet, Fox handled Firefly with amazing ineptitude, showing it out of order and monkeying with airdates. Through a series of systematic fumbles, they managed to kill Firefly off far in advance of its expiration date. You almost wouldn't believe that this was the same network that gave a little show called the X-Files enough second chances to allow it to grow into a world-wide cult phenomenon, or that had enjoyed proven Joss Whedon gold with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
To be fair, Firefly isn't perfect. But then again, it was young and still finding its stride when it was so rudely killed. Yet, it was more polished than most other first-season shows I've watched (with the possibly exceptions of Alias and Lost).
For me, Firefly picked up a baton that George Lucas dropped when he made his prequels. Not only do I heartily recommend this show, but I sincerely hope Whedon and crew can manage to resurrect it for more adventures.
::Video
Television shows generally don’t have quite the production values that feature films enjoy. Even so, Joss Whedon intentionally wanted to give a very cinematic feel to Firefly. This series looks better than most, and although there is some unevenness between episodes (a fact that Whedon himself acknowledges), it still looks pretty damn good. Despite some variations in color timings, contrasts and black levels are very strong. I don’t notice much in the way of digital noise.
::Audio
I was a little disappointed to find only a 2.0 surround track for this set, but the mix serves the series well. There are some surround effects, but they lack the clarity and definition of a full 5.1 mix. Overall dynamic range is good, with some nice, solid bass and good clarity with the dialog.
::Special Features
This box set has a good balance of extras to compliment the 14 episodes.
First up, are audio commentaries on select episodes (7 in all), featuring Joss Whedon, members of the creative team, and select cast members. Those involving cast members tend to be a little more lighthearted than those featuring just Whedon (although, Whedon’s sense of bemused sarcasm is always present), but one thing that is abundantly clear is just how much fun everyone involved had on this show. Rarely do such a large group of people come together in Hollywood without some level of personality conflicts, but none of that seems to be the case here. I distinctly got the feeling that everyone involved with Firefly would have gladly devoted the next 10 years to the series if given the chance.
Three featurettes take us through the making of the series, the work involved on the special effects (mainly focusing on the ship, Serenity), and a tour of the Serenity conducted by Joss Whedon. Looking at all of these featurettes, it’s obvious just how much work went into the production of this show and the massive attention to detail – all of which is evident in the series.
Also included are 4 deleted scenes, Alan Tudyk’s audition tape, a gag reel, Joss Whedon singing The Ballad of Serenity, and an Easter Egg featuring Adam Baldwin singing the hysterical Hero of Canton song.
::Bottom Line
Right now, there are a number of fan-based campaigns to bring back Firefly, either as a series, or more feature films. I sincerely hope they succeed, because this was a damn fine show and, frankly, Fox was brain-dead to let it go. Even if you’re not in the habit of buying box sets of television shows, I’d recommend this one. Firefly was just plain magical.
| Movie |  |
5 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
3 / 5 |
| Extras | |
4.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
2 / 5 |
| Some elements of Firefly are questionable for the youngsters, but most of the series is fairly safe for most of the family. | ||
| Overall | |
4.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2006
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Fox Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
N/A
Disc Format:
4 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
1.77:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
Each episode approximately 45 minutes
Director:
Various (Joss Whedon)
Stars:
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass
MPAA Rating:
N/A
Disc Supplements:
- Commentaries on select episodes
- Deleted Scenes
- Three featurettes
- Alan Tudyk's audition tape
- Joss Whedon singing The Ballad of Serenity
- Easter Egg: Adam Baldwin singing The Hero of Canton
