Browncoats: Redemption

And because I understand how difficult it is to assemble a movie from a disparate collection of Film Clips, Music, SoundFX and Special Effects. Not to mention Costumes, lighting etc. And because I really don't like rating TV Shows and Films lower than 10, in all honesty, I could not give this a 10. But I give it a 5 for just trying.

I like that this film shows another group of Space Truckers from the Firefly Universe, and stuff that happens after "Miranda" was uncovered - But it is still a Fan Film. So far the best Fan Film to date has been the fantastic "Of Gods and Men" for the Star Trek Universe. But that film had one advantage over this one: It was conceived and directed by Tim "Tuvok" Russ, and it afforded an opportunity for Trek actors and actresses to one again stand on the Bridge of Enterprises from Various Mirrors Universes.

This film does not lack in Costumes, whoever did this did a swell job if recreating the Starship Troopers Armor that was used in Firefly. This is another thing that the makers of this had no access to: Huge warehouses of Props from Universal/20th Century Fox/Paramount/etc. So they had to do with what they could scrounge up. Also, a regular show has a stable of Actors they can draw from. Now, the actors used for this, did as well as they could, but it was still wooden. The Sound Editing was not done well, so things like Dialogue is not very effective.

I could have lived with all of this, but one thing really stood out: In Firefly the series and the Movie Sequel "Serenity", you would have noticed if you are a fan, that when Kaylee talks about Engine parts, she never uses direct terms related to any Electronic or Engineering tech that exists today. Joss made sure that all of the names of parts did not come from a Radio Shack Catalog. So, in this, there is one scene where the non-Wash pilot activates some kind of Voice Recognition for the ship, and in response the Ship says something about it's "Diodes". That word was never used in Firefly, ever, nor the name of any other electronic component.

Now, I watched various parts of this, cos it was painful to watch it in sittings of longer than 5 minutes each time. With better Directing and Acting skills, the semi-passable lines could have been delivered believably. But the writer created an opening scene which had crew of this ship in a bar, and eventually a fight breaks out, like it used to happen all the time in Firefly. I just didn't buy it, it's not logical that another crew of another ship would act just like the crew of Firefly, even if they were Brown-coats. So I flipped forward, and I did not see any other interesting scenes

So, maybe I'll go back and watch it from start to finish, as much as I love Firefly, the things which endeared that show to me did not exist here. If I view it again and find differently, I'll amend this review and change the rating.

This was a clever story set in the 'verse that many of us Browncoats have come to know and love. While the movie had plot and technical flaws, it wasn't cheesy or unwatchable. And believe me when I say I can't watch bad acting. The script was written so as not to stretch the volunteer actors too far. And when they did get hammy the director was clever enough to have them refer to their bad scene as their character acting out of character. So the bad acting is made to work.

One of the problems with a fan movie like this is that the fans want to revel in the atmosphere of the source material. Where the original film, Serenity, and TV series, Firefly, only occasionally highlighted the culture, like companions and crew-as-family scenes, this movie is awash in both. There are companions everywhere and every scene with the crew is some kind of bonding or family support. This is what the fans loved about the series and in this film they overdo it.

The directing was effective. Almost every scene was done with a framed wide shot. A couple of lines needed close-ups so we could see the actor's expression to make the shot work. But every scene was in focus and the pacing was good. And a couple of scenes were downright high quality. The voice-over scene where the captain explains her motivations was excellent, for example.

The casting was excellent. The actors all appear to be cut from the same cloth as the characters they portray. The only mistake was casting the captain as a female tough guy. It just doesn't work. It's the same mistake they made in Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis. Without being too crude let's just say no one thinks that Heide Montag would be great in a street fight because of her overly developed upper body. We're asked to believe that here. (Just to be clear, there's no indication of plastic surgery on any of the cast.)

The special effects were well done. The pacing was good. The acting was acceptable, especially for volunteers. The story was an interesting addition to the Firefly 'verse. All in all a good and commendable effort. And especially worthwhile as a means to donate to some excellent charities.

I have to agree with others that the film left me.. well.. just left me.. Of course a fan film isn't going to match JW work.. hell JW will have a tough time matching his work in Firefly.. Firefly was a unique mix of cast, crew, plot, acting, personalities and etc that will probably never be matched.. anyway I digress.. The film was good considering they had no budget.. no real sets and scenes and no real actors.. the acting was forced and not believable in my opinion..so I split my vote.. and 5 is average for me..It would take a few 100K to make a good 40 minute movie.. these guys made a fair movie on 0.00$ basically.. Firefly fans are the best fans in the 'verse.. and you want to agree with me.. or else you might damage my calm... Still Flying..

