Does rewatching Serenity mean you enjoy it less?

POSTED BY: Aramina
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 8, 2006 23:15
VIEWED: 9855
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KELAI

Sunday, October 22, 2006 11:31 PM

No, like others said I find new things. And I begin to get unnerved before Serenity even hits the ground, so when it's spinning around I just skip to the next chapter.

Funny how I saw Serenity first and cried in some parts. Because I'm not the fuzzy-wuzzy crying type, but it is with Serenity and a few others. I really connected with the characters, because they're all very ..human (except Book, didn't really connect to him 'til the series)

I love meh Washie-poo <33

--
//breathe today So many lies s w i r l i n g
All A R O U N D You
you're S U F F O C A T I N G
the e m p t y shape in Y O U
s t e a l s your b r e a t h

FUTUREMRSFILLION

Sunday, October 22, 2006 11:36 PM

I agree completely with FollowMal and RMMC.

Always new things to see and always the same emotion.

----
Bestower of Titles, Designer of Tshirts, Maker of Mottos, Keeper of the Pyre

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

PEULSAR5

Monday, October 23, 2006 12:13 AM

I too agree with Followmal and RMMC except on one point. When I watch the movie I still have the same reaction to Wash's (and Book's) death. However, when I watch it with the commentary, this doesn't happen. I don't know why, maybe I watch with a more clinical eye that way.

DARKJESTER

Monday, October 23, 2006 12:23 AM

Have to say, it has lost a bit of it's edge with 20-odd viewings over the last year, but still HURTS to watch the Wash-stabbity scene. And I still get chills down my spine at the end, watching Serenity doing a barrel-roll out of the storm, and into the black.

Doesn't mean I enjoy it less, just differently.

MAL "You only gotta scare him."
JAYNE "Pain is scary..."

http://www.fireflytalk.com - Big Damn Podcast

ATIGDNG

Monday, October 23, 2006 12:45 AM

It will take a while for it to get old on me, and it hasn't happened yet...

WHIMSICALNBRAINPAN

Monday, October 23, 2006 12:49 AM

I am not a person who cries at movies. I bawled like a gorramn baby when Wash died in the BDM. When I re-watch it I may not burst into tears like I did the first time but either my boyfriend or a pillow gets clutched tightly during that scene and I tear up.

I don't think my re-watching the movie no matter how many times, will ever change this or the impact the movie has on me, or my love for it. It is the same as when I re-watch Firefly, I admire the performances more, I might catch something previously missed, and I wonder at such a fine work of art. I have little doubt that I'll feel this way if I live to be 80 and I’m still watching it.

"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." http://whimsicalnbrainpan.blogspot.com/

TAKEMEFLYING

Monday, October 23, 2006 1:56 AM

Most definitely does not wear with watching! I likewise find that although the *surprise* isn't there, the emotional reactions are still very much there. And I still just gasp in total pain every time dear Wash buys it.. *sob*
I totally agree that there's so much in the way of detail - of plot, of character, of visual 'Wow!' - that there is indeed always something new to take away from it.
(and that goes for the series as well - I'm steadily wearing those disks thin... *grin*)

Whoa. Good myth.

SHINYTRINKET

Monday, October 23, 2006 3:50 AM

Wash's death (and Book's) actually took on a lot more meaning for me the second and subsequent times. The first time I saw the BDM, I'd never seen Firefly, basically got dragged to the movie, and was on Darvocet from foot surgery the day before. So, while it was a shocking scene, I was not invested in the characters the way I am now. Now, it breaks my heart.

*************************************************
The 3 rules of aging:
1. Never bypass a bathroom
2. Never waste an erection
3. Never trust a fart

NOSADSEVEN

Monday, October 23, 2006 5:21 AM

I'd say the viewing experience changes as you watch it more, but not necessarily in a steady decline as the quote you cited suggests.

Personally, I think I enjoyed the episodes and movie the most on the second and third viewings. In general with Firefly, I spend the first viewing focused on what happens. On the second viewing, I already know what happens, and I can focus on how it happens (and why) - which, honestly, is really where the magic is in this franchise.

The first viewing has the novelty and the surprize. But the second and third viewings are where I really get to soak it up. After that, there are small things here and there that I'll notice, or just simply revel in. It's a lot like listening to good music... I like music better when I've already reached a certain familiarity - when I can anticipate and appreciate the chord changes, the big notes, the subtle counter-melodies... or sometimes just sing along.

I will say that my mood has a strong influence on my level of enjoyment when re-viewing, while on earlier viewings the narrative has the power to shape my mood. Of course, if I'm watching with someone who has never seen it before, I can almost see it with fresh eyes.

With regards to Wash's death, in particular, the event struck me so profoundly, that I honestly did not enjoy my first viewing as much as subsequent viewings. I was too busy suffering the sudden loss of a 'friend'. Though I did not take the same emotional journey on later viewings, I was able to enjoy it more, both for the 'hows' and for the fact that I wasn't preoccupied with tangible fear for the lives of the fictional characters. While I would not trade that experience of my first viewing, I'm also not exactly looking to relive it, either.

Another thing, I had been anticipating this movie for two years, so on first viewing, I had to reconcile what I had imagined and expected the movie to be, and what it actually was. Again, it was easier to enjoy the movie on its own terms on subsequent viewings.

And, if you're doing research on this, I assume you've (re-)read through gossi's archive of the UB's "I've Seen Serenity" forum. But just in case, here's the link:
http://www.serenitymovie.org/archive/browncoats.serenitymovie.com/inde
x79b8.html?fuseaction=forum.viewforum&f=28

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

JPSTARGAZER

Monday, October 23, 2006 6:23 AM

Serenity will never lose it's appeal. It gets better with repeated viewings if you watch it with someone who's seeing it for the first time. I'm a movie person and I love showing movies to people, but Serenity is by far the movie I enjoy sitting with a first-timer the most. It's like watching a child being born...ok, maybe not like that, but you get the point.

I mean what makes this SO great is getting someone to reluctantly watch it, and after only knowing the characters for an hour, you have to pause it because the person is so upset about Wash. Or they actually cheer when Kaylee and Simon finally kiss. Now that's powerful, and it's so great to share anything like that with someone.

"All I got is a red guitar, three chords, and the truth...the rest is up to you"
--Bono

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