Picspam: Favourite Scenes from "Serenity"
When watching Serenity for the first time I couldn't help but notice the fantastic use of light and colour. The cinematography in general was fascinating. These are the scenes that stood out to me as great examples of Joss' unique vision.
Note: F***ING ASPECT RATIO. GOD DAMN. I'm so sorry these are stretched. I should have checked before I capped the whole movie :/
I haven't altered the colouring in any of these caps specifically because I wanted to emphasise the original lighting of the scenes.
1. Breakout
Simon and River are so compelling. Simon's love for his sister is what binds the whole story together, and here we finally see how he rescued her from her "school". This is also when we're first introdced to The Operative, who is one of the Whedonverse's greatest villains.
2. Serenity
I'm a huge sucker for a long one shot. I love how it's used here, to create a real three dimensial space for the ship. We follow Mal around as we walks through and we're introduced to the ship as well as the crew - it becomes a home not just a ship.
3. Heist
It couldn't have been a real Firefly movie without some kind of heist gone wrong. The escape on the mule was exhilirating, and they still managed to include humour as well. I also love that the mule has a real weight, you can see it dip when the characters step into it. One of my biggest peaves in movies is that special effects exist outside of the reality of the world the characters live in. Here it acts like I believe a floating vehicle would :P
4. Haven
The boy on the ground. The burning swing. The destruction. This was the first death of the main cast and it was a true sucker punch. This was the death that was needed for Mal to step up. Nathan Fillion commanded this scene.
5. Miranda
I'm impressed at Joss's ability to include so many characters in one shot - it probably comes from his experience in television. The use of light here is so interesting. The whites, far over exposed, flare out and blind us. It adds to the confusion and disorientation of the characters. Miranda is a desert now.
Runners Up:
The Maiden Head Brawl: well, it's just exciting to watch!
River vs Reavers: Joss's love of tiny girls beating down monsters appears again here. However, it's annoying that there are no reaction shots when River dives through entrance and closes the door. This is a huge moment but we see no one reacting to it until a few minutes later but even then they just seemed resigned to die - there's no real emotion there. If I saw one of my crew - even if she was a dangerous killer woman - jump into a pit of the most savage monsters in the verse just to save us, well, I'd be reacting.
Leaf on the Wind: Oh, Wash. One of the Whedonverse's most beloved characters. I loved how the washed the entire scene in red. Red for the alert lights but also, well, we should have seen it coming.
The Operative's final good bye: shrouded in darkness, he's deflated, the morals he lived by destroyed. He's just a shell. Just a wonderful, quiet scene between two characters who were just beating each other to death.
Note: F***ING ASPECT RATIO. GOD DAMN. I'm so sorry these are stretched. I should have checked before I capped the whole movie :/
I haven't altered the colouring in any of these caps specifically because I wanted to emphasise the original lighting of the scenes.
1. Breakout
Simon and River are so compelling. Simon's love for his sister is what binds the whole story together, and here we finally see how he rescued her from her "school". This is also when we're first introdced to The Operative, who is one of the Whedonverse's greatest villains.
2. Serenity
I'm a huge sucker for a long one shot. I love how it's used here, to create a real three dimensial space for the ship. We follow Mal around as we walks through and we're introduced to the ship as well as the crew - it becomes a home not just a ship.
3. Heist
It couldn't have been a real Firefly movie without some kind of heist gone wrong. The escape on the mule was exhilirating, and they still managed to include humour as well. I also love that the mule has a real weight, you can see it dip when the characters step into it. One of my biggest peaves in movies is that special effects exist outside of the reality of the world the characters live in. Here it acts like I believe a floating vehicle would :P
4. Haven
The boy on the ground. The burning swing. The destruction. This was the first death of the main cast and it was a true sucker punch. This was the death that was needed for Mal to step up. Nathan Fillion commanded this scene.
5. Miranda
I'm impressed at Joss's ability to include so many characters in one shot - it probably comes from his experience in television. The use of light here is so interesting. The whites, far over exposed, flare out and blind us. It adds to the confusion and disorientation of the characters. Miranda is a desert now.
Runners Up:
The Maiden Head Brawl: well, it's just exciting to watch!
River vs Reavers: Joss's love of tiny girls beating down monsters appears again here. However, it's annoying that there are no reaction shots when River dives through entrance and closes the door. This is a huge moment but we see no one reacting to it until a few minutes later but even then they just seemed resigned to die - there's no real emotion there. If I saw one of my crew - even if she was a dangerous killer woman - jump into a pit of the most savage monsters in the verse just to save us, well, I'd be reacting.
Leaf on the Wind: Oh, Wash. One of the Whedonverse's most beloved characters. I loved how the washed the entire scene in red. Red for the alert lights but also, well, we should have seen it coming.
The Operative's final good bye: shrouded in darkness, he's deflated, the morals he lived by destroyed. He's just a shell. Just a wonderful, quiet scene between two characters who were just beating each other to death.