Firefly: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

     The series takes place in the year 2517, on several planets and moons. The TV series does not reveal whether these celestial bodies are within one star system, only saying that Serenity's mode of propulsion is a "gravity-drive". The film Serenity makes clear that all the planets and moons are in one large system, and production documents related to the film indicate that there is no faster-than-light travel in this universe. The characters occasionally refer to "Earth-that-was" and in the film, it is established that long before the events in the series a large population had emigrated from Earth to a new star system in generation ships:[45] "Earth-that-was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many." The emigrants established themselves in this new star system, with "dozens of planets and hundreds of moons." Many of these were terraformed, a process in which a planet or moon is altered to resemble Earth. The terraforming process was only the first step in making a planet habitable, however, and the outlying settlements often did not receive any further support in the construction of their civilizations. This resulted in many of the border planets and moons having forbidding, dry environments, well suited to the Western genre.          

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

     On the Blu-ray discs Firefly has a picture that's a little softer than most Blu-ray discs (especially in the effects shots), but it is an improvement over the DVDs (even in an upconverting DVD player or Blu-ray player), and the punchy sound (DTS HD 5.1 compared to the DVDs' 2.0 surround) is a definite upgrade. In addition to the original bonus features, there are a couple new ones: a 25-minute conversation among Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, and Alan Tudyk in which they discuss the series and a number of specific episodes (Fillion recalls thinking he was getting fired after the first episode), and a new commentary track by the four fellows on "Our Mrs. Reynolds." And since it's easy to get sucked into watching multiple episodes, it's nice to have a Play All feature on the BDs.

Comment:
    If you haven't seen Firefly then by all means, treat yourself to a pleasurable experience. Its some of, If not the best Sci-Fi in the Gorham universe; The characters are memorable, the story lines will hold you in rapt attention... Movie studios are like the auto industry executives, they have no idea what the public wants or needs. They cancelled this gem after only one season and had no idea of what a quality show they were canceling. This show could have easy gone multiple seasons, its by far better than Stargate SG1 or even SG Atlantis... If only we could catch someone's attention and get a sequel made, even direct to DVD would be an outstanding achievement!

    As a proviso: I'm a died in the wool Browncoat. Having said that, anyone familiar with this series will know ahead of time where this review is going. So I'm not going to explore at length why this sci-fi series was one of the best, most engaging, plot driven, character evolved, intriguing, cross genre, series of its type of all time. Browncoats will already know this and newbies interested enough to take the bait will discover it on their own to their delight as well as consternation that it was prematurely cancelled. At least a follow up movie, "Serenity", was made to tie up the loose ends. Regarding the quality of the new format, Blu-ray, I couldn't be more pleased. Whedon purposely shot the original in 35mm film and widescreen instead of the usual 4:3 format as demanded by his short sighted overseers at Fox. Although it was originally broadcast in 4:3 with crucial scenes composed to one side of the screen or the other, Whedon framed scenes in such a way that they could eventually be broadcast in HD. Also, Whedon shot scenes in available light thus lending a certain grittiness to the scene in keeping with the story line. Therefore, scenes are sometimes dark and "atmospheric" by design. This overall effect isn't lost in HD but enhanced somehow, which sounds contradictory. The colors are vibrant, details are rich, sound is beyond belief, without distracting from the cinema verite, film noir story itself. I own 5 boxed sets of the Firefly series which I lend out on a regular basis to friends who've never heard of it. At any given time, they're all lent out at once. I will not be lending my Blu-ray version out. It will be our "master copy" which we will continually go back to for viewing whenever there's nothing on TV or when we're waiting for our next Netflix movie to arrive. Firefly and its followup movie "Serenity" will be our default "movies" for the duration or until a movie studio realizes the potential profits to be made from reviving it. If enough Browncoats weigh in, then maybe we'll get more. Thus this review.not a lot of 3D pop, and decent audio. better detail in most scenes than from the DVD set. the AVS blu-ray tier forum has its placement and review correct. for brown coats who have a correctly-tuned 1080p HDTV, this is the definitive version.