Serenity Update: Movie Critic and Blogger/Public Reviews
Previous Posts:
- “Serenity” Is Special for Its Sincerity
- â€Serenity†Sneak Preview Sept. 27
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This post explains why Universal went around the movie critics.
The Good News: Critics at the Big 4 Papers are Generally Pleased
- Roger Ebert gives it three stars, but believes its appeal will be limited to “people who can’t get enough of this stuff. You know who you are.”
- New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis (requires registration) is generally complimentary, but reserved, as if deliberately turning down the expectations meter.
- Desson Thomson at The Washington Post (requires registration) is an unabashed booster: “…. the enjoyable result is a highly concentrated, amphetamine-fueled reprise, designed to give fans a sentimental jolt and boost new devotees. If newcomers feel overwhelmed by the fast-moving details, they’ll be drawn back in by the otherworldly mayhem…. no matter what’s coming their way, post-apocalyptic doom or gloom, this James Gang of the galaxy is just plain fun to watch.”
- LA Times critic Kevin Crust (requires registration) has high praise (”A strongly acted, well-written story fortified by riveting action sequences — a rarity these days among studio releases — “Serenity” should delight Whedon novices as much as the already converted.”)
The Not-so-good News: Other Critics Are Mostly Disparaging
- At BoxOfficeMojo, critic Scott Halloran (”Space Western’s Shining Crew Saddled by Cacophony”) is unimpressed and almost hostile.
- This reviewer gives it a 2 out of 4 (”less-than-stellar effects, average-to-poor performances and dialogue”).
- The Toledo Blade reviewer gives it two stars out of four, and thinks it simply a pile of clever borrowing from previous scifi films (zheesh).
- But, The Cincinnati Enquirer gives it a 3 out of 4 and is generally complimentary.
Meanwhile, Moviegoers Are Impressed
- Almost 300 BoxOfficeMojo.com visitors (as of 6:15 PM on Oct. 1) are giving “Serenity” a net grade of A- (with 88% As).
- This link reports that the film “is receiving great reviews on the Google movie review site (4.3 out of 5)” (i.e., from people in the moviegoing public).
- iFilmMagazine.com (presumably the “i” stands for “independent”) is very pleased (”all hail Joss Whedon’s FIREFLY spin-off”).
- All of the over 20 blog reviews I have read have rated it very good to excellent.
The collective take of the critics shows that the idea of relying on them to favorably talk up an off-the-beaten-path film like “Serenity” was risky. From here, if for no other reason than to have an insurance policy against the naysayers, it looks like the strategy of reaching out to bloggers to attend the sneak preview to get favorable buzz from everyday people has been vindicated.
Whether this translates into the box office success Universal is hoping for is another matter that won’t be known for a few weeks.
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UPDATE: The September 30 box office estimate for “Serenity” was $3.9 million, good enough for second place behind “Flight Plan,” which is pretty impressive considering the latter film is in about 1,200 more theaters.
UPDATE 2: Many more reviews linked review excerpts are at Serenity’s Rotten Tomatoes page (HT commenter Dave G).
UPDATE 3: $10.1 mil is the estimate for the weekend.
Thought the critic’s reviews have been pretty good in general - 80% fressh at http://www.rottentomatoes.com Pretty damn good considering we are talking about a sci-fi film based on a TV show that they could easily have got all snobby about.
Box office is a little disappointing but word of mouth us great and I’m hoping for better on Saturday - it’s a cracking film, just hope as many people as possible get to experience it.
Comment by Dave G — October 1, 2005 @ 6:34 pm
Positive buzz takes a while. They are hoping for 15mm over the weekend and 80 mm overall. Looks like it will fall short of that. But while the official channels are disparaging, many reviews and word of mouth are overwhelmingly positive. This translates to less of a bang on opening but a slower and longer run. Time will tell.
It has been said that 80mm overall means a guaranteed sequel. As it should. Cross your fingers.
Comment by dave — October 1, 2005 @ 10:31 pm
Hey Tom,
I’m a Browncoat myself, and got to see a Serenity sneak preview a few months ago. I saw the film again last night, and I liked it even better the second time.
Interestingly, your last post was about the wrongness of government punishing private property owners in the name of some “higher purpose.” Thematically, that’s what Serenity is about; I think maybe more buzz will generate over time because the views the film holds will really resonate with people like us (who hated the Kelo ruling and resent big-government interference in our lives and work). We’re the choir that doesn’t get preached to very often, and this movie may find its audience there, along with the SF fans and Whedon crowd.
Comment by Jeff — October 2, 2005 @ 12:39 am
#3-MONTHS? How did you manage THAT?
I agree with the individualistic / libertarian/ true conservative theme that is at work.
Comment by TBlumer — October 2, 2005 @ 10:17 am
They did special screenings in 20 cities for the fans back in May (I think it was the 26th) and again on June 23rd. It was a rough cut, and the special effects and fight scenes weren’t quite finished, but the whole movie was there. Just like with the sneak peek for bloggers, they were trying something very different marketing-wise. I hope it works.
Comment by Jeff — October 2, 2005 @ 9:52 pm