Firefly – The Complete Series (20th Century Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Episodes: B+
Throughout
my days (and long nights) as a TV on DVD/Blu-ray reviewer I have come across
many great television series that were hastily cut down before their prime and
even more series that have gone on longer than should have ever been
allowed. The forerunner in canceling
great television series is FOX. For
every 20 “World’s Most Deadly Mall Fights” that FOX keeps on the air they
cancel 1 great show. From great series
like Arrested Development that went
off into obscurity to never be heard from again and series like Family Guy that rose from the dead to
be more successful than ever; FOX has canceled them all. The series that is under review here is Firefly; one of the most creative and
imaginative Sci-Fi series to ever hit the airways…and just as quickly be
swatted down.
The
series was canceled after only 11 of its 14 produced episodes aired and fans
across the board (chat rooms and otherwise) were crushed. The series follows the renegade crew of the
spaceship Serenity (who chose the wrong side of a Civil War) as they enter a
new star system and attempt to make a living on the outskirts of society as a
pioneer culture develops. The series
being described by the creators as a “stage coach series” where no one is quite
sure where life or this new star system is taking them, making each day a new
and unpredictable adventure. It is a
very American concept to be pioneers in a new and unknown world, which is
perhaps why the series was so appealing.
I don’t want to reveal too much about the series, just know that every
episode adds a new layer of wonderfully intriguing complexity.
For
further analysis of this groundbreaking series, please refer to the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/813/Firefly+-+The+Complete+Series
The
technical features that surround Firefly:
The Complete Series on Blu-ray are not as wonderful as fans would have
hoped. The picture is presented in a run
of the mill 1080p/AVC- encoded 1.78 X 1 Widescreen that fails to impress as the
series demonstrates a number of clarity and texture issues throughout. The close up shots look amazing, but
everything else is simply mediocre. The
special effects are weak and dated, as they project like a series that was just
getting off the ground (oh wait it was).
To some degree the viewer can not expect much from the low budget
special effects, but don’t expect the Blu-ray High Definition to heighten the
experience either. Other than clarity
issues, however, the series has had a certain amount of visual upgrade. The picture quality overall is clean with
none of the artifacting or debris that was seen on the DVD release. The flesh tones are realistic, the blacks are
deep, and the colors are vibrant from beginning to end; making the series look
better than it ever has. The refined
visuals will make fans happy, though they will be undoubtedly disappointed by
the less than exhilarating special effects that can mainly be attributed to the
original source material that was filmed in 35mm and standard definition
formats.
The sound
presentation is an excellent English DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio that makes each
sound ‘pop’ through the chaos that is Firefly. The dialogue is crisp and clean
throughout with only the rare occasion of muffled speech. The series is full of explosive action and
gun fire, but the series nicely projects the dialogue clearly through even the
largest amount of anarchy. The sound
also demonstrates a fluid track as it pans across the speakers, giving the
whole series a sound of solid and engaging directionality.
The
Blu-ray of Firefly contains all the
same extras that were included on the DVD release; including a Gag Reel, 4
Deleted Scenes, Audition Tapes, 3 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes (Character Analysis, Set Tour, & Firefly
Theme Song Feature), How It Was: Making of Firefly, and 7 Audio Commentary
Tracks. The Blu-ray also has two
exclusive features including a Firefly
Reunion (28 minutes) and an additional Audio
Commentary on the episode “Our Mrs. Reynolds” which reunites Rob Glass,
Alan Tudyk, Josh Whedon, and Nathan Fillion.
Both featurettes are done amazingly well and make it even sadder that
the series was prematurely canceled. The
audio commentary and reunion hand out an array of interesting, insightful, and
entertaining tid bits that you can not get anywhere else.
“Nine
people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things.”
- Michael P. Dougherty II
