CycleChat Investigates - SciFi

[MontyVeda]

If I could have any superpower it would be that!

exposing your Y-fronts has the same effect, shirly?

 

[Drago]

exposing your Y-fronts has the same effect, shirly?

A death Ray would be a bit extreme.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Not just Serenity, but the whole Firefly series.

Actually, I'd call Firefly a western with SF elements. They dress a bit like cowboys, all that tech in the ship (including artificial gravity), yet they still shoot bullets?. Imagine Star Trek without phasers but bow & arrows; they visited a planet to deliver some cattle etc, theme sounds very western. Audiences didn't warm to it and it flopped on its initial run.

 

[Alex321]

Actually, I'd call Firefly a western with SF elements. They dress a bit like cowboys, all that tech in the ship (including artificial gravity), yet they still shoot bullets?. Imagine Star Trek without phasers but bow & arrows; they visited a planet to deliver some cattle etc, theme sounds very western. Audiences didn't warm to it and it flopped on its initial run.

I'd agree it is soap-opera Western style, and I think was all rather tongue-in-cheek.

I can see why it might have flopped, but I loved it when one of my daughters bought me the boxed set on DVD.

 

[Profpointy]

This one?
View attachment 686870

It looks very much like that, albeit I think they were wearing Victorian frock-coats. I guess that's a photo of the rehearsal

 

[Profpointy]

Not just Serenity, but the whole Firefly series.

I think they rather blew a promising start. . The premise of of a mis-matched bunch of people largely from the losing side in a civil war hustling for a living, against the backdrop of an emerging back story, is all fair enough and has promise as it's a proven formula after all. It need not be per se derivative, as that's just the set up. They cleverly avoided unfortunate parallels with the lost-cause Southern Confederacy (given the stories were often "cowboys in space") by having a black lady as the first officer, and herself married to their white non-soldier pilot; neatly done I thought, without it being forced or spelled out.

Where they rather missed their chance was being far far too slow in revealing the potentially intriguing back story - the barbarian zombie like reavers, the psycho/ psychic fugitive girl and whatever "the Empire" (or whatever it was, was actually up to, and then too many rather weak stories like smuggling cows. Such stories are OK as light relief, but I don't think it's sustainable with just lightweight low stakes planet of the week adventures.

Even the rather shonky and negligible budget Blake's Seven made a better job of the same premise, and the modern, and also still sadly cancelled, Dark Matter, was outstandingly good

 

[MichaelW2]

[Event Horizon]
Well I did not know that!

It's a very under-rated film. Saw it at the cinema, and some bits genuinely creeped me out - I don't say that very often. And I'd struggle to find any flaws.
It's not high art, or revolutionary SF, but it's definitely a Good Movie! :-)

I worked in a minor way of some of the CGI special effects . The fact was, they ran out of money and had to cobble together the best edit with the shot they had.

 

[cyberknight]

Not just Serenity, but the whole Firefly series.

indeedy , nathan fillion once said if he could afford to buy the rights he would have made more and some people actually tried crowdfunding .
I have heard rumours of a reboot aka woke soul sucking , no thanks .

 

[cyberknight]

I think they rather blew a promising start. . The premise of up of a mis-matched bunch of people largely from the losing side in a civil war hustling for a living, against the backdrop of an emerging back story, is all fair enough and has promise. It's a well tested formula after all, but not per se derivative, as that's just the set up. They cleverly avoided unfortunate parallels with the lost-cause Southern Confederacy (given the stories were often "cowboys in space") by having a black lady as the first officer, and herself married to their white non-soldier pilot; neatly done I thought, without it being forced or spelled out.

Where they rather missed their chance was being far far too slow in revealing the potentially intriguing back story - the barbarian zombie like reavers, the psycho/ psychic fugitive girl and whatever "the Empire" (or whatever it was, was actually up to, and then too many rather weak stories like smuggling cows. Such stories are OK as light relief, but I don't think it's sustainable with just lightweight low stakes planet of the week adventures.

Even the rather shonky and negligible budget Blake's Seven made a better job of the same premise, and the modern, and also still sadly cancelled, Dark Matter, was outstandingly good

a lot was explained a bit in the film, TBH the network never were behind it and broadcast it out of sequence and times when it was not going to get a lot of viewers on purpose to make sure it sank .

 

[matticus]

rumours of a reboot aka woke soul sucking

say whaat?!?

 

[captain nemo1701]

I think they rather blew a promising start. . The premise of up of a mis-matched bunch of people largely from the losing side in a civil war hustling for a living, against the backdrop of an emerging back story, is all fair enough and has promise. It's a well tested formula after all, but not per se derivative, as that's just the set up. They cleverly avoided unfortunate parallels with the lost-cause Southern Confederacy (given the stories were often "cowboys in space") by having a black lady as the first officer, and herself married to their white non-soldier pilot; neatly done I thought, without it being forced or spelled out.

Where they rather missed their chance was being far far too slow in revealing the potentially intriguing back story - the barbarian zombie like reavers, the psycho/ psychic fugitive girl and whatever "the Empire" (or whatever it was, was actually up to, and then too many rather weak stories like smuggling cows. Such stories are OK as light relief, but I don't think it's sustainable with just lightweight low stakes planet of the week adventures.

Even the rather shonky and negligible budget Blake's Seven made a better job of the same premise, and the modern, and also still sadly cancelled, Dark Matter, was outstandingly good

Blakes 7, which Blake himself once called 'bargain bucket Star Trek', was much more fun, especially Paul Darrow as Avon. Nostalgia over the alien planets all resembling either a Dr Who sand pit or somewhere in Surrey on a damp autumn day (OK, they did got to Alnwick once!!). Star Treks 'Class M planets' all bear a striking resemblance to a sunny day in California.

Never really got into Firefly which SF fans seem to think is the greatest SF ever (?). As you said, it played about with a tired 'space western' formula and sank.

 

[matticus]

Never really got into Firefly which SF fans seem to think is the greatest SF ever (?)

It has an EXTRAORDINARILY small-but-loyal following (I found it quite watchable but hardly extraordinary). They obviously did something right - but it needed a larger following to justify the budget you need for an action sci-fi show. IMO - I have no numbers, and I'm not a TV studio exec!

 

[cyberknight]

say whaat?!?

Basically disney have taken over the reins , no joss whedon or original cast from what i can work out

https://movieweb.com/heres-what-to-expect-from-the-firefly-reboot-from-disney-plus/

 

[matticus]

oh OK, I see.

 

[AndyRM]

I worked in a minor way of some of the CGI special effects . The fact was, they ran out of money and had to cobble together the best edit with the shot they had.

I have read that Paramount never really had faith in the film and it's about half an hour shorter than it should be and the studio lost all the other footage. Shame really, as I think it's an absolute class as it is, but I'd love to see it as Anderson envisaged it.