Browncoats Anonymous

"Animated series"...??  I don't know what that is, but I'm for it.

Firefly the TV series is way over the top, the best space opera since Indiana Jones Meets Star Wars.

Serenity, the direct-to-dvd movie remake, is the perfect example of ignorant exploitation, Reaver Rape & Pillage at the hands of Fox producers. River, Reaver... Get it?

To be specific, in the TV series the bad guys came two by two (with hands of nitrile lab gloves blue). The Alliance was just a foil, the thing the Browncoats lost to during the recent insurrection. The Reavers are one boat, one insane survivor, one bit of eldritch plot twitch. River Tam is the magic child, a standard role in Japanese anime, and Firefly gently teases out her gradual reveal, the same way other characters are slowly brought to light, such as He's No Shepherd Book. The TV series is, on occasion, screamingly funny. River fixing the Bible, for example, to the consternation of Shepherd.

The move is River Tam, Warrior Girl, who battles Reaver packs, Blue Zone assassins and Alliance squads which are just following orders. Beautiful, yes. And yes, Firefly fans do buy Serenity — and loathe themselves for it.

Like the lovebot quoting Mr. Universe marvelled in disbelief, "He killed me Mal, he killed me with a sword. How weird is that?"

Firefly, five stars. 

Serenity, two.