Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-12-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 675 minutes

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

From the Back Cover
Five hundred years in the future, there is 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.

Customer Reviews

WOW! Joss Whedon at his best!
I have been a Joss Whedon fan ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I own that entire series on DVD, too). When I first saw the TV ads for Firefly, I wasn't sure I would like it (I don't really like westerns). But Joss Whedon's name was enough to get me to watch, and I was hooked! Other than some scenes on horses, and a wild west feel to the frontier, I wouldn't really classify this as a western at all.

In Joss' shows, the dialogue is always excellent; okay, on Buffy sometimes it was corny. But I have never seen a writer who could go from serious (well, as serious as a vampire show could be) to hilarious better than Joss. Firefly is a believable concept (no aliens, just man expanding into the universe as he once expanded from continent to continent), well-executed, and lots of fun. You care about these people, and you can believe that they care about each other (even Jane, somewhat, although he doesn't like to admit it). The dialogue itself, and the timing of the delivery, is always right on target. In comedy, they say timing is everything, and Joss has mastered that.

This is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and of course I had to get "Serenity" when it came out, too. Excellent wrap-up of the series, but why oh why did it have to wrap up at all? Fox should have renewed this series! Let's hope they learned from their mistake, and won't cancel The Sarah Connor Chronicles prematurely!

In summary, this is a GREAT TV show, and I love it!

Bring them back
I never saw this on cable, but when I read the reviews I had to order it. Love the series, love the movie.

best series ever!!!!!!!!!!!
This by far is the on the list of best series ever made. It is a shame it was cancelled. we wan't more. Buy it, buy two. Give a copy to a friend.