Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent storytelling by Joss Whedon.
Review: "Firefly" is Joss Whedon's first expedition into science fiction, a genre completely different from earlier creations of his like "Buffy" and "Angel". In a way, it's a much finer vintage than either, strengthened by his years of experience in imaginative storytelling. The series tells the story of Serenity, a Firefly-class space transport, and her crew. Each character of the main cast is memorable, and as the series progresses you gain more empathy for each of them. Malcolm Reynolds, the former Independent who fought (but lost) against the tyrannical Alliance alongside his first mate, Zoe. Wash, Zoe's husband and a pilot of exceptional talent. Kaylee, young and boy-crazy mechanic savant. Jayne, the greedy and less-than-bright muscle. Inara Serra, courtesan and Companion (a social class which is highly esteemed in this culture). And the passengers: Shepherd Book, a priest whose background is shaded in mystery. Simon and River Tam, fugitive siblings, he a talented trauma surgeon, she a intuitive genius who had been the guinea pig of some mysterious group's experiments. The series' stories are well-written, though primarily episodic rather than plot-arc-based. They have much more of a sense of realism than most space-opera type shows (Star Trek, for example), and that's one of the things that draws a viewer's attention. There are no aliens, no "bumpy forehead" prosthetics -- it's just humans, alone in the black. Fox, the production company, chose to hamstring the series and cancel it before it really got off to a solid start. Nonetheless, the DVD set of the series is well worth buying -- it's one of the finest bits of storytelling around.
Rating:
Summary: Everything positive all the other reviewers said...
Review: ...are absolutely true! I am a lifelong Trekker - have been watching Star Trek since '68 - but I have to say that aside from a couple of brilliant seasons of TNG, ST totally can't hold a candle to the incredible writing and acting of Firefly. Firefly even makes X-Files look a little slow.
I'm still a Trekker, but I would not shell out money to buy a ST DVD, whereas I would, if I had to, give up a couple of meals to buy a Firefly DVD! :) You won't regret owning it.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Sci-Fi Western TV Genre
Review: After 190 or so reviews, this one is most likely redundant. However consider another my vote for the excellent quality of the show and its eventual continuation as a TV series. I have never seen an aired episode, (don't watch broadcast or cable). I just received the DVD set and watched all 4 disks set over the last 3 days - it was that good. Joss Whedon has clearly captured the sense of "being there" which he set out to accomplish. The dialog is smartly written, relevant to the episode and rarely fails to please. Comic relief, usually in the form of trademark one liners, is sparingly applied. The cast works well together, is believable and is very attractive. The blend of sets and CGI is effective and the camerawork, especially the jerky handheld feel that characterizes the CGI shots, works to create added realism. I imagine the special features will please even the die hard fans. The gag reel is a rare gift that is too often left on the editing room floor. Word's out that a Firefly feature film is in the works. Let us hope it spawns the continuation of the series. Roy PS. If your thinking about buying this DVD set, stop. Just buy it. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: FOX , YOU MADE A GLARING MISTAKE CANCELLING THIS SERIES...
Review: Being 35 and put off by all of the reality TV these days, I RARELY watch prime time tv anymore. That said, Firefly is a show I would have gladly tuned into had it been given a fair shake. And hey FOX, get this, I'm not even remotely a Buffy or Angel fan. I'm more of a Homicide, Law & Order, The Shield fan...HELL...even a Sports Night fan. Joss Whedon's pet project is very much worthy of a Serinity movie (THANKS Universal) and much, much more. Superbly cast with Nathan Fillion as a cross between WKRP's Gary Sandy, Battlestar Galactica's Dirk Benidict and Hans Solo as the captain. Adam Baldwin is a slightly toned down version of "Animal Mother" of his Full Metal Jacket fame. Much funnier though. Gina Torres is the tough, black, war-torn veteran who loves her husband Alan Tudyk, who, while a great pilot, likes to play with dinosaurs and looks like Steve Zahn with his moustache in the flashback episode. Jewel Staite is the kindest most wholesome mechanic you've seen on tv since ...well ever. You just want to give her a great big hug. Especially since Sean Maher the upright, uptight doctor doesn't seem to know how to. Looks like Skippy from Family Ties. His sister Summer Glau is quite the enigma. The mind of Stephen Hawking with dance moves like Michael Flatley and dexterity with a gun like Christian Bale from Equilibrium. Watch this one, she's a loose cannon ever since her brain's been altered by the mysterious Blue Sun corp. Morena Baccarin is s t u n n i n g l y beautiful as the "companion/whore". Radiant and glowing she means more to the Serinity and the captain than the captain will EVER give her credit for. Ron Glass (Barney Miller) may or not be a Shepard as his collar would have you believe. Much is left open on his character. Even the ship, the Serinity, is a character. Think Millinium Falcon meets an actual firefly. Great CGI (for TV) with handheld shots of space with light flares, out of focus shots, and zooms and pulls. The DVD set (in correct order) makes you forget you're watching tv. Innovative tv cinematography work is going on here. Firefly has a great sense of humor that has me laughing out loud on the couch as well as some great in-jokes. If you don't get them...well that's just too bad. Sorry EVERYONE STILL LOVE'S RAYMOND fans. The music is first rate. Western acoustic guitar tones with fiddle to some Peter Gabrial "Passion" like music mixed in. I love the fact that there are no "guest stars" unless you count the superb Richard Brooks (Law & Order) in the season finally. Mostly fresh faces with no baggage from other shows. Another reason the show works. Some detractors say there are too many stereotypes here to be a really good and original show. Trust me, you will fall in love with this cast just like the cast of the Enterprise. You'll find no bumpy headed alien named Xoorimar from the planet Zargon. This show is about people. Another reason it works so well.
