I had the same thought, actually...

zeitgeist | September 07, 01:42 CET

Is this the same guy who thinks Serenity is gonna tank and get's down on Whedonites because we love Joss and think nothing he can do can be bad?

MySerenity | September 07, 01:44 CET

I guess since at the end they link to their board with "Try to understand that thinking the movie won't do well doesn't mean I think it will suck on our message board!"

eddy | September 07, 01:49 CET

I like that poster.
And the other one.

JustNick | September 07, 01:52 CET

Is the movie being sold as River the Vampire Slayer? That would be a great idea, if it turns out an ancestor of River was a Slayer...

impalergeneral | September 07, 01:55 CET

Devin gets a lot of flack, but he's a bit more complicated than that. He's actually a big BtVS fan. Yes, he doubts Serenity will be a box office hit, but he doesn't know any better than the next guy. Sites like Chud.com live to mock.

punkinpuss | September 07, 01:55 CET

Yes, Devin is complicated. I'll be interested in his opinion of Serenity after he sees it tonight. I probably won't agree with him, but he always expresses his likes and dislikes in an entertaining fashion.

jaynelovesvera | September 07, 02:04 CET

He seems like he's already decided to hate it. And if he hates River, he isn't going to like this movie. I know other people that can't stand her and think she's annoying and I just don't understand that.

electricspacegirl | September 07, 02:08 CET

But he really didn't have to spoil LOST for us!

Andrew Tom | September 07, 02:28 CET

If you only had the poster, what would you think the movie was about? I'm not sure it gives non-Joss-o-philes a reason to see the movie. I like the trailer, but the posters don't clue you in to what the movie is about.

[ edited by heliograph on 2005-09-07 02:08 ]

heliograph | September 07, 02:44 CET

I have to admit, I didn't care for River either in the series, too Drusilla-lite for my tastes, but I really enjoyed the movie, particularly River's scenes. I find Devin entertaining to read and so far, IMHO, he hasn't indicated a real bias towards the movie in either direction. I'll be interested to hear his opinion once he's seen it.

Anne13 | September 07, 02:45 CET

This makes me question what the other poster options were.

Smile_dammit | September 07, 02:46 CET

Actually, according to his forum posts, Devin expects to like Serenity. However, he seems to think that it's not the kind of movie that will do well at the box office, whether that's because Joss' work is too unconventional or Universal's marketing sucks, I dunno. What he loves to do is make fun of some of the rah-rah Joss fans at Chud's forums, who are just easy targets.

punkinpuss | September 07, 02:49 CET

JOSS IS GOD?!!

If he sees that 400 times a day, it's bound to twist him a little. ;)

My take on movie posters: a hook. Nothing more. Something to make people WANT to see the movie, or find out more. The US poster, whilst nice and traditional Sci-Fi - if I didn't know about the movie, I'd literally walk right past it. I might stop to laugh at the flying penis space ship on it. That said, I'm not everybody - I know full well, in a US market, it's quite good.

In Europe, that poster would get nowhere. A lot of Europe, market wise, snubs Sci-Fi movies. Buffy is also huge in large parts of Europe.

This one? I'd stop and have a quick look at it. It appeals to me on a visual level.

The best poster I've ever seen? For Saw 2. It just has a hand with severed fingers, with "Saw 2" on it. That totally caught my attention. Tells me nothing of the film, or the characters, or anything.

gossi | September 07, 03:39 CET

He spelled Jayne wrong.

Just thought I'd point that out, considering he was making such a big deal about how River shouldn't be featured so prominently, and how it's Mal, Zoe, and "Jane" who are important.

Which I actually kind of agree with. I mean, I like River, she's cool, but Mal is supposed to be the real central character. At least of the series, I haven't seen the movie yet. And River is EVERYWHERE on all the posters and ads. It's obvious the main reason they're marketing River so heavily is because she's a pretty girl who kicks ass, just like Buffy.

But who cares, I can't wait for this movie!! :D

fortunateizzi | September 07, 03:50 CET

I think some people need to get over the fact that the main focus of the movie is in fact River and that the other characters like Mal, Jayne and Zoe are more like supporting characters. I think posters that focus on River are very appropriate for this movie. Serenity is not Firefly and it is certainly not Star Trek.

