Another reason to stay out of this fandom.....Spoilers i guess
If you really don't want to know SQUAT about said movie, don't bother reading. I cover no specific plot points, I don't name names, but I do talk about the movie. Couldn't possibly give a decent feel for it without glossing over certain bits. SO there's your warning.
I knew better, I really did. So someone smack my hand if I ever mention wanting to even try and attend a convention or a gathering with any of the "Firefly/Serenity" fans. It's not worth it to even try and wade in that quicksand. Why do I say such? Blaspheme and uber bitch that I am? I just watched a complete duplication of the reaction in the Buffy/Angel verse rise snarling in the Browncoats overnight. I am not surprised, as Joss seems to affect this reaction a lot. But the rabid mob has now been leashed on the world. And I, once again, will stay very very clear. (most of it is tempest in a teapot, which is how I felt about most Buffy/Angel thematic issues) For those of you not involved in any "fandom", let me just say it can be just as bad as the ridiculousness of the Rennie Rumor Mill and Infighting DuJour.
If you have not experienced the Buffy Fandom, or the Whedonverse, you can skip this journal entry, and also, FYI, it's my journal, I can say what I want in it.
That being settled, here's some thoughts:
True to Joss form, he went on a wee bit of an excursion down the river Styx with his Serenity cast and left some on the other side, to join Tara, Joyce, Spike, Anya, Fred and Wes. This has set off a shitstorm in the Browncoats (the serenity/firefly fans), a RAGING shitstorm.
My first reaction is to laugh. Welcome to the ACTUAL Whedonverse, your martyrdom badges are over there, and the bleeding pots are decorously arranged to catch the spill from your wounds over there. Where have these people been for the last ten years???? Did they never watch an episode of any of this other series???? I actually have heard "Joss, this isn't Buffy or Angel...." Oh yeah? Fans, this is JOSSWORLD, you are just along for the ride. You have no power. Get it now? Good.
My second reaction is to shake my head. How rabidly they turn, how quickly the swords come out. Some to fall on, some to attack with.... and how soon they forget: it's a story. Joss has a story to tell. Joss has always had a way to grab your heart and squeeze it, make you believe in something only to force you to appreciate what you had when all is said and done. Joss makes his movies and shows with little thought of "IF" he should do this for the fans or "WHAT" they will do when they find out. Joss is a storyteller, he weaves and spins tales. He has command of his direction and where he wants to go thematically and cinematically. There are reasons for his decisions that are true to the STORY. If he needs to end a character's life, it is because it needs to be a catalyst for something, or to drive home a point. It's not because he wants to fuck with us, although in many cases..... one would argue. But he owns the story, he owns the words, it's his and his alone.
And I am not trying to defend Joss, he is not a SHINING BEACON in my world, and I do not live and die by his word. I have bled a couple of times, but man, did I enjoy it. And I always came back for more, because the man is good at what he does. I appreciate his talent and his honesty when it comes to his ability to spin a tale. I understand that not everyone gets to live, his storytelling is as real as it can get (to me). He doesn't sugarcoat squat. He goes right for the jugular. Life is hard. Life can suck. But Life is what it is, and what you believe it to be, and he realizes all of it and tries to hold the mirror to us, with no filigree, frosted glass, or fog. Sometimes the truth hurts, kids. Good people die. Every day. Sometimes the bad guys win, soldiers are killed with innocents. Sometimes the evil is held off only for a day to give everyone a chance to breathe. That mirror can gleam with the force of daggers.
And it's entertaining and not surprising when the crowd throws rocks at the mirror, which is exactly what a lot of them are doing. But I suppose it's all about the passion. You can love it or hate it, and what a drag would it be if you were nonplussed and didn't care. If that were the case, the movie would have never been made and there would be no opportunity to talk about it. If anything, he succeeded in raising the level of passion another notch. That is the mark of a good storyteller in my book.
I'm going to recommend the movie to all my friends. It had some of the best snark lines one would want to hear. It held my attention, for the entire time, and I had never watched an ep of the series.
