Firefly - The Complete Series (DVD, 2009, 4-Disc Set)

As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Firefly was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance. Devoted fans (or "Browncoats") knew it all along, and with this well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show's original broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon's ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only 11 of these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job"); in hindsight the intended two-hour pilot (also titled "Serenity," and oddly enough, the final episode aired) provides a better introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast. Obsessive fans can debate the quirky logic of combining spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500 years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers) that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.
What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and their nine well-developed characters--a typically Whedon-esque extended family--each providing a unique perspective on their adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class" starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda, taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper than it first appears. Tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an insidious mega-corporation with a mysteriously evil agenda), its ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's resident stowaway (Summer Glau) as a guinea pig in the development of advanced warfare were clear indications Firefly was heading for exciting revelations that were precluded by the series' cancellation. Fortunately, the big-screen Serenity (which can be enjoyed independently of the series) ensured that Whedon's wild extraterrestrial west had not seen its final sunset. Its very existence confirms that these 14 episodes (and enjoyable bonus features) will endure as irrefutable proof Fox made a glaring mistake in canceling the series.

In the distant future, Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds is a renegade former interstellar officer now turned smuggler/rogue whom is the commander of a small spacecraft with a loyal hand-picked crew making up of first mate Zoe Warren; pilot Hoban 'Wash' Washburn; gung-ho grunt Jayne Cobb; engineer Kaylee Frye; fugitives Doctor Simon Tam and his psychic sister River, where they travel the far reaches of space in search of food, money, and anything to live off of.

Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin,
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 4
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: December 9, 2003
Run Time: 675 minutes
DVD Features:
Available Subtitles: English, Spanish
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
14 episodes, including 3 that never aired
Commentary on Serenity Part 1 & 2, The Train Job, Shindig, Out of Gas, War Stories, Objects in Space, and The Message
Deleted scenes from Serenity, Our Mrs. Reynolds, Objects in Space
Featurettes: "Here's How How It Was: The Making of Firefly," "Serenity: The 10th Character," "Joss Tours the Set"
Alan Tudyk's audition
Gag reel
Joss sings the Firefly theme
Easter egg: Adam Baldwin sings "Hero of Canton"

From the back of the DVD set:
"Fire hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space."

Firefly is the creation of Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. While the series only ran for a total of 14 episodes (only 11 were aired, the remainder are available in the DVD set) it gained a large following and resulted in the movie "Serenity" which tied up the series nicely.

The series is a blending of several different genres, while it is most certainly a Science Fiction story, the feel of the show also owes a great deal to the classic Western tradition, down to the costumes and weapons of the show. At the same time this is an ensemble drama, and deals with unique characters in strange settings and even stranger situations.

The absence of aliens in the show keeps the stories centered on human goals and desires. This is a show about survival in a universe that none of the cast members feel a part of and in which they are all running from in one way or the other. The focus is on doing what needs to be done in order to ensure that the crew keeps flying and eating.

This was a very unique approach to the ensemble science fiction shows of the time and is highly recommended.

Also, the theme song is fabulous and the fact that they actually built the Serenity as a sound stage adds a level of continuity that makes the ship seem familiar and comfortable from the first episode.

My only complaint is that the short-sighted folks at FOX didn't understand how good this series was when they killed it.

A series that died an untimely and unjustified death! The unlikely combination of an apocolyptic future and the sensibilities of the old west makes this a delight to watch. The Alliance, big brother at it's worst, runs the lives of everyone who doesn't misbehave and take control of their own destinies. Malcolm Reynolds, the underrated Nathan Fillion) captains the Firefly class SERENITY with his loyal and brilliant crew. Zoe fought with him in the war against the Alliance and is his right hand man. She is my kind of woman. She's tough, smart, loyal, kind and can kick some serious ass!! Her husband, Wash (the brilliant Alan Tudyk) is a phenomenal pilot who keeps the Serenity out of the Alliance's hands with his brilliant piloting and feels a little jealous about the relationship between Malcolm and Zoe. Jayne, the muscle of the group is my daughters favorite and it played by Adam Baldwin who is one of my favorite character actors. If you don't know his name, you'll know his face because he's been around for more than twenty years (I saw him first in MY BODYGUARD about a gazillion years ago) He is brash, loves to fight, loves the ladies and is a little light in the brains department. He is NOT a deep thinker, but he is heavy on the braun. He's funny. He's hot! and his character is perfect. Kaylee is the mechanic. She "talks" to Serenity and Serenity tells her what she needs to keep her running. She is sweet, gentle and in love with the doctor, who is on the run from the Alliance because he took his sister River away from them. The Doc is a brilliant Alliance trained surgeon who gave up everything to save his sister from the horrible experiments they were performing on her because she is a "seer". River is many things and they unfold as the story goes along. She is brilliant, feels everything, sees into the future and because of the experiments, she's also unstable and unpredictable. The Shepard, a man of God who joins them on his travels is somewhat of a mystery himself. He knows a lot about the world and the ways of the Allliance and plays his cards close to the vest! Inara, the companion who rents a shuttle from Malcolm in order to be able to visit her clients is the love of Malcolm's life, but will her ever figure that out and can he truly love a companion, when he has those old fashioned values. Malcolm is a man more likely to have felt comfortable riding the range in the old west than flying through space, but like then, he's a man who needs to be free. He is not one to be tied and tethered to someone else's idea of who he should be or what he should do. He knows what the right thing to do is, and he'll do it his way. He's a man of honor living in an world where honor is no longer valued. He's a man of action who will do anything to keep his friends safe. Malcolm knows who he is and he never tries to be anyone else. This is a Joss Whedon series, so there is a lot of humor and a lot of heart. There's a tiny world in Serenity and it is the world we would like to live in. A world where your friends never leave you, no matter how much trouble you're in or what kind of fight you've just had. I don't know why this series didn't make it. The writing is good. The brilliant idea of mixing languages, so that the curse words are all said in Chinese, or changed in such a way that you know what their saying, but it is completely within the bounds of the standards and practices people makes it even more enjoyable.

This is one of those rare occasions when a product purchase matches product quality. Firefly-The Complete Series is such a product. Like the series by creator Joss Whedon, the DVD package was perfect. If you're looking for a really good go-gettum action series set in future scifi, but owning all the characteristics of a modern-day drama that also hosts the era of a good western soap opera, "Firefly" is that product. The only other series to tackle such a difficult but raucus fantasy combination was "Brisco County, Jr." However, "Firefly" takes it a few steps further. The occupations of its crew are from distant realsm of the job spectrum that gives each episode opportunities for unique but solid twists and turns. The difficulties are only imagined, but the scenes are played out well with a multi-person crew comprises of quirky personalities who always seem to come together under crisis. Malcom as captain, manages this borderline menagerie as they simply want to work and survive in the ravages of a new world-order universe that crosses the line between honesty and corruption, repleat with a brooding dark secret. "Firefly" sets you, with each episode, in the role as voyeur. I loved every minute of their travels. It was asham that narrow-minded network executives either had no vision or lost site of how a groundbreaking show can create new audiences that easily would could have supported the series for several years. Had they been given the time (5 years)that another significant scifi series, "Babylon 5", or for that matter the derby winner, "Stargate-SG1" the mind of Whedon would have generated enough scenarios to have rivaled those in audience appreciation, syndication and money.

Their loss is our gain, 13 episodes that make a tremendous statement in the annals of television history. The collection is worth more than the price. Time will prove that prophecy as more discover the makings of a good program. Salute to Joss Whedon, cast and crew!

TJ