Serentiy beats out Stars Wars

POSTED BY: Synthetic
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 4, 2007 14:43
VIEWED: 6137
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BROWNCOATKC

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 6:19 PM

there is another poll on the top link for a re-vote. Just wanted to make sure everyone votes on it also.

GED

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 6:32 PM

Awesome!

__________________________________________________
This above all, — to thine ownself be true.
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STORYMARK

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 6:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Decaf:
...so the question to me is how is Star Wars considered so potent? Maybe someone can enlighten me, because it seems to me that the reason is the fans, and I think that same is true for Serenity.

Well, being most popular is about fans, and Star Wars has a whole hell of a lot more fans. Being a worldwide sensation on-and-off for 30 years will do that.

But it does go beyond just the fans. Star Wars changed how movies were made, marketed, and the effect they can have on not just our culture (as in, western), but world-wide.

Beyond that, it also greatly shaped the science-fiction genre in many ways.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

STORYMARK

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 6:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bigman:
Star wars was just cowboys and Indians in space.

Uh,... and mysical forces, magical knights, prophecies, allusions to arthurian legend, and large scale politics amongst other things.

Firefly is literally Cowboys and Indians in space. It's freakin' littered with illusions to westens, and each and every characyter is a western archetype.

In other words, you seem to have it a bit backwards.

I love Firefly, and am not trying to diminish the depth contained within, but to slag on Star Wars because it bears simmilarities to Westerns, and then overlook the fact that that was the express purpose behind Firefly seems somewhat rediculous.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

DECAF

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 1:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Well, being most popular is about fans, and Star Wars has a whole hell of a lot more fans. Being a worldwide sensation on-and-off for 30 years will do that.

But it does go beyond just the fans. Star Wars changed how movies were made, marketed, and the effect they can have on not just our culture (as in, western), but world-wide.

Beyond that, it also greatly shaped the science-fiction genre in many ways.

I agree Star Wars has numbers, but I wonder how many people think Casablanca is a great classic who've never seen it. Its a great classic because its a great classic... wait a tick... The amount of time it has had the crown does it credit, but I think sometimes it has the crown because no one is brave enough to take it away.

The problem is how loosely defined 'best' is. There are a number of things I think Firefly/Serenity did better (dialogue, story arc, relatability, camera work, portrayal of morality, etc...), but it wasn't a box office smash. Most folk don't want to have to research a movie to enjoy it the way its meant to be enjoyed, as much as we wish they would. Star Wars certainly has its strengths, and is enjoyable to watch, but I suppose if it has anything that absolutely trumps Serenity it is that you can watch everything through one medium. Were that true of both, I think you'd find many opinions changing.

_________________________________
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."
- Abraham Lincoln

STORYMARK

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 4:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Decaf:
Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Well, being most popular is about fans, and Star Wars has a whole hell of a lot more fans. Being a worldwide sensation on-and-off for 30 years will do that.

But it does go beyond just the fans. Star Wars changed how movies were made, marketed, and the effect they can have on not just our culture (as in, western), but world-wide.

Beyond that, it also greatly shaped the science-fiction genre in many ways.

I agree Star Wars has numbers, but I wonder how many people think Casablanca is a great classic who've never seen it. Its a great classic because its a great classic... wait a tick... The amount of time it has had the crown does it credit, but I think sometimes it has the crown because no one is brave enough to take it away.

Maybe. I'd agrue that Casablanca's reputation is still based more on quality than momentum, but I'll roll with it. But even so, I don't think you'll find many people calling Star Wars a classic who havn't seen it.

Quote:
The problem is how loosely defined 'best' is. There are a number of things I think Firefly/Serenity did better (dialogue, story arc, relatability, camera work, portrayal of morality, etc...), but it wasn't a box office smash. Most folk don't want to have to research a movie to enjoy it the way its meant to be enjoyed, as much as we wish they would. Star Wars certainly has its strengths, and is enjoyable to watch, but I suppose if it has anything that absolutely trumps Serenity it is that you can watch everything through one medium. Were that true of both, I think you'd find many opinions changing.

True, all things are subjective, when it comes to "best". But I think you are ignoring the direct influence Star Wars itself had on Firefly - something that has been acknowleged by Joss, and joked about quite a bit by Nathan.

