Firefly: The Complete Series (2002) [w/Commentary]

Creator: Joss Whedon
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk

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.

Episodes:
01. "Serenity" (86:42)
02. "The Train Job" (42:43)
03. "Bushwhacked" (43:54)
04. "Shindig" (43:58)
05. "Safe" (42:45)
06. "Our Mrs. Reynolds" (43:56)
07. "Jaynestown" (43:58)
08. "Out of Gas" (43:57)
09. "Ariel" (42:50)
10. "War Stories" (42:54)
11. "Trash" (43:43)
12. "The Message" (44:05)
13. "Heart of Gold" (42:28)
14. "Objects In Space" (44:04)

Commentary tracks:
– Audio Commentary on "Serenity" by creator Joss Whedon and actor Nathan Fillion
– Audio Commentary on "The Train Job" by creator Joss Whedon and director/writer Tim Minear
– Audio Commentary on "Shindig" by writer Jane Espenson, costume designer Shawna Tipcic and actor Morena Baccarin
– Audio Commentary on "Our Mrs. Reynolds" by creator Joss Whedon and actors Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, and Alan Tudyk
– Audio Commentary on "Out of Gas" by writer Tim Minear and director David Solomon
– Audio Commentary on "War Stories" by actors Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk
– Audio Commentary on "The Message" by actors Alan Tudyk and Jewel Staite
– Audio Commentary on "Objects In Space" by creator Joss Whedon

This show blew me away. The beauty of the production, the detail in the sets, the well written characters, the intelligent stories and concepts, the fun, the drama, and the excitement all amazed me. I don't usually spend time watching TV, but I honestly hated having to wait until the next show! :)

The special effects are seamlessly integrated and beautifully detailed. The manner in which the show was presented - the hand-held cameras, the use of zooms, and the occasional off-focus effect - was very intriguing, giving it a look of a show that was real and gritty, something that really caught your attention but didn't distract you from what was being presented. It made you feel like you were really there, like it was believable.

While there was a Western attitude and flavor to some of the episodes, I always felt that it was more about the lack of authority, the fact that people were just dropped out on these planets without the kinds of support that you would expect. It's presented very well and makes sense to me, although I've heard others take a different approach to it.

If you have the opportunity to get it, I would highly suggest it. It is well worth the money!

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