Firefly & Serenity - Sequence and General Chat

Series, in the order it is on the DVDs.

The movie comes last chronologically and you'll appreciate it more.

booksandcorsets said:

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Series, in the order it is on the DVDs.

The movie comes last chronologically and you'll appreciate it more.

Agree, the movie is really more of a love letter to all of the fans of the show more than anything else and was, in part, a means of giving the show some closure. You'll definitely appreciate it better after having had seen the series and I think you'd understand where everyone is coming from in the movie better too.

Agreed, series first. Movie last.

booksandcorsets said:

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Series, in the order it is on the DVDs.

The movie comes last chronologically and you'll appreciate it more.

Yes, THIS^

Series first. And watch it over and over at least nine times before you see the movie.

What you've all said so far makes perfect sense to me - Stargate, Star Trek etc, etc - the movies would make little sense unless you've seen the series first. But some disagree in the Firefly/Serenity case.

Yellowjacket said:

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Series first. And watch it over and over at least nine times before you see the movie.

I'm interested to know why 9 times Without any 'spoilers' (and thanks all for that so far ), is it because you have to be 'aware' of loads of details to appreciate the movie more ?

Quoted from a different thread.

jameth1971 said:

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Do not watch the movie first. Just for clarification the movie takes place a few months after the series ends at most. Mal even says it's been 8 months since the Doc and his sister arrived on Serenity in the movie and they arrive in the pilot of the series. The series takes place around at least six months as established in the episode "Trash." So figure the movie starts only a few months later.

And yes!!!!!!!!!! You will have some serious stuff spoiled if you watch the movie first.

Plus, IMO only the series is awesome and wonderful and the movie is a bit of a let down. As mentioned it does not quite mesh with how the series leaves off and although the basic plot is good it is a let down IMO.

If you are looking for a new prop theme go ahead but be warned it's a good prop drug that is easy to get hooked and hard to quit.

You have been warned.

I think it's because fans waited for ages for the movie to come out after the series was canceled, and so they watched their DVDs over and over.

Personally...I say see the series first....and that's it. The movie is...good, but it has its problems. I'll just say it has a LOT of Joss Whedon in it, both the good and the bad, and Joss Whedon's bad side is something that doesn't sit well with me. His good stuff I love. His bad stuff...I don't.


I know this will be an unpopular viewpoint, but I'd say that the series has a very different tone to it as compared to the movie. And while the movie provides closure, it left plenty still open to question. I was unsatisfied, indeed disappointed by the movie, largely because of the last, oh, 20 min or so. Your mileage may vary.

I look at the series as being the times that could have gone on forever (TV-show style) but agree that the "feel" of the movie was much different. It was definitely putting the show to rest.

I really loved the movie and felt Joss gave the series the send-off it deserved. But I know people who were disappointed by it. Movie is NOT just a long episode.

Raking in another one ....

Caveneau said:

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Hi Alan, I'd say wait for the series.
I watched it with my father and even he loved it!

Plus after having watched the series and getting used to all the character depth, the movie will gel better.

Also the movie throws a few curve balls and has quite a few surprises.

Series --> Movie.

I watched the movie..THEN the series. DO NOT do this!!

I have since rewatched the series about 5 times.

I enjoyed the movie, but I'd say the biggest problem I had with it was that it had a very different feeling from the show. In the show, the 'verse is dirty and grungy and not very sparkly, but much of the movie is in these very shiny, almost pristine settings that feel divorced from the show. It was kind of a jarring transition for me.

Alan Castillo said:

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I'm interested to know why 9 times?

You can watch it ten times before the movie if you wish. It just keeps getting better.


Oh, and watch it with other people. It's better shared.

I'm due for another viewing.
I saw it all years ago, consecutively after I bought the series.
I'd seen the odd epidsode on TV, but was very dismissive at first.
I regret that deeply.

I recently hipped my older brother to it and he LOVED it!
'Dude, Firefly is awesome!' I think he said.
Now he keeps mentioning specific episodes to me and I'm a little rusty.
Damn, I hate it when you hip people to something then they quote you on stuff years after that you can't remember.

That's why I feel I'm do for another viewing.

