*SPOILER* I emailed the author back (at his prompting) and said this:

Heya Steve,

In answer to your question about what you need to know about serenity,

There’s nothing you NEED to know before watching the movie – but a trillion little things you will love finding out if you go back and watch the show. Simple things like why Jayne wears that hat – to complex things like the nature of Mal and Inara’s relationship (unfortunately she comes off as just an ex girlfriend in the movie).

The obvious hope is that, like the first Star Wars (that’s episode 4 of course), people will watch this and say ‘wow this will be a great franchise’ – but unlike Star Wars, they will have 13 episodes of back story to watch while waiting for the sequel :)

CHRi5 | September 13, 07:59 CET

Hmm... I'm so scared

I just fear that this debate will spell doom for the film - I don't think the answer of whether it's true or not that you have to know the series even comes into it - just the fact that it's beginning to become so widely recognised as a continuation of 'Firefly' will turn people off... not sure if people will be open enough

Time will tell I guess...

aapac | September 13, 08:24 CET

I think he is doing a nice job in making people less afraid of missing something. Basically he said it was great, that he is aware he might have enjoyed it even more if he knew the show and yet has a hard time to imagine how. Though I'm trying hard to remember lines that were only funny if you knew the show.

Trienco | September 13, 10:05 CET

I'd really like to read the article but I don't want to be spoiled. Is it spoiler-ridden or the spoilers maybe contained to specific paragraphs that I can skip???

forcorreo | September 13, 10:14 CET

avoid paragraph 4 with the line So Friday night I'm at Boston Beer Works talking with my buddy Chris. I tell him

funny thing about spoilers, this one you wouldnt know if its a spoiler until someone(like me) points it out that it is (at least thats my take on this spoiler)

Mr Universe | September 13, 10:25 CET

I see Mr Universe and I think alike! forcorreo, if you've already seen the trailers, I'd recommend skipping the entire fourth paragraph (the one starting with "So Friday night I'm...") but doing so may, unfortunately, diminish the efficacy of the writer's main argument (or question, in this case) by omitting a specific example cited.
However, not reading this article is an *infinitesimally* small price to pay to remain unspoiled for the BDM. If you've lasted this long, 17 days is nothing ;-)

gorramit | September 13, 10:31 CET

forcorreo - there is a pretty big spoiler in there - not lots of detail but I'd not want to have read it if I hadn't seen the film. You could read the opening paragraph, the 2 immediately after the movies watched sub heading - then jump to below the picture of River holding herself up near the ceiling. Still, only do that much if you've seen the trailer.

Trienco - I agree with your analysis completely. The only line I can think of that was funny because of prior knowledge seemed to me to relate to something in the first comic rather than in the TV show. I can't remember the wording but it related to arrgghh can't get invisible text to work - page 7 of the comic.
I too have emailed my comments.

purplehazel | September 13, 10:47 CET

Ok, thanks guys. It's pretty good that he's saying it's still very enjoyable without having seen the show. Because it seems like I keep hearing people say the opposite. So reading this cheers me up.

forcorreo | September 14, 00:35 CET