I liked the film a lot. It was not the series--Mal was back to the darker, more bitter Mal that Joss originally wanted and Fox made lighten up. He basically ended up in the same emotional space at the end of the film that he was in the beginning of the series, but that didn't bother me. I'd rather hang with the series Mal, but I liked seeing what NF did with the anger and steel. I was spoiled for Wash's death so I was prepared, but the BF grabbed my hand and said "no" when it happened. I felt it worked dramatically in all sorts of ways, so although I adore the character, I think it was a good choice.
I didn't find Kaylee out of character at the end. She wasn't armed (she was bringing ammo to everyone else for a lot of the scene) until she decided to do it for Teh Sex, and even then she held her gun awkwardly. That rang true for me. I buy the Kaylee/Simon love, although I would have liked to see more hints of it throughout. Simon reads a bit as gay, but I bought the attraction. I have known plenty of guys who read gay but are straight (or the other way) so I gots me no problem with it. Makes life more interesting.
ETA: We went with two friends who had never seen the series and they both enjoyed the film. One of them LOVED it, as a matter of fact. WE also snuck into
Flight Plan,
which kinda really sucked, exept for Jodie Foster and (not enough) Sean Bean.
I meant to say, my husband and I went to the 10:20 show on Friday and there were probably only 30 people in the theater, but they laughed and moaned at all the right places. I saw no costumes or cunning hats.
Sorry, didn't know, Allyson. Gone back and edited.
From Variety:
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATE
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, 2005
Title Engagements Est Weekend Box Office
1.Flightplan (BV) 3,424 $15.0
2.Serenity (UNIV) 2,188 $10.1
3.Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (WB) 3,204 $9.8
4. A History of Violence (NEW LINE) 1,340 $8.2
5. Into the Blue (SONY) 2,789 $7.0
6. Just Like Heaven (DREAMWORK) 3,543 $6.1
7. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (SONY) 3,004 $4.4
8. Roll Bounce (FOXSEARCH) 1,661 $4.0
9. The Greatest Game Ever Played (BV) 1,014 $3.7
10.The 40 Year Old Virgin (UNIV) 2,152 $3.1
I'm not actually sure, but better safe?
Some people need to be brained with a pink hammer, though.
I went to a 7 pm show on Saturday in the Bay Area and the theater was 95% full. Big crowd, and applause at the end, so I suspect there were a lot of fans there.
I enjoyed it. Didn't love it to death omg, and I see some problems inherent in the structure, but I'm basically happy. It wasn't possible to make a movie that would have pleased a non-fan and a fan audience equally, but they did the best they could.
The 13-year-old certainly liked it, although she needed some of the plot twists and characters explained to her. She thought it was scary and fun.
I understand the meta behind killing Wash: I think it was a smart move, both for the movie and for the possibility of the franchise. It hurt the characters and the fans, and Wash and Book's deaths gave the cast a little breathing room for the future: 9 is too many for a movie, really.
What I don't understand is the personal rage and sense of betrayal that I've seen exhibited in some responses. Good stories hurt. That's what they do. Good stories surprise and challenge. Killing Wash off was a narrative choice inherent to the form, and while I can understand why people were shocked, horrified, and grieving, I'm afraid I don't understand why people are announcing that they'll never watch the sequel, will "never trust Joss again", and that sort of thing.
Ah, well. Anything that pleases everyone would be so mushy as to have no value in it, so.