I understand why some people may rag on the 'film' (I'd call it a film, b/c I find it better than a 'movie'), but it was still greatly entertaining and the high caliber of writing was still loyal to film. It's nice that Joss Whedon kept it that way.

Sidenote: that's why I enjoy the Lethal Weapon franchise(although very silly at times) Richard Donner did all 4 of them.

Firefly the series was beautifully done as a limited run series, although fans want more, maybe it was best that there isn't.

Thanks to Alan for referring me to this thread.

Firefly ROCKS !

Yellowjacket said:

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Oh, and watch it with other people. It's better shared.

No worries there. I watch everything in the evenings with the Mrs.

Sometimes we can't stop blabbering and commenting on what's going on though

Alan Castillo said:

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Was the producing studio different ?

A lot of things were different. The costumes were changed a bit, the music was by someone else, the story was a bit... darker I guess, although still funny in parts. Also a lot of the "support" characters like Badger were missing, and they tried to do with a "good enough" replacement like Fanty and Mingo.

So yeah, see the series first, get a good feel for it, and then watch the movie.

I'd say series first. You don't HAVE to but you have a better understanding of each character and their history. You will understand different conflicts and interaction between characters as well. I watched the movie first way back when and i regretted it.

That is true..

I watched the movie first and HATED Jayne. After watching the series he stood out as one of my favorites!!

Goodwolf said:

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A lot of things were different. The costumes were changed a bit, the music was by someone else, the story was a bit... darker I guess, although still funny in parts. Also a lot of the "support" characters like Badger were missing, and they tried to do with a "good enough" replacement like Fanty and Mingo.

So yeah, see the series first, get a good feel for it, and then watch the movie.

Although not a good comparison, I suppose I can relate to that by comparing Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis, to Stargate Universe. Same sort of concept, but the latter, oh so very different in the darkest of senses. Still, it grew on me too

Alan Castillo said:

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I think that is important Dan, even if it leaves some unanswered questions.

Wish they'd do the same for Stargate Universe

It's all still 'hanging' out there on that

Well, to be honest, there isn't a TON that comes to mind as having been left "out there" at the end of the series. There are questions about who this or that character really is, what teh story is about them and such, but a lot of that ISN'T revealed in the movie, but rather in comic books that take place between the series and the movie.

You get a resolution of two otherwise unnamed minor characters, and you get one comic which provides the mysterious backstory for another major character. The movie answers several questions about one character in particular...but that's about it. Granted, they're somewhat important questions but...honestly? After you watch the show, just come here and ask and we'll tell ya.


The look/feel of the film is different from the series. The lighting is different. The series is very "warm." All reds and oranges and yellow tones to the lighting, set design, etc. The film is very "blue." Colder, more harsh, and sterile, too. The series is more whimsical and fun. The film has some of that, but it's also a lot darker in tone and certainly in outcomes.


I found the film to be great until the last 20 minutes. And the last 20 minutes killed it for me on several levels. I was less familiar with Whedon's work at that point, but had I known more about it, I still would've been irritated. It's not that it's a BAD ending. It just was...unsatisfying to me in certain ways. I don't want to say more because it'd spoil major events.

To be honest, I kind of wish the movie WASN'T out there. The series had some questions and one or two mysteries that I recall, but mostly it wasn't lacking in "closure" as much as it was lacking in anything approaching an "end." The last episode isn't, like, wrapping up some larger story arc. The arcs are there in the series, but it's not like the show ended on a cliffhanger. Nothing NEEDED to be resolved. I felt that the film did less to "resolve" the series and more to "elaborate" on it. Which was cool. But then it did other stuff that was...less cool. And then no sequel was greenlit and now that's all we'll ever get.


Having seen the movie and the series, I'll say this:

I would have been happier, I think, with the series being it for me, than I am with it being the series AND the film. That's not to say the film is BAD, but it diminished my enjoyment of the series to a degree. Again, not because it's bad, but because it was...disappointing in certain ways.

Wow, thanks for all that Dan, much appreciated !

Solo4114 said:

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After you watch the show, just come here and ask and we'll tell ya.

Oh, most definitely !