| Firefly - The Complete Series | 
| Directors: Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Vern Gillum Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin Studio: 20th Century Fox Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98 Buy New: $18.75 You Save: $31.23 (62%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (2727 reviews) Sales Rank: 288
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed) Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD Running Time: 675 minutes Number Of Items: 4 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8 Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.5 x 1.3
MPN: D2008929D UPC: 024543089292 EAN: 0024543089292 ASIN: B0000AQS0F
Release Date: December 9, 2003 Theatrical Release Date: September 20, 2002 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.
Amazon.com 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
Beyond Firefly on DVD  Watch Stargate: Continuum on DVD |  Catch up on Stargate Atlantis on DVD |  Check out Sunshine on DVD |
Stills from Firefly (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2722 more reviews...
  Nathan Fillion is HOT!!! October 14, 2008 Okay the writing and story line of this series was awesome!!! kept me hooked but unfortunately the networks had their heads you know where. Liked the undertone of comedy
  Serinity on Steroid October 12, 2008 The motion picture "Serenity" though excellent, paless in comparison to the Firefly series. This is definitely a tale for adults. The characters are developed slowly, over time, into complex adults with complex relationships.
  FIREFLY October 11, 2008 GREAT SET I WISH THAY HAD DONE MORE I LOVE SUMMER AND THE REST A MUST HAVE TIES IN THE MOVIE SERENITY BOTH BY JOSS WHEDON OF "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER"
  Beautifully Crafted and Enjoyable Series October 11, 2008 40 out of 40 found this review helpful
The world is divided into people who get Firefly and people who don't. In this series Joss Whedon created one of the most realistic post-war visions of the future ever committed to tape, that at the same time spoke about yesterday and today. Maybe a little too much today for its own good.
The series is anti-corporate, anti-government and, while it takes the stand that some things are worth fighting for, it is largely anti-war. No wonder FOX did everything in its power to kill it off, including airing episodes out of order, skipping weeks after airing only three eps and, inevitably canceling the show without even airing episodes 12, 13 and 14 (out of 15). This was particularly damaging, as Firefly had a greater sense of ongoing plot than any other Whedon series in its first year. Viewers were left wondering, on more than one occasion, when a character would reference something we hadn't seen yet.
The backstage dramatics aside, Firefly is intelligent and, like Buffy, mythic - except this time Whedon is dealing with the myth of America: the Frontier, the Civil War, the rise of the Corporation, etc . . .
Firefly is a demanding show. It asks its audience to appreciate the shades of Grey in its characters' moral scale. The villains are not comfortingly dressed as an alien race. In 500 years mankind will still be its own worst enemy. Technology will be in the hands of a privileged few, and others will in "The Black" - Whedon's frontier third world - where it is possible to exist without the interference (or benefit) of civilization and government. Things will be dirty, and used. Firefly creates a universe that almost totally opposes that of (that bastion of television sci-fi) Star Trek: its Federation-like central power (the Alliance) is interpreted as being oppressive and dystopic. We are on the side of those who resisted (like the Maqui) and lost.
The acting is strong, the writing as excellent, funny and moving as on any Whedon show, and the effects and sets create a consistent, believable world. It is a shame the series didn't have a more hospitable environment in which to grow and become all it could have been.
  Almost Perfect October 10, 2008 As my brother said, this is Star Trek should have been. It's funny, but it also has more layers than that and the characters have various strengths and weaknesses. You know, like real people. Not like the cardboard cutouts in most TV series, who each have one defining characteristic.
The only flaw is the Inara character, who is a "Companion," the polite name for a unionized hooker. Sometimes this is used to advance the plot, but there are a number of sex scenes (fairly explicit for prime time TV) which serve no purpose except to fill time. So you might want to put the little ones to bed as you enjoy this fine series.
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