F is for The Fifth Element and Firefly: Favorites of Sci-Fi

When I was trying to come up with my topic for the letter “F”, I started thinking about my sci-fi favorites. And then I realized that not one, but TWO of my very favorite of favorites start with the letter “F”. Fortuitous, right?

Of course, I've already discussed them in past blog posts, so I thought instead I’d play a little show-and-tell with some of the best scenes highlighting why this movie and film are so amazing rather than repeat myself as I gush about how amazing Joss Whedon is. Or how much I love Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds. Or my belief that Bruce Willis is the best action star in the known universe. Or how Zoe and Leeloo are Damsels OF Distress (see previous post here). Or . . .

The Fifth Element: 

New York cab driver Korben Dallas didn't mean to be a hero, but he just picked up the kind of fare that only comes along every five thousand years: A perfect beauty, a perfect being, a perfect weapon. Now, together, they must save the world.

My thoughts:

This was one of the first sci-fi movies I saw in the theaters (unfortunately many of my other favorites like The Terminator and Aliens left the big screen before I was old enough to see them). I remember being mesmerized by the futuristic scenes, laughing like a lunatic at every Chris Tucker scene, and falling a little bit in love with Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas. This movie has it all - love stories, awesome action sequences, crazy side characters, a terrifying villain, and even a blue opera singer. Check it out!

"Diva's Opera" clip

"Sending in someone to negotiate" clip

"Count to ten" clip

Joss Whedon's Firefly: 

A brilliant space-western set five hundred years in the future, the crew if the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity will take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. Things get complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian regime and find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.  

My thoughts:

Though just about everything pertaining to this show is brilliant, I have to say it was the chemistry between the cast that really made this show really special. Well, that and Whedon's hysterical dialogue (see clips below). This show was a brilliant combination between old world and new, hilarity and tragedy. A definite must see.  

Wash - "I shall call it This Land" clip

Zoe and Mal: "Big Darn Heroes" clip

Mal: "Mark of a great man" clip

Zoe and Mal: "First Rule of Battle" clip

Simon and Mal: "Kill me in my sleep" clip

So there you have it, two of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies/shows. I hope these clips give those of you who have never seen The Fifth Element and Firefly a better understanding why I hold them in such high regard. And for those of you who are already fans . . . well, I hope you enjoyed the show. There were a bunch of other clips I wanted to add, but unfortunately this post was already too long. 
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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2012. My theme is (in case you didn’t already guess) science fiction. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the rest of the participants, simply click here.