Well, it's been a week since S. and I went to see the Serenity pre-screening. I wanted to put some time between myself and the event before I wrote about it, figuring that the added perspective would allow me to be a little less superlative in my description.
No such luck. I'm pretty comfortable classifying the Serenity screening as my best movie going experience ever. Hands down. No contest. My opinion hasn't changed with seven days. Ask me again in a few years.
The main reason why that night was so special has less to do with the movie (although I really liked it) and more to do with the circumstances surrounding the movie.
Serenity should not have been made. Studios just don't green-light major motion pictures based on television shows that didn't even survive one season, written and directed by a man who has never directed a feature motion picture before, and featuring a collection of actors and actresses who are not recognizable stars. It's just not done. And yet, last Thursday S. and I sat in a theater up in San Francisco and watched an almost completed version of that movie. Amazing. And, barring a catastrophe, that movie will be released in the US on September 30th of this year. And I will be seeing it many, many times in the theater.
I won't go into the backstory on why the show failed and how the movie got made. Short summary. Joss Whedon still felt like there was a story to tell. The success of the boxed-set DVD sales helped Universal decide this was a project worth pursuing. All nine of the cast were interested and able to come back and shoot the movie. And what they created is quality.
The pre-screenings were a thank-you from Joss and Universal to the fans. The test screenings have already happened (a number in the Southern California area, one in London, and another in Sydney) and that part of the feedback process is over. The movie is in post-production and there were some technical details and music accompaniment that need to be finished. But Joss put the word out (via the UB and immediately cross-posted around the Firefly web community - I found out about it from Haken over at FFFn.) that there would be ten screenings in ten cities around the country on May 5th. Before Universal could even get their marketing plan in operation, and almost as soon as the ticket portal site came on-line, the shows were sold out (If you go to the ticket portal site you'll notice twenty theaters and a date of May 26th. Welcome to round two of the pre-screenings. Sold out almost as quickly as the first round!).
The pre-screening, at least the San Francisco one, was really more like a big shindig. People lined up for hours playing Firefly audio clips, knitting Jayne hats, walking around and talking, and wearing all manner of Firefly related apparel. Universal had a camera crew there doing interviews for the movie DVD. And all this was before we even got into the theater.
Once we took our seats various people made fandom related announcements. After a few minutes the big surprise was unveiled as Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk entered the theater. We quickly turned that surprise into a standing ovation. One of the coolest things about the whole movie getting made story is the willingness of those involved with the production to tour and interact with the fans. Alan had just come back from a convention in London (where a number of the BDHs were in attendance). Basically they said they came to watch the movie with us and then answer questions afterward. So they sat down, the lights dimmed, and the image came up.
It was a short clip from Joss. Basically, it was a thank-you note. His message was, "Here's all the reasons why this movie shouldn't have been made. Here's the reasons why it was made. One of those reasons is you. Take a break and celebrate. Then get back out there spreading the word and generating buzz to help this movie be successful."
I won't say much about the movie itself, except that I really want to see it again. And again. The BDHs done good. Better than good. Amazing. The characters and the 'verse are consistent with what we came to know and love in the series. The plot is more epic. The dangers more dangerous. The villains more villainous. If the TV series was about the characters scratching out an existence on the edge of space the movie is about them hanging on by a fingernail. The emotions that the movie invoked are stronger. In short, it's Joss writ large. And, even though it's not in the finished state, I think I'll echo S.' sentiments when she said it was a 9 out of 10.
Movie ending. Question and answer session. Filing out. Getting schwag. Driving to the freeway. All kind of a blur. I was still processing the movie. I'm trying to keep the image in my head as long as possible.
And so, for all the above reasons, last Thursday was my Best Movie Experience Ever.