Zoic_Fan | September 07, 06:50 CET

I don't think Mal is just a supporting character. I've seen the movie and I thought he was extremely important to the storyline. In fact, I think the movie is all about him, no matter how much screen time River got.

lalaa | September 07, 06:58 CET

What I mean is that the story revolves around River. If you took River out of the story you would have no movie. On the other had if you took one of the other characters out of the movie you would still have a movie, but it would be different movie. The basic story is the Alliance chasing after River, it's not the Alliance chasing after Mal.

Zoic_Fan | September 07, 07:44 CET

This person is going to see the movie tonight and he "really hopes he likes it". What do you think the chances are of that? He doesn't like River and thinks, cause it's Joss' movie, it could be about dancing...I guess that's cute; somehow, I won't be waiting with baited breath for his review!

Calledon | September 07, 07:52 CET

Me neither Calledon. I'll also just skip this review.

Anyway I kind of agree with you Zoic_fan. I love River and the plot does revolve around River so it would make sense that she is prominent in the posters. But I would've liked to have seen Mal a bit more prominent too because I do think his character is actually more focused on in the trailers I saw than River(with dialog anyway and River with some action shots). What I'm trying to say is that I do think River is for the most part the main focus but it seems to me, from what I've seen of the trailers that Mal is just as important. It is obvious that Mal will be very important in the story of Serenity, just as he was in the series, even though the series was focusing on the River plotline. But it was mostly revolving around Mal's life that we got to see the story of River and I think that is how the movie will portray it too. Won't know until I see so just speculating.

I liked the first poster better. River, again, is the main focus but it's obvious the importance of Mal as well is shown with his larger face in the background.

But, if this poster gets people into the seats I really don't care what it looks like. It's the story that will keep them talking about it, not the poster.

Firefly Flanatic | September 07, 08:35 CET

Joss said that Serenity is Mal's story as told by River. I can't wait for Joss' commentary on the DVD! That'll give us lots of insight.

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2005-09-07 06:58 ]

electricspacegirl | September 07, 08:38 CET

Good - even better! Mal & River are my favorite characters so either way I'll be happy when I see the movie! And I also can't wait for the DVD even though I haven't even seen the movie yet!! Wish I could pre-order it already!!

Firefly Flanatic | September 07, 08:41 CET

Mal is the character who goes through the journey in the film - River is the vehicle to put Mal through that journey.

One reshoot took place on Serenity. It was an extra scene which was added in. I don't think it's really a spoiler at all, so I'll skirt it and just say it's there to cement the fact that although River has quite a focus, it's Mal's journey (it was added in to combat exactly the comments above I understand, as it happens).

gossi | September 07, 08:47 CET

It comes down to cause and effect. River is the cause and Mal is the effect. River has an effect on all the characters around her, but Mal is the one that is most effected, basically becoming River’s reluctant champion.

[ edited by Zoic_Fan on 2005-09-07 06:52 ]

Zoic_Fan | September 07, 08:48 CET

Mal is the protagonist, plain and simple. The Operative is the antagonist, and River is a supporting character. That doesn't mean, however, that Mal has to be the focus of the poster. The Terminator was the villian in the film of the same name, yet he was the only character on the poster. Why? Because Arnold in leather and shades was what would interest the target demographic...likewise, with Serenity, River with weapons looking badass is appealing to the target demographic for a sci-fi action film...namely, teenage boys.

Another thought: this actually seems to be a trend in Sci-Fi...a badass killing machine who is not actually the main character. For instance: Ripley in Alien: Ressurection, The Terminator in T2, Vin Diesel in Pitch Black, and, erm, River in Serenity.

bonzob | September 07, 08:58 CET

I agree with him about not liking this poster, though I think I like it less than the US one. It does make me think of a modern dance company at first glance and other things that do not help the movie at second glance.

I also do not think his comment about the possibility of it being about dancing because it is Joss's movie being a slam. I thought it was a humorous nod to the fact that Joss is not a conventional, predictable, drone. I don't know this guy at all so maybe that is why I did not see the insult.

It sounded like he hopes to like it. It will probably depend on how much he can get past his dislike of River. River is not my favorite character from Firefly by a long shot, but I loved Serenity and had a great time. I look forward to seeing it again and hope to see more of the other characters in the sequels. (From my keyboard to God's monitor. ;-) )

newcj | September 07, 09:12 CET

You pretty much nail it exactly, bonzob.

