There is nothing left to see.
So. Serenity. I've seen it three times now. My short review is this: Oh. My. God.
However, I can't not ramble incoherently about this movie. So we here go. By the way, I'm writing and posting this before I read anyone else's thoughts. I'm definitely perusing my flist tomorrow and jumping into many a Serenity discussion.
I suppose I should start this review off by saying that I loved it. More than love. The first time I watched it, I felt like a kid in a candy store. The second time...I still did. And the third viewing? Yeah. More candy. It never really feels two hours long; it's just so well-paced and engaging that I'm never aware of the time. The music, the cinematography, the dialogue...everything was perfect. It was another episode of my show. More epic, yes, but it had all the things that made me fall in love with the series. And then some.
I'm going to attempt to point out all my favourite parts chronologically, but I make no promises. I really liked Simon's "she always did love to dance" when the guy pointed out her "extraordinary grace". A nice tie-in with the Summer/Joss videos ("Will I still be allowed to dance?" still makes me tear up). And how pretty was that Simon/River hologram?
I loved how the Serenity logo came onto the screen, then became part of the ship. And speaking of, how insanely awesome was that first shot of Serenity? I'm serious, I had the BIGGEST grin on my face. I thought the credits were wonderfully done. It really felt like another episode on a much grander scale. I hope everyone noticed and treasured the ridiculously long shot (oner?) that lasted from the first Wash/Mal scene all the way to River. Because...wow. I'm such a sucker for extended shots.
This movie has turned me into such a Mal/River shipper. (And also, a Jayne/River shipper, but more on that later.) There were just so many scenes between them that I adored. Mal calling her "little one." Mal holding her hand when leading them back to the mule. Mal carrying her out of the Maidenhead. The "it crossed my mind" split screen thing, him saying it and her mouthing it. And of course, the final scene.
And let's not forget all the wonderful Jayne/River moments. When River had her Reaver vision (which was so awesome and so creepy) during the heist, Jayne going to help her. His "gorramit, girl, it's me!" during the bar fight. The fact that she knocked him out twice and still lived to tell the tale.
But nothing compares to the crazy space incest. Was it me, or were some of the Simon/River scenes bordering on...overly romantic? There were a couple scenes, I seriously thought they were going to kiss. (We'll just ignore the fact that I was mentally cheering them on to do so.) Anyway, yes, I adored every second that they had together. Simon's "it's okay to leave them to die" and River's "I swallowed a bug" absolutely cracked me up. And umm...a safeword? *dies a little* I just...love this movie. Oh, and one of my favourite scenes was the "I never know what I'm saying" exchange. Simon cleaning up her wounds while she's saying that she should just be shot? My heart...it breaks. By the way, "Bullet in the brainpan, squish" is such a wonderful scene and quote. And even while I'm crying inside, Joss just had to go and throw in some humour. "Am I...talking to Miranda now?" River's look was priceless. Reminded me a lot of their "Do you know who I am?"/"Simon." scene from The Train Job.
Okay, I'm starting a new paragraph only because it's getting too long. I'm not nearly done discussing the Simon/River goodness. Let's see...I was expecting the scene where she punches and kicks him (which doesn't make me any less upset), but I was not expecting her to have a gun. And a maniacal gleam in her eyes. From the moment it cut away, my mind was racing. I was desperately trying to remember if I'd seen any other Simon scene in a trailer or special. Because for a second there, I honestly thought River had shot her brother. I wouldn't put it past Joss. I put nothing past Joss. But then I remembered the still shot of them all on the bridge together, and my mind was eased. Their little scene afterwards ("You could have asked.") was so cute and made me happy. And of course, the final "my turn" scene was beautiful and reduced me to tears. When Simon said, "I hate to leave," that was it. I sobbed.
