Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Firefly: The Complete Series

Firefly
created and produced by Joss Whedon

Marvelously inventive but short-lived science fiction series from the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series (not to mention the currently airing Dollhouse). Firefly is set in a future in which humanity has spread itself out through known space, and survived a major civil war in which the "bad guys" won. This Joss Whedon created universe, known to its inhabitants as "the 'verse", is peopled by corrupt bureaucrats, wily assassins, brutal thugs and heartless mercenaries. The heroes of Firefly are the captain and crew of a Firefly-class merchant ship that hire themselves out for cargo runs, passenger ferrying, strong protection and miscellaneous odd jobs. The look of the series is "gritty", with a strong western theme -- the characters frequently wear pistols and use "western slang". The stories run the gamut, from "holding up a supply train" to "breaking into a high-security government medical facility". The main character range from the honorable-yet-downtrodden Captain Mal, to the avaricious Jayne, to the idealistic doctor Simon and his mentally-damaged sister River. There's a certain amount of "suspension of disbelief" to accept a futuristic environment in which most of the characters look like they should be riding horses instead of spaceships, but the characters and stories really stand out in this series. I highly recommend Firefly, as well as the movie spin-off that came afterwards. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ The Library also owns the follow-up movie Serenity (2005), as well as two graphic novels based on the series and movie: Serenity: Those Left Behind and Serenity: Better Days.][ Official Firefly site on the Sci Fi Channel where the series airs in reruns ] [ Firefly series entry on Wikipedia ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Our family watched the entire "Firefly" series on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also liked the movie "Serenity."

Although it is an unbelieveable sci-fi series, the characters are funny and relationships are interesting. We wanted the series to continue.

-- Kathy H.
staff member at the South Branch Library

[review submitted at the BookGuide staff recommendations pages.]