The only slight difference we have in the UK market is a 15 certificate - nobody below the age of 15 can see the movie. So I'm hoping we get a slightly more adult one sheet (them all naked would be a nice start).

gossi | September 07, 09:13 CET

bonzob, you're the man.

One advantage of the spread out image is that it gives plenty of room for all those four and five star reviews.

Also, the whole interpretive dance issue is quite ridiculous. Rivers pose looks no more like an interpretive dance than any other martial arts movie poster that features a hot chick with swords. Plus, I think the big dam heroes in the back ground holding guns kind of ruin the whole interpretive dance feel.

Zoic_Fan | September 07, 09:46 CET

River Dance?

Zoic_Fan | September 07, 10:03 CET

Zoic_Fan...damn, beat me to it. =)

Seriously, I have no real problem with the Stateside poster, as I think it captures a bit more of what the movie's going to be about. The only thing I would change is the color...overall, the shots and stills I've seen from this movie make it feel much less welcoming than the series. There are far fewer warm colors, and much more of a space feel, whereas I thought the warmth was always one of the things the series had going for it.

This poster, I like less. Those people who aren't acquainted with the series, and weren't fans of BtVS and AtS, will write off the movie behind this poster as the Buffy guy's attempt to do a Buffy movie without Buffy. Buffy fans unacquainted with Firefly may feel the same way, and not take kindly to it. And people who have never seen the series, but are intrigued enough to look it up, might wonder why the captain's not front and center--and why that position has been given to someone who had EIGHTH BILLING in the show's credits. WE all know Summer is ridiculously talented, but the outside world doesn't know that yet, and this poster might turn people off before they had a chance to see what she can do.

My ideal poster would be a face shot of Nathan mid-top center, with a slightly smaller shot of Summer behind him and to the viewer's left...tagline of the week in the upper-right corner...and then a shot of the ship below Nathan...with the title and the Joss love below the ship. Space background, and see if there's space to show the rest of the crew. It's similar to the American poster, but the difference is that emphasis is being placed on Nathan first, the ship second, Summer third. And I would also do the poster in warmer colors...some golds, some reds, some forest greens.

BAFfler | September 07, 10:18 CET

I'd totally walk past that poster, BAFfler. Our world is a diverse place.

In fairness, the blue tones are classic US Sci-Fi marketing - it's nothing new. The international one reminds me of the early Star Wars posters.

My ideal poster would be a bloodied Fillion on a white background, camera below him, holding a gun right up to the camera, filling 1/3 of the poster. With "No more running" to the side, with the Serenity logo and website address. That'd be all it had on it. I'd dig that if I walked past it.

gossi | September 07, 11:26 CET

OK, gossi, you're hired. Make me that poster! :)

brownishcoat | September 07, 16:46 CET

Everytime I see this poster, it makes me glad to be an American. *sigh*

krebstar5 | September 07, 16:55 CET

Lets. Just. Not. Go. There.

purplehazel | September 07, 17:11 CET

Yes, let's really not. ;)

gossi | September 07, 20:35 CET

gossi...your idea would be awesome too.

BAFfler | September 07, 21:57 CET

I could have done without the Lost spoiler as only a few episodes have been screened in the UK. At least it narrowed it down to two characters, but I'm almost certain which of them it will be, given the other is one of the two young attractive females on the show who are needed to keep a male audience.

I was a little dubious about River when I started watching Firefly. There are some instances of very similar character attributes in his characters which can be annoying. Insanity, for one. There's Drusilla, Glory, Tara and Joyce (both for brief periods), the people who had been mind sucked by Glory, and Fred was when she was first introduced to us. It can get a little annoying if these characters are constantly muttering weird comments.

I appreciate that in a lot of these cases the lines did make sense and were nice examples of foreshadowing, such as the mind suck victims who could see Dawn as The Key, and Drusilla, whose words often held a double meaning. But it can still get irritating because I think sometimes it can be difficult for an actor to pull it off without seeming unconvincing. Juliet Landau is great at this, and luckily so is Summer Glau.

I was really interested with River because most of her insanity makes sense, or can be interpreted as such, and it's also very interesting that this was something done to her as opposed to something magical or demonic. I also very much like the fact that she becomes clearer at times, and through the series she actuallly becomes less insane on the whole. I like the fact that she will hopefully overcome it, like Fred's adjustment to the world.

Razor | September 07, 21:57 CET