Closet Sci-Fi Geek

Serenity Disappoints, Will Firefly Continue?

Firefly fans will be ticked off at what I’m about to say, but so be it. I finally got around to watching Serenity, the movie based on the ill-fated Firefly TV series dumped before its time by Fox. And I have to say, Serenity just doesn’t make the cut as a standalone feature.

This is a shame, because if it had found a voice as its own entity - without the need for an entire TV series worth of backstory - Serenity might not have bombed at the box office.

Now, you may be wondering…if I’m so into sci-fi, how come I never watched Firefly in the first place? Honestly, it was the initial advertising. When they went on about two of the main female characters being a “prostitute” and a “girl in a box,” I was pretty much turned off to the idea. So I missed the first season, and when it was canceled, I didn’t feel the need to rush out and get wrapped up in another doomed show when my beloved Farscape needed help.

Thus, some four years later, I am finally getting around to seeing what all the Firefly fuss was about. And…after watching Serenity, I can say, eh. Eh, as in, if it was on, I might watch it, but I’m not enamoured.

But let me back up for a second and discuss the movie itself. Serenity starts off with a brief history of the world of the future, and then an escape sequence with a young psychic protege (River) being rescued by her brother. After that, the first hour degenerates into a mush of quick dialogue and confusion that would really only make sense to someone who was already familiar with the characters.

(Unfortunately, when I watched the deleted scenes afterwards, there were a few small scenes that would have helped immensely if they’d been left in.)

I have to honestly say I was considering giving up on the film about 20 minutes into it. The characters seemed bland, and the plot wasn’t coalescing into anything discernable, except for a very polite black man with an accent who made for a very annoying bad guy.

An hour into it, Serenity finally found its footing and got interesting. Among the issues explored are the ideal of a perfect society. Without getting into a spoiler (on the off-chance you haven’t seen this yet), I found the central conspiracy to be an interesting commentary on our overuse of psychiatric drugs today.

Several moments in the film stood out - River kicking ass singlehandedly in two scenes, and a hilarious one-liner about something to live for given by a character facing certain death. Otherwise, I wasn’t blown away by the dialogue, effects, or character banter.

I felt, if anything, I was watching an episode of a TV show that was trying to pack in so much action that it missed out on the slower scenes that make for the strong viewer connection and identification with the characters.

I did warm up to Serenity in the end, but more because I could see this world’s potential as being a good basis for a show, not because it was a fantastic movie in and of itself.

As a brand new introduction to Firefly, Serenity is sadly a poor one for any but the most die-hard sci-fi fans. I’m piqued enough to check out the series, but I doubt the average person would be. I’ve read some fan reviews around, and they seem to think Serenity is the second coming of science fiction, topping Star Wars and many other science fiction classics. Sorry - I’d have to honestly say, even Lucas’s worst, The Phantom Menace, was much better.

All that said, I do wish that there was some future for Serenity, as I always think more sci-fi is a good idea. If DVD sales can finally bring some profit to this venture (Serenity was in the red after bombing at the box office), who knows what form this franchise may reappear in?

While Serenity lacks the creativity and wow factor of the likes of Farscape, it has a certain gritty grounded feel that appeals to people who don’t like their sci-fi too weird. As such, it should have a home. I have to say I don’t understand why the Sci Fi Channel didn’t pair it up with Battlestar Galactica, since the audiences would seem to be similar.

Dedicated fans are still working hard at resurrecting Firefly. June 23, 2006 has been designated “Serenity Day,” and fans are being asked to go and purchase the Serenity DVD that day.

I also found an interesting website researching the idea of producing Firefly on demand. While I think that science fiction serials may eventually need to go that route to survive, I am not sure if the time has come yet for this to - ahem - fly. But I’d love to see something like this happen. A successful model could save all our shows.

Stephen King’s Cell

I’m rediscovering Stephen King lately and how much fun he can be. At least, you gotta love him for being so prolific.

His latest horror novel is Cell, which is surely King’s literary revenge against annoying cellphone users.

In the book, a strange pulse is sent to cellphones, and anyone using a cellphone at the time of the “pulse” is turned into a jabbering, slobbering, violent zombie. The book takes us through your typical ragtag group of survivors, racing to find a safe haven from the zombies.

As horror books go, this isn’t one of King’s best, but it’s still a page-turner. I imagine that, written in under the name of an unknown author, Cell would still be a bestseller, since it’s as good as any standard thriller out there. It’s just lacking in the epic scope of many of King’s better works, or the sheer terror value of some of his earlier horror novels.

The science fiction element in Cell is a bit weak as well - what is the pulse, who sent it, and how could it affect people the way that it did? These questions are never answered - probably because the entire idea is really ludicrous when you think about it. Would there be any technology that could send an audio signal that would turn people into raving groupthink zombies? Hmmmm…most likely…no.

Yet, I had fun with this novel and ate it up like candy. It was still fun. Enjoy it, and forgive its minor shortcomings.

TV: One More Reason Why I Hate the Sci Fi Channel

Can someone shoot the programming director over at the Sci Fi Channel? Now they are starting up a new show called Extreme Championship Wrestling. Look, I don’t have anything against wrestling, but it’s a SPORT, not science fiction.

What the hell is wrong with those people over there? Here we’ve got perfectly good sci-fi series like “Threshold” and “Invasion” being canceled on the major networks, and instead of just picking them up like candy, the people at Sci Fi are starting dumb reality shows and now moving into the wrestling biz.