As a hardcore Whedonite (Firefly being my favorite of the bunch), I long for a season 2 (or a sequel to Serenity) with the best of them. I cannot, however, condone the awful chop-job they made of my favorite verse. I am convinced that Fox allowed it just so that people would stop asking for a season 2.

Here's a couple of protips: 1: Adding a few Chinese phrases doesn't make your trash sound like Firefly. Neither does shooting scenes in insufficient light make it LOOK like Firefly. 2: If you plan to USE Chinese phrases, the actors should be able to say those phrases in a way that (regardless of accuracy) at least SOUND like they are comfortable; the Chinese is supposed to be a natural part of their culture. The cast of Firefly managed it regardless of how difficult it was for them. 3: If you are going to use WESTERN phrases, the actors should be able to say those phrases in a way that (regardless of accuracy) at least SOUND like they are comfortable. (see above for the rest; I guess now I know why actual actors get paid so much.) 4: When you screw up a scene, don't just keep going and correct yourself, reminding yourself audibly what your line *should* have been. Cut, and start the scene over. This is not a play, regardless of what the set pieces seem to imply; you don't have to go with your first take. 5: Don't force references to Firefly. Yes, beagles have smallish droppings. Yes, it was funny when Mal said it. No, it is not funny when you say it. Because you're awful at this. Just awful. 6: At least attempt to *modify* the clothes you're wearing into costumes. It doesn't take much effort, and it can go a long way. 7: There's a reason for boom mics. 8: This is the important bit. You must pay close attention to this particular bit, because it is the most vital direction that any reviewer will give you. Here it is: don't screw around with Joss Whedon's stuff. It's too good to live up to. Your attempt at a tribute, no matter how lovingly intended, will be a nausea-inducing insult to everyone who loves Whedon's work enough to watch yours.

In conclusion, I feel as though I've just staggered into a room full of unattractive people masturbating all over something that I love, and I'll be scarred by it for years to come.

I have a lot of respect for the cast and crew of this film. Everyone took part not because they expected fame or money, they did it because the love the source material. That love shows above all of the problems of this film, and make it worth viewing for any fan of the source material (Firefly and Serenity, respectively). I can only hope that this film captures that fan base and drums up a lot of money for some very good causes.

Now, please understand, I do understand that this is not a professional production. I understand that budget and time was limited. And, looking past the faults, there's an enjoyable story here.

But the film certainly does have it's faults.

The biggest fault in my eyes, is the writing. The biggest problem with the writing on this film is that it breaks one of the biggest rules of screen writing... "Show, don't tell". Too much of this film is people telling us things that have happened, or telling us that this person is good at this or that. Characters, for the most part, don't actually get to have an endearing moment that makes us connect with them. We are forced to bond with the crew of the Redemption by hearing about past adventures, without seeing them in any real action. We get a long voice over to fill us in on past events instead of visually making it a flash back or dripping out information during some sort of action (remember Reese's exposition during the chase in Terminator... sure didn't feel like an info dump, but it was). Additionally, characters are forced to over react to small things. Instead of anyone having a measured response, they immediately think everything is fighting words.

It also seems that there wasn't a strong idea where the film could go when it started. We spend quite a bit of time setting up for a "job" that is completely irrelevant, and a long scene picking up a pilot that really could have been done in a minute instead of five. It is frustrating because the source material always moved along at a brisk clip, but somehow it seems the writers didn't have a grasp on how to carry that over into their own work.

The cast is okay, especially considering they were all volunteers and do well with what they're given. The camera work is a bit annoying as it is all medium shots that seem to hold long past their expiration date. What is genuinely impressive is the digital effects the sets for the ship. Though they clearly had a limited budget for each, what they managed to put on the screen really does work well and looks like they easily spent more than they did.

All in all, the film feels like a long first episode to a series, the plot seeming to exist merely to introduce us to the crew. So perhaps they will be able to make a stronger follow up now that introductions are out of the way.

Honestly, if you are at all curious about the film, buy it/stream it from the source site. The money goes to some great causes and it really is enjoyable despite it's flaws.