Serenity: Phoenix Fire(fly)

After all, the series was canceled. Nothing else could happen. Except for the DVD release, of course, but what would that do besides make a few dollars for FOX DVD?

Turns out, it did everything, including making a few dollars for Universal Studios...

I remember first putting in the DVDs myself, when I bought them solely because I have faith in Joss Whedon. I don't really remember what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't Firefly, because the only thing I do remember about my expectations was that the show exceeded every single expectation I held. And I was certainly not the only one, since the DVD sales caused Universal to take notice and commission Whedon to write and direct Serenity, a continuation of the show that would (1) wrap up River's plotline and (2) serve as Whedon's motion picture directorial debut.

The film deals with themes of freedom of choice, human nature, and love. Love is certainly a central part of the Firefly mythos, since the love Mal feels for Serenity and the love between River and Simon (PLATONIC love people; let's not have crazy incest theories flying around here; that's what fanfiction is for) were two of the most important parts of the show, since they helped to drive the plot. If Simon didn't love River, he would have never sacrificed everything he had to help her. And if Mal didn't love Serenity, he would have sold what most other people would see as a junker long before the show started and would probably become an Alliance postal worker. In that case, the show would be about him going postal.

However, the aspect of love applies not only to the events within the movie, but the events surrounding the movie. If you want evidence, just watch this:


The movie was made because a small network of devoted fans forced the network to grow by getting more and more people to watch (and let me tell you, it wasn't always easy to get Firefly virgins to take the plunge; one of my friends resisted for a long time, but is now one of the biggest Browncoats I know). Firefly was something that we cared about so passionately that we felt that it was something that we needed to share with other people. How many other examples can you think of that did this? Yes, Family Guy and Futurama were both resurrected as well (only one deserves to still be around, but I won't say which; let's just say that it starts with an "F"), but they weren't the unknown cult hits that Firefly was. Even if you didn't watch Family Guy or Futurama, you knew that they existed due to the amount of marketing they each got, and in Futurama's case, its pedigree (it came from the creators of The Simpsons, how could you not market that?!).

So many fans loved the show and its characters that when Universal set up pre-screenings in multiple cities on three different dates, every screening sold out in a matter of SECONDS! On the first date, in May of 2005, there were 10 cities (one of which was Chicago, so I had friends of friends who went), there were 20 on the second, and 35 on the third. I was lucky enough to get in on the second and third screenings. I've never been (nor never plan) to a convention, so this was one of the only times I've been to an event with numerous people dressing up as characters from the film. There were a couple Mals, some Kaylees, a few people wearing Jayne hats, lots of Blue Sun t-shirts, and even a printed-out head of Nathan Fillion on a stick. Oh, and Summer Glau was there!

Sadly, the movie didn't do as well as expected, despite great reviews from critics (notice a pattern here?). However, my fellow Browncoats and myself aren't done yet. The sales of the Serenity DVD were really good, and they led to the Special Edition DVD (if there's anything we Browncoats can do, it's buy DVDs).



















Furthermore, every year, Browncoats get together for the "Can't Stop the Serenity" event, wherein the film is screened at numerous theaters across the country, with all proceeds going to charity! Finally, United States astronaut Steven Swanson is a fan of the series, and brought copies of the DVDs of the series and film to be a permanent part of the media library on the international space station. Yeah! We actually made it to space! Can you say that, Star Trek?! Can you? I don't know. If someone knows, please let me know.

Who knows; maybe we will get another movie after all, or even a second series (not bloody likely, since FOX still owns the television rights). Whedon planned out seven seasons, so he still has tons of stories to tell...

Up next: looking at the movie Juno through the idea of the way we typically view characters as either "good" guys or "bad" guys.