The "spaghetti western in space" motif would work if the characters were compelling and the production sharp. Firefly doesn't work because the characters are unlikeable and the plots, directing, and editing are a mess. Every person on the show is two-dimensional cliché from either 50's TV or 70s Italian westerns. Captain Mal is a cheap imitation of Charles Bronson's stock western persona and is surrounded by all of the usual suspects: the trusty sidekick, the hooker with a heart of gold, the young chipper girl, the hot head, the preacher, and the fashionable handsome pacifist doctor. Joss Whedon desperately wants to be Sergio Leone in this series but has neither the budget or time to pull it off. The level of production is reminiscent of bad 70s television series with multiple continuity errors, jarring transitions, and little sense of pacing or atmosphere. Maybe he doesn't know what to do with anyone but teenagers and vampires. If one compared Firefly to other science fiction series it is not horrible, maybe even average, but then Firefly really isn't science fiction. There isn't a single plot element in any episode that isn't straight out of an earth-bound spaghetti western. Spaceships and planets are mentioned, but are superfluous because Whedon is more interested in playing with his cowboys with their horses and guns. I won't be totally mean and give it one star, but it certainly doesn't deserve more than two. Yes, Fox unfairly screwed with the series by showing episodes out of order, but they probably knew this stinker would tank no matter what they did.
Review of Firefly