Sci Fi, by the way, will be airing reruns of ABC’s canceled series “Night Stalker,” with four unaired episodes available on the DVD. They are also going to be showing “Invasion” repeats.

But that’s far too little for my tastes. Can we have more original science fiction shows, please?

My ultimate prediction? The Sci Fi Channel, run by morons who don’t understand the genre, will at some point give up the ghost and turn the network into some sort of men’s network along the lines of TNN (originally The NASHVILLE Network, then TNN, and now Spike TV).

Mark my words. That day will come.

Movies: “Poseidon” Not So Bad

“Poseidon,” the remake of “The Poseidon Adventure,” has been getting some pretty bad reviews. I have been a huge fan of the original since I was a kid, so I catched “Poseidon” at a matinee earlier today to see how it measured up:

1. Special effects: Fantastic. Loved the rogue wave coming through, though you won’t see much more than what’s shown in the previews. Seeing it on a really huge screen was really cool, though.

2. Motley group of characters: Fairly decent, though not as fun or diverse as the original.

3. Richard Dreyfuss: Loved seeing him onscreen again. I wish he had done more.

4. Kurt Russell: Aging, and not very gracefully. Still a decent leading man, however.

5. Best Scene: Navy seal guy diving into a pool of burning water. Thumbs up.

6. Gratuitous deaths along the way: Not enough. A few spectacular deaths, but not as many as in the original it seems. They could have done more with this. The original “Poseidon Adventure” was, in a sense, the precursor to stuff like “Final Destination.” We want to see people die!

7. Plot: Fine. I don’t get why people are complaining about this screenplay or calling it “plodding” - it’s very straightforward. Ship capsizes, people get stuck, a few go off on their own to escape. It’s non-stop action throughout most of the movie.

Overall, I thought “Poseidon” was a fine remake and quite entertaining. No, it’s not a film classic, and heck, the first one has already been there and done that. But it was decent shlock for a nice afternoon matinee. And it was updated enough to make things interesting, even for fans of the original.

I’d say, keep your expectations in line and give it a chance. It’s not that bad.

TV: SciFi Could Pick Up “Invasion”

It’s just a rumor, but the SciFi Channel might pick up “Invasion,” if the summer repeats they air there do well. It might not be a bad idea to write them a letter…

DVD: Why I Love “The Andromeda Strain”

1971’s sci-fi thriller “The Andromeda Strain” may seem slow to modern audiences, but I love it. Based on Michael Crichton’s book, the film follows a group of scientists as they rush to find a cure for a deadly pathogen from outer space.

I’ve seen “The Andromeda Strain” a couple of times on TV, but it’s cut and edited. Renting the DVD is far superior - you get the full widescreen picture and the entire film, including all the decontamination sequences.

Some might complain that the film is very slow - it’s not laced with a ton of action shots or running around (except at the end) - and the soundtrack is minimal. I have a great nostalgia, however, for that sparse 70s style of filmmaking. I find it to be gripping in another way.

More nostalgia and kitsch can be found with the gleaming, sparse sets, the ancient computers, and the special effects. And while we may laugh at those effects, they were extremely difficult to create back then, when computer graphics were non-existent. It’s a good idea to watch the “Making of” bonus feature after you finish the film. You’ll have new respect for those old “cheesy” effects.

“The Andromeda Strain” boasts some classic lines, memorable images, and characters. Who doesn’t love Ruth, the smart alecky, epileptic scientist?

As sci-fi films go, “The Andromeda Strain” is one of the best from the early 70s and a classic. Check it out when you get a chance.

TV: Salon Honors “Invasion”

Nice send up of “Invasion” on Salon. But alas, no analysis on how ABC actively killed the show with their stupid scheduling.

TV: “Invasion” Finale - Dammit! Will Somebody Give Shaun Cassidy a Friggin’ Chance?

“Invasion’s” season finale - alas, now its series finale - was fantastic. This was by far the best episode: Tom and Russ running around shooting at people, freaky pregnant hybrids, and good lordy, the end!!

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read further if you haven’t had a chance to catch up on your Tivo…

So they finally kill off annoying Larkin…and now the show is dead. Dammit. I would have LOVED to see her as a hybrid. Maybe she would have gone nutso. It would have been awesome.

I can only hope and pray that they finish the story with a mini-series somewhere. Look, it happened with “Farscape”!

Someone has got to see Shaun Cassidy’s talent and give him a long enough contract so that he can truly develop a show. First, “American Gothic,” now this. Dammit dammit dammit.

Make sure you sign the online petition to “Save Invasion” if you haven’t already.

TV: “Lost” Interactive

During the airing of the last “Lost” episode, a fake commercial for the Hanso foundation was shown with the following new Hanso URL: www.letyourcompassguideyou.com. You have to find the exact spot on the website to go further, and from there you’ll get a peek into the Hanso’s computer files.

We’re sure to see more interactive entertainment like this in the future - I’m looking forward to the day when someone really makes this sort of thing an integral part of a show. I foresee a national obsession when that happens…

TV: “Supernatural” Renewed!

And some good news: “Supernatural” has been renewed and will be returning in the fall with 22 new episodes. Thank you, CW!

“Supernatural” is, in my mind, the natural heir to the “X-Files” throne and should only pick up steam as word of mouth continues. It’s also got great re-runability, so let’s hope it makes it through the required three seasons.