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List Price: $49.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 285
Released: December 9, 2003 |
| Our Price: $19.99 |
| Used Price: $19.99 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Five 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.
Description of Firefly - The Complete Series:
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. --Jeff Shannon
Beyond Firefly on DVD
Watch Stargate: Continuum on DVD | 
Catch up on Stargate Atlantis on DVD | 
Check out Sunshine on DVD |
Stills from Firefly (Click for larger image) Firefly - The Complete Series Reviews:
Bring Firefly back!! 
2009-11-08 - Watched the whole series on Hulu, fell in love with it and HAD to buy it on DVD. Have since lent out the series to so many new converts of the series, I will be buying them as gifts!!
I Don't Care, I'm Still Free
2009-11-02 - It is a mistake to say that Firefly is new or revolutionary, since its key ideas have been print SF staples for decades. What Firefly is, is ambitious and audience-centered in a way little TV sci-fi has been since the original Star Trek. It anticipates a smart audience and rewards them with humane, high octane stories about clever characters in sophisticated situations. So naturally it got cancelled.
Dare I say that the best thing about Firefly is that it's incomplete? Only fourteen episodes were made, introducing a story lush with promise and an energetic ensemble immersed in the kind of work that most actors long for. It is this promise, unsullied by later network interference, which I think makes this the best TV to hit DVD in years.
Beyond the writing, acting, and direction, all of which are superb, this show has some of the best visual design I've seen in decades. Joss Whedon studied how space flight takes place even now, and reflected the cramped quarters, austere living conditions, and blue-collar immediacy missing from more slick productions. Firefly is the latest true embodiment of George Lucas' vision of "used space."
Firefly didn't find its audience until it was out on DVD, but it's clear why this story inspires comic books, a feature film, fan fiction, and a massive fan culture despite its brief span. For true believers in TV as art, this show sums up the promise that the medium rarely accomplishes. Fun, funny, and energetic, there is no question why a cancelled show commands fan loyalty even several years later.
Loved it.
2009-11-02 - I am a huge fan of Firefly, not so much the other Whedon products. It is a unique show set in a unique place and time with fairly common story threads told in captivating ways. Some people are going to love it and others will hate it, looks like most loved it....
Excellent Show!
2009-11-02 - Best T.V. Series I ever watched. Extremely disappointed that syfy didn't keep the show on the air. The movie is also excellent, but I really recommend watching the tv series first before watching the movie.
Great show that never caught a break
2009-10-26 - Firefly is a great TV show that never caught a break from the executives from Fox and from mainstream audiences. Although based on the revenues generated from Serenity, Firefly may have lasted two or three seasons. The movie serenity just barely broke even.