Bottom line, Joss made a believer even out of even my cynical girlfriend who said "Sci-fi western, pffffft, yeah right." Imagine if Fox really gave this show a fair shake? This was obviously a labor of love. Even someone who isn't a fan of sci-fi could see that. 739 customer reviews shows how passionate people are for this series. So many unanswered questions remain and so many sponsers who would welcome our attention. Please re-up the series while we, the passionate, still care. Remember what Gene Roddenberry's little series was able to do on NBC way back in the late 60's. Hell, my favorite show, Homicide, wouldn't have been around to win 3 Peabody Awards for excellence(only show in history to do so) if it wasn't for Warren Littlefield's determined stand-alone vision at NBC. "We looked at this piece in development called Homicide: Life on the Street, and we said, 'This is special. And if we can, we ought to be able to . . . hold on to this. Because these shows just don't come along all that often.' Firefly is one of these shows. Have some vision Fox. Just think of all the Firefly DVD box sets we'd buy in the future. ($$$) Thank you Joss & Tim!
Rating:
Summary: Smart, Witty and Brilliant TV -- Don't Miss!
Review: First off, ignore the hatchet job Fox did if you saw "Firefly" airing on network TV -- the DVD set is the true series. And what a series -- fantastic and brilliant TV. This shortlived but brilliant show from Buffy creator Joss Whedon isn't just a series to rent, but one to own. It's just so richly textured -- every episode bears repetition, and brings on those funny, smart, sexy, and stylish moments so rare these days in the TV wasteland.
"Firefly" is set 500 years in the future and is a very witty and adventurous "Sci-Fi Western" in a future in which everything is a mix of American with a dash of Chinese thrown in. And those of you making faces at "oooh it's a Western" (I was one of them) -- I promise you'll like it anyway, even if you're not always a John Wayne type. ;-) And even the special effects are fantastic -- a standout is a pulse-pounding chase from the terrifying Reavers in the two-hour pilot. Everything looks feature-film slick. It's great, smart Sci-Fi -- for instance, there is no sound in the space scenes (unlike the "whooshes" on Star Trek when the ship goes into hyperspace etc), because there is no sound in space.
The characters are smart and brave and very funny, with a gorgeous and talented cast, and all 15 episodes are wonderful and offer a moment to savor. By the end, it feels like you've watched an extended miniseries or a novel for television. I went from liking the show on TV, to watching the DVDs and becoming a die-hard fan who treasures the entire set -- and can't wait for the feature film.
Rating:
Summary: Firefly was the best thing Fox never knew it had
Review: Fox has had its share of failed shows in the past years. This is to say nothing of their chronic ability to underadvertise and pre-empt their best programming in lieu of sporting events and mindless programming. How Joss Whedon's Firefly managed to get a prime-time Friday night slot on Fox is beyond me. It was smartly written, well directed, extremely well cast and for its short-run had enough sub plots to keep you watching week after week. Firefly is, hands down, one of the best shows that Fox has ever aired. Why they relentlessly under-promoted this well-viewed show may never be known. It is my sincere hope that now that Buffy is gone, Whedon manages to find another network that will pick up Firefly. It is too good to die.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic show, hands down.....
Review: I am no fanboy, and not much of a science fiction buff, but this show is absolutely addicting. Even if you don't like the sci-fi western premise, the charm of the characters and the brilliant dialogue will draw you in and not let go. Shame on FOX for cancelling such a uniquely appealling mix of humor, drama, action, and romance. Counting the days til the movie comes out.....
Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the movie
Review: I could write a whole bunch about how good this show is, but it's been done; I'll just say a few things. A) Look at the average rating. It's perfect, and that's not just because of a small sample of a few fans: there are more than 700 reviews at the time I write this.
B) A movie is in the works now, mostly on the strength of the sales of the DVD.
C) Joss Whedon. Tim Minear. Ben Edlund.
D) All of this from a show that aired only eleven episodes.
Rating: 
Summary: Firefly, a word of caution
Review: I enjoyed the series very much, and was surprised to see that there were some episodes that were not aired, and that was the main reason for buying this set. However all of the episodes that are in this collection WERE aired on the Sci-fi channel in the UK. I don't know if this is true in the U.S.A., but this makes the cover statement at the very least misleadind. There is even a reference to 'Objects in Space' in the special features section as having been aired. It's possible that they mean the DVD versions are different to the ones that were aired, but if that's so WHY DON'T THEY JUST SAY THAT!
Rating:
Summary: An amazingly well written show.
Review: I had never seen Firefly in its initial, flawed, and out-of-order run on Fox, and in a way, I'm glad. I might have not fully understood how amazing this show is if I had seen it out of order. Recently, after reading nothing but the praise on this show heaped upon it by friends and colleagues, I broke down and purchased the DVD set, and boy am I glad I did. This has to be one of the most amazing pieces of televised storytelling I've ever seen. The characters are deep and fleshed-out. The writing is amazing, and the mixture of action and humor has never been more pleasing. The top-notch cast really got into their characters, and you can tell they they're having a ball. Overall, if you caught an episode on Fox and didn't "get it", or if the successful mixture of Sci-fi and Western genre's appeals to you, do yourself an immense favor and pick up this DVD set. It will enrich and enlighten you in surprising ways. Enjoy!
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