But I am going to stay away from the sea of the angry, bitter and betrayed. Actually, I'll probably just watch from the sidelines with an extra large bucket of popcorn and huge soda. (so long as no one "seriously damages my calm") That combined with the movie will probably keep me entertained for MONTHS AND MONTHS.
I knew better, I really did. So someone smack my hand if I ever mention wanting to even try and attend a convention or a gathering with any of the "Firefly/Serenity" fans. It's not worth it to even try and wade in that quicksand. Why do I say such? Blaspheme and uber bitch that I am? I just watched a complete duplication of the reaction in the Buffy/Angel verse rise snarling in the Browncoats overnight. I am not surprised, as Joss seems to affect this reaction a lot. But the rabid mob has now been leashed on the world. And I, once again, will stay very very clear. (most of it is tempest in a teapot, which is how I felt about most Buffy/Angel thematic issues) For those of you not involved in any "fandom", let me just say it can be just as bad as the ridiculousness of the Rennie Rumor Mill and Infighting DuJour.
If you have not experienced the Buffy Fandom, or the Whedonverse, you can skip this journal entry, and also, FYI, it's my journal, I can say what I want in it.
That being settled, here's some thoughts:
True to Joss form, he went on a wee bit of an excursion down the river Styx with his Serenity cast and left some on the other side, to join Tara, Joyce, Spike, Anya, Fred and Wes. This has set off a shitstorm in the Browncoats (the serenity/firefly fans), a RAGING shitstorm.
My first reaction is to laugh. Welcome to the ACTUAL Whedonverse, your martyrdom badges are over there, and the bleeding pots are decorously arranged to catch the spill from your wounds over there. Where have these people been for the last ten years???? Did they never watch an episode of any of this other series???? I actually have heard "Joss, this isn't Buffy or Angel...." Oh yeah? Fans, this is JOSSWORLD, you are just along for the ride. You have no power. Get it now? Good.
My second reaction is to shake my head. How rabidly they turn, how quickly the swords come out. Some to fall on, some to attack with.... and how soon they forget: it's a story. Joss has a story to tell. Joss has always had a way to grab your heart and squeeze it, make you believe in something only to force you to appreciate what you had when all is said and done. Joss makes his movies and shows with little thought of "IF" he should do this for the fans or "WHAT" they will do when they find out. Joss is a storyteller, he weaves and spins tales. He has command of his direction and where he wants to go thematically and cinematically. There are reasons for his decisions that are true to the STORY. If he needs to end a character's life, it is because it needs to be a catalyst for something, or to drive home a point. It's not because he wants to fuck with us, although in many cases..... one would argue. But he owns the story, he owns the words, it's his and his alone.
And I am not trying to defend Joss, he is not a SHINING BEACON in my world, and I do not live and die by his word. I have bled a couple of times, but man, did I enjoy it. And I always came back for more, because the man is good at what he does. I appreciate his talent and his honesty when it comes to his ability to spin a tale. I understand that not everyone gets to live, his storytelling is as real as it can get (to me). He doesn't sugarcoat squat. He goes right for the jugular. Life is hard. Life can suck. But Life is what it is, and what you believe it to be, and he realizes all of it and tries to hold the mirror to us, with no filigree, frosted glass, or fog. Sometimes the truth hurts, kids. Good people die. Every day. Sometimes the bad guys win, soldiers are killed with innocents. Sometimes the evil is held off only for a day to give everyone a chance to breathe. That mirror can gleam with the force of daggers.
And it's entertaining and not surprising when the crowd throws rocks at the mirror, which is exactly what a lot of them are doing. But I suppose it's all about the passion. You can love it or hate it, and what a drag would it be if you were nonplussed and didn't care. If that were the case, the movie would have never been made and there would be no opportunity to talk about it. If anything, he succeeded in raising the level of passion another notch. That is the mark of a good storyteller in my book.
I'm going to recommend the movie to all my friends. It had some of the best snark lines one would want to hear. It held my attention, for the entire time, and I had never watched an ep of the series.
But I am going to stay away from the sea of the angry, bitter and betrayed. Actually, I'll probably just watch from the sidelines with an extra large bucket of popcorn and huge soda. (so long as no one "seriously damages my calm") That combined with the movie will probably keep me entertained for MONTHS AND MONTHS.