I think now's a good time to point out how hot Simon was in this movie. Seriously, now. His scenes with Mal? *swoons a bit* Nothing like a little animosity to stir up some...shipping. :D
I realize that my chronological plan has become somewhat non-linear, but OH WELL. I'm too fangirly for a straight-forward, objective review. Anyway, I'm now moving onto favourite River scenes. Her pointing out the guy with the gun. River's expression to Zoe was hilarious, and I find it impossible not to giggle at. I also loved the little moment after the first Reaver chase, where she's staring at the dead Reaver and mumbling something like, "He didn't lie down." Hello, foreshadowing. Hmmm, what else? Oh, the scene where she's triggered in the Maidenhead, how pretty was the lighting and colouring before it snapped back to reality? The lighting on Miranda was gorgeous, too. And that spinning shot of River, Simon, and Jayne? The dialogue, the acting, and the directing made for a very amazing scene. And finally, River's battle with the Reavers. My major problem with most cinematic fight scenes is that the director cuts away too often, making it difficult to follow. But this? All in ONE shot. My mind. Was blown.
Okay, moving onto Mal now. He was always one of my favourite characters in the series, and I just...loved him even more in the movie. He seemed much darker and desperate here. Refusing to let that guy on the mule, then shooting him to spare him the Reaver torture? Wow. I love that the scene that kind of broke his resolve was his conversation with the Operative. "You're not a Reaver, Mal." It seemed to wake him up and make him finally care about something. And the irony of hearing that he's not a Reaver, then proceeding to turn Serenity into a Reaver-ish ship is awesome. And despite his coldness, he still found the time to be utterly HILARIOUS. "If something happens, you take the ship, and you come and rescue me." / "Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint." I heart him. And oh, because I'm a dork when it comes to lighting, I must mention the absolute prettiness of the "I aim to misbehave" scene. You could barely even see him through the flood of light. So lovely. Oh, and Mal and Inara remain as the perfect non-couple. I'll never tire of watching them dance around each other.
Have I really gone this far without talking about the character deaths? Because OH MY GOD. Book's death was not a shock at all. Before I went in, I'd heard that two characters were going to die. Book was an obvious choice. His death scene was very endearing and definitely played a part in Mal's character arc. But from that point on, I only had vague guesses. And no amount of guessing could've prepared me for Wash's death. My nerves had already been shot from the Reaver chase and crash-landing. Watching Serenity lose parts and get so beat up was traumatic for me, okay? But they'd made it through, and Wash was spouting out a trademark quip. I was laughing. And then...I was silent. And then...I was crying. I was in complete shock until Zoe got up and was telling him that he had to go. Zoe's reaction, more than the actual death, was what broke me. Joss is just...cruel. Heartless. And well, a genius. Wash's death could not have been more perfect. But I hate that he's gone. If they make any more movies or episodes, those dinosaurs had better be on the bridge.
The Reaver backstory was awesome. The fact that they got the truth out makes for some interesting sequel possibilities. I definitely see a very political civil war erupting from this. People finally realizing how corrupt their government is versus people believing that the Reaver story is a hoax. If another movie is possible, I really can't wait to see where they go from here.
Okay, I will say that there were a few things that left me slightly disappointed. The only character who seemed off to me was Kaylee. I'm not sure what it was, but she just didn't feel as natural here as she did on the series. While her being suddenly so sex-obsessed was amusing, it didn't really seem like the Kaylee that I knew. And meh to the Simon/Kaylee stuff. "To hell with this! I'm gonna live!" will never fail to make me laugh, but I'll just never be a Simon/Kaylee shipper. But ohhh, well. It was to be expected. Oh, another thing that made me kind of pout? No Badger. He was such a great side character, and I would have loved to see him again. And also, I really wish that they would've worked the word 'firefly' somewhere into the script.
But honestly, there were SO many things about this movie that I loved that complaining about a couple things seems silly. The Reaver chases, the barnswallow rescue, the fact that they remembered to put Christmas lights on Kaylee's room, Mr. Universe, tricking the Alliance and Reavers into fighting each other, etc. So much goodness. Oh, and the news briefs in the Maidenhead were a nice touch. "Only survivors had locked themselves in a vault" and "the Alliance confirms no existence of Reavers." I love Joss.
I remember Joss once saying that his main goal was not to make something that people like, but to make something that they love. I have to say...job well done.