Darker Mal in Serenity
POSTED BY: BrownBug
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 04:02
VIEWED: 3878
PAGE 1 of 2
You know in my eagerness to accept and and love Serenity I never really took in how different Mal's character is in it. all the other characters remain untouched yet his profile is much much darker. The inflections of joviality have largely gone except for brief moments...
Has it ever been officially explained ? I know Joss has said that Serenity is essentslly a different beast and I se ehow it serves the narrative by Mal being a man pushed too far who finds a cause, but it just feels like one hell of a character shift.
a) Is it because Joss was pissed about being cancelled and the darkness came out through Mal?
b) did joss decide to undo the "make Mal funnier" requests of Fox?
c) has something happened to Mal in the verse between series end and th movie?
just wondering guv'nor
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Well, the movie covered a story he had been saving for future episodes of Firefly, so it assumed that things had happened in the meantime.
It's mostly that Mal lost even more since the show ended - Inara left and so did Book, and both were connections to some part of himself he lost during the battle of Serenity valley. Also, things were pretty bad. Mal was still scrounging for work and times were getting tough for the crew - tougher than they'd been in a long time. Hence Mal's desperation to hold on to the loot they'd stolen at the beginning of the movie.
Banners, Avatars, LJ Icons and other fun stuff at www.desktophippie.com
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I agree with what the lady said. Joss had to change Mal in the series to be a little less dark to appease the network. He had no pressure to do so with the movie.
King of the Mythical Land that is Iowa
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I agree with everyone. Mal does seem a bit darker in the BDM but there are still some old Mal moments.
Mal to Jayne " You wanna run this ship?"
Jayne " Yes!! Do a sight bettern you!"
Mal " Well.....ya can't!"
Z
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
The real reason is that the character needed an arc from the start of the film to the end.
As for an in-story explanation, I suspect (personally) that the new three-issue comic later this year will help explain it. Allegedly, it's about the crew taking on a job so lucrative they could retire, but the stress starts to pull the crew apart.
Combine that with Inara and Book leaving, and I think that will end up creating the darker Mal of the start of the movie.
-----
In the Portland of Oregon, Birthplace of the Global Charity Screenings Movement
PDX Browncoats, Film Action Oregon, and The Portland Mercury
present
Can't Stop The Serenity - Portland OR USA
June 22 & 23 @ the Hollywood Theatre
To Benefit Equality Now and the Women's Film Initiative
http://serenitynow.pdxbrowncoats.com/
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
yeh i also getthe sense that heand simon have fellout one too many tiimes and that ther prescence is stopping them getting jobs. as time went by this would cause more and more conflict.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Penguin:
I agree with what the lady said. Joss had to change Mal in the series to be a little less dark to appease the network. He had no pressure to do so with the movie.
Penguin,
I think you and Desktop have it right. I was thinking on this subject right after Drive ended last night. Alex Tully in a way seems to be an ancestor of the Dark Mal that Joss and Tim had to change after the pilot.
And we got Dark Mal back in the BDM. But more importantly I think at the very end, when Inara answers that she's not sure if she wants to go back to the Training House he lets just a crack of hope in despite all that happened in the movie.
http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Remember also, a lot of the lighter side of Mal, was cut and is in dvd extra. I would love to see an extended version of Serenity with all the cut scenes and more Joss-y jabbering dialog.
Vote for BDM/FF at http://stargate-news.com/
Never kiss'em on the mouth.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Grotz:
I would love to see an extended version of Serenity with all the cut scenes and more Joss-y jabbering dialog.
Of course, you won't. ;)
-----
In the Portland of Oregon, Birthplace of the Global Charity Screenings Movement
PDX Browncoats, Film Action Oregon, and The Portland Mercury
present
Can't Stop The Serenity - Portland OR USA
June 22 & 23 @ the Hollywood Theatre
To Benefit Equality Now and the Women's Film Initiative
http://serenitynow.pdxbrowncoats.com/
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
