A leaf on the wind...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Before I begin, I would like to come right out in the open and declare myself a Whedon fanboy. I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the greatest show of all time and curse FOX daily for the cancellation of Firefly. The big screen sequel to Firefly, Serenity, not shockingly ended up being my favorite film of that year and I have since seen it countless of times. With all of that said, you might guess how pleased I was that Serenity was the film chosen this week. I also went into panic mode after I re-watched last night knowing it would be way too difficult to actually pick a favorite shot. Even before I re-watched, however, there were already four shots that came immediately to mind...


Apart from being so obviously aesthetically pleasing, I love the emotions and feelings evoked by the images--the unsettling threat of the Operative's visit, the dangerous mystery of the planet Miranda, the anticipation of the epic battle sequence, and the somber mood of the funeral ceremony. Plus the colors... Inara's red dress against the green-blue mountains, Zoe's silhouette against the stark white background, the contrast of the planet with Alliance ships and the dark of space with the Reavers, and finally the gorgeous rocky sunset... just divine. So all of those shots would have made worthy candidates, but then my mind started to wander more to Serenity, or more specifically, the ship that bears that name...

"She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true."

I still remember my reaction when the title of the film appeared in the beginning and the ship slowly came into view. It was absolute joy. That feeling would replicate itself half a dozen times whenever the ship would appear on screen either landing on a planet with its side turbines or blasting into space with its glowing rear. Of course I also remember feeling sick to my stomach when they had to desecrate the ship so it could pass through Reaver space and almost crying when it got smashed and destroyed towards the end. It's a testament to Whedon and company that crafted this ship that it literally becomes another character that you root for. This Firefly-class rickety junkyard of a ship may not be much (the film ends with a piece falling off yet again), but it is their home.


Finally, I decided to pick a singular image that was just too great to not highlight (in fact it's my wallpaper right now). It's River's dress billowing in the wind as the crew makes their first foray into Miranda. I love this shot for many reasons like all of the shades of blue present, but also because it features one of Whedon's love... feet. Plus that blue dress becomes just a work of art in the wind conjuring to mind one of the film's most quoted lines "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." Indeed.

Addendum: I forgot to mention the amazing post-title sequence which technically was one shot (well two shots seamlessly stitched together). It's one of my favorite title sequence ever and definitely should be someone's best shot.

Head on over to Nathaniel's website for his take as well as a list of links from others who watched Serenity and picked their best shots.