Firefly - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

82

Film Synopsis:

Set 500 years into the future, in the wake of a universal civil war, “Firefly” centers on the crew of Serenity, a small transport spaceship that does not have a planet to call home. Captain Malcom “Mal” Reynolds, a defeated soldier who opposed the unification of the planets by the totalitarian governed Alliance, will undertake any job – legal or not – to stay afloat and keep his crew fed.

My Take:

Firefly is a sci-fi TV series that ran during the 2002- 2003 season. It is set in the year 2517 and follows the exploits of the crew of the Firefly Class cargo ship Serenity. The series explores the aftermath of a civil war and the pioneer culture that exists on the fringes of their star system. Captain Mal Reynolds (Fillion) is a tough battle hardened sort who relies heavily on his trusted first mate Zoe (Torres) who fought side by side with him during the war against the Alliance. Her husband “Wash” (Tudyk) is the ship’s pilot, Kaylee (Staite) is the engineer, and last there is hired gun/tough guy Jayne (Baldwin). The crew will pretty much take on any task as long as it ends in a payday. This includes taking on passengers, cargo for transport to other planets, and smuggling. During the series pilot Serenity 1 & 2 the crew takes on passengers Dr. Simon Tam (Maher), his sister River (Glau), and holy man Shepherd Book (Glass). For good measure they added ‘companion’ Inara Serra, an old friend, to the fold. The term companion has a different meaning and involves her working as a futuristic type of prostitute. Problems arise for the crew when it’s discovered the Simon and River, who has psychic abilities, are on the run from the Alliance. This is the foundation for the events that transpire over the course of the show with plenty of interesting subplots along the way.

Firefly has sort of a futuristic western feel that works very well. It was short lived but has a rather large fan base that was extremely displeased by its cancellation. The entire series is presented here with all 14 episodes (three of which were never aired originally), spread out over three BD-50 Blu-ray discs. Creator Joss Whedon came up with a successful formula that included a cast that truly liked coming to work every day and excellent writing that felt fresh and edgy. The 2003 release of the series on DVD helped to elevate the show’s popularity and broadened its fan base. In 2005 a film Serenity was released based upon the show and it brought back the entire cast to reprise their roles. Firefly is a really terrific sci-fi drama that features a great mix of well developed characters and creative writing. Unfortunately it was short lived but has been kept alive but its many endearing fans.

Parental Guide:

There is violence, language, and some sensuality contained in the series. I would think that a TV-14 rating would be appropriate.

Audio: 84

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Video: 80

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Firefly comes to Blu-ray Disc from Fox featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4 mbps.

I was pleased with the quality of this audio presentation as I really wasn’t expecting this level of quality. There was quite a bit of surround activity that varied in intensity. Soundstage depth was excellent, with great front channel separation and room spanning spatial directionality. Dynamic range was fairly extended which provided a nice visceral energy to active sound effects. Bass was well defined with strong presence and tangible extension. The show’s signature music had excellent clarity with discerning detail in the mid and upper treble that never sounded harsh or edgy. Dialogue was intelligible and crisp but not as prominent within the mix as I would have liked.

The high definition picture was rendered with good overall resolution that featured bold contrast, punchy colors, and lifelike complexions. Fine detail wasn’t always conspicuous from scene to scene which resulted in images appearing less delineated at times. On the contrary there were many instances where the picture had good sharpness and definitive clarity. Whites were overcooked which washed out the presence of detail. Blacks were deep and mildly crushed so that subtle gradations were harder to detect. Detail in the shadowy and dark confines of ship was apparent but its quality was scene dependent. Grain is present and its rendering varied. The ending scene in the opening of Serenity Part 1 exhibited a strange flash of mosquito type noise that covered the entire frame. Dark scenes and backgrounds seemed to highlight grain which made it appear uneven and thereby distracting. Its was visible during lighter sequences but was better resolved and natural in appearance. Having seen the show in high definition on Universal HD this presentation was reminiscent of what I saw then.

Bonus Features:

Disc 1:

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• Audio commentary
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• Here’s how it is: The making of Firefly featurette
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• (HD) Trailers – Dollhouse, Buffy & Angel promos

Disc 2:

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• Audio commentary
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• (HD) Firefly Reunion: Lunch with Joss, Nathan, Ron, and Alan

Disc 3:

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• 4 Deleted scenes
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• Featurettes:

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2. Serenity: The 10th character
   
3. Alan Tudyk’s audition
   
4. Joss sings the Firefly theme
   
5. Joss tours the set

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• Gag reel

Final Thoughts:

Firefly was a short lived and well executed TV series that is considered a classic among its many fans. Its release on DVD gave many a chance to relive it over again after its cancellation. Fox has brought it to high definition Blu-ray Disc in an offering that is sure to trump the earlier standard definition version. I can think of no better way to enjoy it than this. Having said that I think it is safe to say that it is time for fans to upgrade.