They couldn't take the sky from them, our big damn heroes made a film...

[fan_elune]

Serenity. Third time on Friday night, at the Parisian premiere, which, well, wasn't much of anything crowd-wise. Thank Joss for our few but lovely fellow Browncoats. I hadn't gone into details about it back when I'd seen it first, because few people on my flist had, but I guess now it would be much pointier. So, behold, spoiler-full rant ahead!

So. It's not an extra episode of the series, granted. Many people I know resented the film for, well, being a film. Personally, I don't. It's a film, precisely, it can't be the series. And considering all he had to deal with, I do think Joss made a very good job of it.

I love the first scene, pre-"credits." I know, I know, it used to be canon that River had been delivered to Simon by that underground movement, but that's just what Simon said, and clearly the lad's been distorting the truth here and there, or maybe he just meant they helped him get her out and they put her in stasis, I don't know. And honestly, I'm not that bothered, because Joss simply couldn't afford to introduce those underground characters, and all that for nothing. For scenaristic reasons, it had to be Simon. And then, the Operative scene? I love the Operative. The more I see our BDM, the more I love him. Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance is spot-on, and all in nuances here and there, and he's just... he's not creepy like the blue-gloves, granted. As he says, he doesn't exist. That's the thing with him. It's like... things slide off of him, or through him, and he's just this force, this concept, not really a human being at all. Just a force at work.

Then, the credits, and our first look at Serenity, and Wash and Mal. This being my third time, just seeing Wash there, piloting, just being himself, I got teary already. I'm still not convinced by the first Mal/Simon bit, but otherwise that long one-shot is just perfect for me. Yeah, it lays it heavy on, like, Kaylee who's got grease all over for the only time in the film, but it had to. I think it's a great introductory sequence to everybody. For the non-fans, it explains who everybody is, and for the fans we just squee at each of our BDH that we're just so happy to see again.

River's "do you?" at Mal is one of the pivotal lines of the film, imho. It says who the movie is about, and how it's told. It's about Mal, through River. It's perfect, and it's funny, and I love it.

The whole robbery is great as well, and then we get to the Reavers. I know some people got all shifty that we actually see them, but. How else could he have done? And - especially the first time you see the film - you really never see them long enough to get a good look at what they're like. It's only now that I have a really clear visual on them. I mean, I completely agree that it takes away some of their scare power, but it had to be done. (Hell, now I sound like the Operative.) For me, the scariest Reaver moment is the one with the hologram, when we don't see what they're doing to her. So, yeah. But.

Barn swallow. "Talkin' ain't doin'." I love Wash and Zoe. I get all squishy inside each time he calls her baby.

Since now's when Simon punches Mal and calls him a son of a whore, I might as well take this opportunity to discuss our good doctor. I know he's changed. A lot. And I kinda miss the good ol' clumsy Simon who couldn't punch someone correctly to save his life. But it makes sense that he would have changed - six months since the end of the series, people - and Mal says River's been on his boat for eight months. Which means the series was two months out of eight. Imagine getting three times what we had of the series, and how much Simon can have evolved in the meantime - and his relationship with Jayne, too. That was... different. (It's a bit heartbreaking to think of it that way though, because... three times what we had of the series!! I want it! Fox, go and die a slow and agonising death!)

Fanty and Mingo. Oh how I love them. Twins, with Cockney accents... was that just for me, Joss? I love 'em love 'em love 'em. (And shall soon post a fic about them. Yessir.) They just ooze promiscuity, untrustworthiness, and all manners of selfishness and greed. Heee.

...and River kicks arse. ("And oh River, I love River, I wish River were my sister-er-er...") Which doesn't bother me, in the "omg Buffy rip-off!!!" way. Honestly. Because apart from the fact that she's a teenager that can kick arse? Not many common points, I'm happy to report. The mythology behind it is utterly different (Buffy was given her powers for a "Good" reason, whereas the whole process of how River got kick-arse-y is everything Mal stands against, "making people better"), the psychology of each girl is obviously so not the same, and the fighting styles... I could watch River fight for hours on end. It's a dance. It's fascinating.

"Can I make a suggestion that doesn't involve violence, or is this the wrong crowd?" This is a lot of what I love about Wash. He's always the guy that doesn't wanna hurt anybody, the guy that's just doing this because he's in love with that amazing woman who's dead loyal to her captain, and, well, he just loves her that much. But he's so not violent, unlike them all. Unless you torture him for hours and cut his captain's ear off, of course. Special circumstances and all.

Mr. Universe - well, I'm not absolutely crazy about the guy. I think that I actually consider him as one of the weakest points of the film. He's just not that compelling or funny, only mildly so, and I'd expect more coming from Joss. But, well. I do love his line to Zoe. "Zoe, you sultry minx, stop falling in love with me. You're just gonna embarrass yourself."

Now, the River and Simon scene where he tends to her wound? I found that it gave more weight than ever to the fact that Simon's love for River is just a little bit more than it should be. Bordering on incestuous. I don't believe they'd ever sleep together - no matter that River wants to marry him, heh - but, yeah. There was something about the intimacy of that scene, the way it was shot, the way Sean acted it, and... on a more shallow note, the amount of skin Summer was showing. Which definitely played into the intimacy.