As for the things you think Serenity does better, again, subjective. Serenity's dialog was snappier than Star Wars, but no more realistic (as in, both are stylized and not how "normal people" speak), and there are some who find Joss' dialog overly arch. Story arc? I'd say Star Wars holds up there just fine. Relatabliity? Depends on who you are, but a coming-of-age story is always going to connect with a lot of people. I don't think Serenity contained any themes quite as universal. Camara work? Some of what was done in Serenity wasn't possible for Star Wars. Some of it was invented for Star Wars.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

ASARIAN

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 4:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Synthetic:

Serenity named top sci-fi movie by the BBC.

I dunno if this has already been talked about, but here it is. This is big time, and some killer recognition.

Big time, indeed. We've just been slashdotted:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/03/0137240

EDIT: I just couldn't resist, and posted this on slahsdot in response:

Serenity is like the penthouse of a very tall skyscraper. Examine the interior, and you'll find beauty, but not the absolute apex. That is, until you step back, and see what height it was built on: Firefly. Without having seen the floors below, you won't truly get it. It angers folks that Serenity does so well, whereas it at bombed at the box office. And yet DVD sales were through the roof. And now this. While the numbers say it should crash, Serenity is still flyin'. As Mal said so well himself: "Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down." That is the magic of Serenity. If you want to find out how it works exactly, don't land on the roof by helicopter, but enter the building from the ground floor, and walk your way up. Believe me, how you get there is the worthier part.

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

ROY

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 6:34 AM

Assuming you've recently seen all 5 of the movies on the BBC poll. If you could only watch ONE of them, which ONE would you watch ?

I liked all of them, but given the above, I'd pick Serenity as it offers the most.

*************************
"You all still be here when I wake up ?"

DECAF

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 7:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Maybe. I'd agrue that Casablanca's reputation is still based more on quality than momentum, but I'll roll with it. But even so, I don't think you'll find many people calling Star Wars a classic who havn't seen it.

Don't get me wrong, it is a classic. My annoyance that the claim comes just as often from ignorance. My suggestion that Star Wars was in a similar position isn't based on the same kind of ignorance... most people don't invest themselves in their opinions. It's easier to take the majority view and adopt it as your own. Star Wars has had its reputation for a long time, and the longer it has it, the easier it is to accept it without question.

Quote:
Some of it was invented for Star Wars.

Granted, much of the technical marks Serenity has would have been infinitely more difficult for Lucas, but I must be more insistent on my views of the story itself. George Lucas is given far more credit than I believe he deserves. I would go so far as to say it wasn't really him that made Star Wars into something worth respecting, much less being fanatic about. But then the question isn't about the skill of the creator/director, so I suppose it has little bearing. I guess I'm biased in my dislike of both the success of his bumbling and the way he has damaged what he had.

Ok, that was a tangent... the story. Calling it a coming of age story really has to account for all three movies in the trilogy, which is an advantage Serenity did not have. Maybe I've grown cynical over the years, but I believe most people can relate to a story about being betrayed by their government. Serenity is a story about respect. The PAX is the ultimate expression of disrespect. To be angry at someone, you must respect their ability to hurt you. To love someone, you must respect their ability to love you. To protect someone from themselves, you must decide that they are incapable of such a simple task themselves. Maybe I'm reading myself into the story, but that's how it came across to me. I wish Firefly could be included to get the story a fuller setting (as the Star Wars movies are invariably taken with respect to each other) but my vote will remain with Serenity (or Blade Runner, but that's for another discussion)

_________________________________
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."
- Abraham Lincoln

THOLO

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 7:10 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bigman:
i think Star Wars was a truly significant moment for cinema and I loved the origional three movies. But Serenity(actually I think we really mean Fire Fly) is much better written and the verse is much more of an interesting setting. some of the Fire Fly episodes are poetic and dare I say it literature if you get my meaning. Star wars was just cowboys and Indians in space.
Oh and on the subject of Boo Boos what about the Stormtrooper bumping his head on the door frame on the Death Star SW episode 1V

he's lookin to shoot some folk

how did i know this was going to come up? hehee,
a real stormtrooper could do that, if ya know what i mean. so that to me is not a SFX boo-boo.

Keep Flying!!

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