Regular Life

My next entry promises to be full of characters, if not character. Some might look at the people and think “Wow, those people are nerds,” and most of them would look back at you and say, “Yeah, so?”

I’m going with a friend to tonight’s Serenity DVD release party. We might see fans decked out in full regalia. At the end of its run now, the movie’s only playing at a few dollar theaters in the area, but a local comic book store owner arranged for a one-night screening at a first-run theater.

For those unfamiliar with it, Serenity is a movie based on a television series that ran one season in 2002. It was called “Firefly” and I knew nothing about it at the time. Since then, I have watched every episode, but it took only the two-hour pilot to make me a fan. It has a wild-west flair, a focus on characters, and humour that few science fiction shows have managed. In fact, although it features spaceships, I hesitate to call it science fiction.

I probably avoided it during its premiere run because it was advertised as “From the creator of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’” I never got into that show, so that marketing angle fell on deaf ears in our house. Fox never aired the “Firefly” pilot when it ran the show, and skipped others along the way as it played them out of order and juggled its schedule. The Sci-Fi Channel re-ran the whole series in order, pilot included. Millions of fans have snatched up the DVD boxed set.

I expect Serenity would be a good movie even to those unitiated to the “Firefly” ‘verse, but like any other film based on a TV show, a certain familiarity is an advantage. Four or five episodes would get one acquainted enough to increase viewing enjoyment tenfold. Of course, watching all 14 is even better.

The legions of fans, called Browncoats after Captain Malcom Reynolds’ deer-hide coat, cried out for more. Universal picked up the project, but the movie was never marketed well and didn’t garner much attention from non-Browncoats. Despite great reviews from almost every film critic, including an 87% fresh rating from the Cream of the Crop on rottentomatoes.com, it has not broken even yet. According to boxofficemojo.com, it cost $39 million to make and has made $38 million in theaters worldwide.

Browncoats were so rabid in their support of the film, wanted so badly for it to do well, that some bought tickets online for distant venues, just to increase the total sales numbers. Fans still discuss the show and the movie online via multiple Web-based message boards, as well as local Browncoat gatherings appropriately named shindigs.

I have no problems calling this a cult following, and no problems admitting I’m a huge fan myself.

Some fans have started online businesses based on just one or two lines from the series. One site sells a Black Market Beagle, named after an offhanded remark by the ship’s pilot, Wash. Another features a set of three goslings, inspired by Wash’s comment about people who like to juggle baby geese. At cunninghats.com, fans can buy a hand-woven hat copied from character Jayne Cobb’s wardrobe. All but the hats are sold out, but the goslings promise to re-hatch after Christmas.

In plentiful supply are bumper stickers, temporary tattoos, Christmas ornaments, and wristbands. One vendor of these items hawks her own wares and links to others capitalizing on the craze. I doubt the film and TV rights people will complain much, since it all just serves to give it more publicity.

Now, let’s just watch the DVD sales take off and send the franchise into the black.

Comments RSS