Then, Book. Yeah, I know, people-not-Browncoats can't realise he used to be aboard Serenity. But, well, does it matter that much? We Browncoats care, and we Browncoats know. The rest of the audience, they see what matters - that the crew has ties with Book and his community, and that there's a special sort of interaction between Mal and Book - sure, they can't get all the subtleties of that one, but it's a movie! You can't sum that up in a movie, not when it has nothing to do with the plot. And! Book brings up the theme of belief, which I hold very dear to my heart.

Then comes that shot that I personally love, of the Operative coming up to Inara. I love it because it only takes her a few seconds to read him, he doesn't have to say anything. And again, people-not-Browncoats might not realise it, but we full well know that it's so her Companion training that allows that. Companions rock.

Hmm. Mal. Those pants ride... low. They're not tight, but... hmm. *eyes glaze over* No, seriously though, that was... well, I'm glad for the die-hard Mal lusters, but I have to say it didn't do much of anything for me - which was a surprise. I enjoyed the sight, but felt no lust. What's wrong with me? And, also, I enjoyed the scar, so maybe I'm still the Fan' you all know and (hopefully) love.

And can I point out that - that's a male Companion! Walking in the hallways of the training house!! Finally!!! *takes a breath* Yeah. I'd been waiting for that.

"Dear Buddha, please send me a pony, and a plastic rocket..." I LOVE YOU JOSS! Lines like that make me giggle like crazy. I'm a sucker for Joss's type of humour, what can I say.

Great confrontation there. The Operative is a very interesting character - and I like that you wouldn't expect him to use the word "moron," but he does, except personally I still don't feel like he has (if that makes sense to anybody but me). That's Chiwetel's performance, I'm sure. And I absolutely adore that Serenity outsmarts the Alliance on that one, with the pulse beacon and the nav sat. Heh, Mr. Operative, Sir, those guys are so very used to giving the Alliance the slip. Shouldn't have underestimated them.

Then, the guys talk it out. Jayne says what he thinks ('cause yeah, he can actually think(ish) in the film). And it's a tiny detail, but I adore the fact that when Mal turns to go, what Jayne says isn't "I'm talkin' to you!" but "I'm talkin' at you!" Because "at" makes it aggressive, makes it non-dialogue-like but in-your-face-like, and it's so Jayne. It's one of those thousand little ways Joss has to give so much flesh to the characters through words. He's a wordsmith, if you ask me.

And then Book dies. After shooting down an Alliance ship, way to go! And Book dies, and tells Mal that it doesn't matter what you believe in, you just gotta believe. And that is so gorram right, and the way that I live my life. So, yeah. I'm so on board with Book on that one.

And, he dies mid-sentence. Which, thank you. I'm tired of people dying once they get through their death speech.

Okay, so what Mal says after his confrontation with the Operative, many people have an issue with. Because he threatens to shoot his crew. But I really don't. Have an issue with it, I mean. He's giving them a choice - help him or leave him - and making sure they don't see trying to talk him out of it as a third option. Because yes, he's in that bad of a mood - and that makes it sound like he's PMSing, I know. But you know what I'm saying. Things have got that bad. He just can't take it anymore, and he's gonna do what he has to carry this out. Because the only thing he believes in is keep flying, and right now that's seriously jeopardised. So he'll keep flying, even if it means through a fleet of Reavers.

Even if it means disfiguring Serenity.

Then, that next shot. Him, aboard Serenity, leaning back against a wall. Taking comfort from her. Just being totally ruined by it all, but doing what he's gotta do, and hating it, and leaning against his boat. I love this shot. So much.

They get to Miranda, yaddi yaddi yadda. Weird freakish corpses. And then River freaks - and I love that moment, so much. Her performance, the way Simon comes forward to cradle her, "please God make me a stone," Jayne's reaction to her, and the way the camera turns all around her and stops on Wash, and then cuts closer to him - I did notice it the first time around, and had no clue what it meant. Now that I do... I actually love it even more, because it's another one of those moments that get to me so much.

The hologram bit - I love the way Summer plays it, how River is looking at Caron and it all looks like Caron's actually talking to her. And, of course, the best (as in creepiest) Reaver moment, when you can only hear her scream.

"So now I'm asking more of you than I ever have before. Maybe all." Again with the "argh!" Wash. My lovely, funny, endearing, peaceful Wash. Who was just on this boat because he fiercely loves that warrior woman he's gone and married.

And behold, Jayne shares alcohol with Simon. ... Wait, rewind that? Did those two start getting it down in the missing six months between show and movie? And - Simon doesn't choke on it? Who are you and what have you done to the clumsy doctor guy!! ...yeah, okay, I know. It's entirely plausible (I didn't mean the shagging, but... that too, yeah). But still, those were my original thoughts.

