Was Firefly Ahead of Its Time? (Serenity 15th Anniversary)

Fifteen years ago, Universal Studios did the one thing that Fox proved too short-sighted to do three years earlier: let Joss Whedon be Joss Whedon. The original series Firefly premiered in September of 2002. However, it would subsequently suffer from excessive studio manipulation ranging from episodes being aired out of order to having its time slot moved repeatedly, making it difficult for fans to actually find, until it was finally canceled after fourteen episodes due to “low ratings”. Following this, the public surprised Fox by furiously running to the show’s aid, demanding justice be done for THEIR charismatic captain Mal & his crew of misfits aboard the firefly-class ship Serenity. As Fox was determined to maintain their reputation as a stubborn studio that has never made a bad decision about an IP, ever (sorry, I really did try to keep the sarcasm to a minimum), the role of savior for Joss & the rest of the cast came in the form of a movie offer from Universal Studios one year after the show’s cancelation. While it wasn’t the revival of the show that the fans had been clamoring for, it was still an opportunity to give some closure to the fans who had been so vocal in their support.

Now, 15 years later, we look back at the legacy of that movie & see what significance it still has in today’s cinema landscape. Was it good? Did it actually provide closure to the fans? Does it hold up against other sci-fi films now? Find out on today’s edition of Dallas Geek!