Yaddi yaddi yadda, and Wash is a leaf on the wind. Oh, watch how he soars, because it will be the last time. Until the next time you go to the cinema, and eventually until you get the DVD and watch the scene repeatedly and cry and cry and cry over it... or not, you know.

The best worst best thing about his death is how unexpected it is. On many levels. If Kaylee had died, I really wouldn't have been that surprised. Really not. It would have made sense, because... she's Kaylee. She's the sweetest. But Wash... no, I hadn't seen it coming. Because he's Wash, and you just don't kill Wash. Except Joss did, and I couldn't believe it, except I did because man, I was crying. Was I crying... Less so the second time, more so the third. But the first time? I couldn't stop crying until the end of the movie. No matter what was going on on screen. And then the credits rolled and I wasn't crying, I was sobbing. It was something. Man.

And it's all the more shocking because it's such a rush. And he doesn't take his sweet time dying, with words of love to his dear autumn flower. He's just living, and next second he's not. Next second he's dead, and they gotta keep moving, and there's no time. No time to mourn or grieve or realize, you just gotta keep moving, and it's agonising.

But as much as it kills me that he died, I love that he did. Emotionally and dramatically, it is a stroke of genius. Because emotionally - any film that makes me cry like this, I gotta love. Because it made me feel this much. And dramatically - because once he killed Wash, he could have killed them all. That showed us that he was able to do anything, anything. And that worked extremely well for the rest of the film, because nobody was safe. (Well... Jayne might have been?)

Okay, so Simon suddenly realises he really wants to have sex with Kaylee. Great. Don't get me wrong, I love Kaylee and Simon, and it's ever so sweet that they got together at last (and good for Kaylee that she finally got something with no batteries 'twixt her nethers), but the first time round? I was still crying over Wash!!! And Joey was making squeeing sounds of shipper joy next to me, and all I could think was, "Wash is dead." But yeah, those two are all with the cuteness.

Then. Everybody gets hit, and I know it was predictable but I still love what snaps River out of it, or into it, or whatever you wanna call it. And that sequence of her running, jumping through the opening, kicking a couple arses, pushing that button, throwing that bag in, and finally getting pulled away by the Reavers? Whoa.

The screwdriver! And may I say that it could have been a little more sonic? I'm really wondering whether it's any sort of a Who reference or if I'm just obsessed - very, very likely... but with Joss you never know. It might well be!

Anyway, the screwdriver was great - as a gag, first, because. Heh. And then, when he actually used it - as a weapon, because. OUCH. And I just love the whole fight, and the dialogue that goes with it. About sins, and being a fan of all seven, and the bit about his nerve, and everything. Mal just really isn't the best fighter, too, and I love that about him.

The image of River standing over the Reavers' corpses? For me, it evokes Fray. And I love it, it's so beautiful.

Then, the funeral. I know, I know, Mr. Universe bleedin' betrayed them, and really shouldn't be put on the same level as Book and Wash. I agree. I totally do. It hurts me each time. But I do think he should be mourned, and also, mostly, the guys can't know he betrayed them! There's no way for them to know. And so to them, no matter how not-completely-true it is, that guy is a fallen comrade. (And if I say "not completely true" instead of "so not true", it's because he sort of is. Really. The Operative showed up, what was he supposed to do? Throw himself on a sword? Mr. Universe had no code of honour, no motto, precisely. But he cared about them, I believe, and about the truth, and without him the signal might just have been stopped.)

The last scene with the Operative I really liked. I liked that Mal didn't offer him a job, and said he'd kill him if he saw him again. I liked that all he had to reply was that there wasn't anything to be seen - back when I still had hope about further movies, I also had hope about seeing him again, later. *fights away the plot bunnies*

The bit where Mal and Zoe talk about Zoe Serenity? Lovely, and spot-on, and I just wish you'd change your top Zoe!!! Please! Simon and Kaylee getting it down in the engine room, shiny, but the shiniest would be River sneaking a peek. Definitely. And, finally the love speech.

Okay, so I have big issues with the love speech, I'll grant you that, but by now I feel less hostile about it. Because what Mal oughta have said was "Keep flying." Which is his one belief, the one that carried him through this all. But no, he goes on about love instead. And it's been remarked before, as I'm about to do, that that speech isn't Mal talking. It's Joss. That speech highlights the parallelism between Serenity, the ship, and Serenity, the film. Mal is Joss, and we are River, because Serenity-the-film is all seen through River's eyes. And that's Joss thanking us, and giving us his secret, and I believe it's the big damn truth. It's the key to any creative process, love is. Or at least, that's the way I work as well. I create anything, I have to love it, otherwise it won't be any good. And not just the pretty shiny happy stuff, but the vicious characters and the angst and... everything.

Anyway. I'm still not 100% happy with that speech, but that, and the fact that everything Mal's gone through might just have had an effect on him, well it helps me accept it.

And, of course, "What was that?"

Just keep flying, guys. We'll keep watching.

Comments

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Aw. Don't cry honey. *offers a shoulder for you to cry on* To us he'll always be alive. And also, always be dead, but I guess I shouldn't mention that right now. And he'll always be a leaf on the wind, and we'll keep watching him soar.