Browncoats: Independence War (2015) Poster

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10/10
Nicely done fan-film
Watcher18716 May 2017
I'm rating this an 8 since it is a fan film and needs to be rated against other fan films and not corporate films, which I expect more from.

It has a good story with several subplots for character development. That works well.

Wow, the live fire scenes were straight out of Hollywood! Most were shot at night which added to the drama of the battle. So many guns, it was awesome. Loved it. The special effects were excellent, also straight out of Hollywood. For a fan film, very unexpected.

The acting, for a fan film, was pretty good, some better than others. There is one minor character that I think really shined above the main cast.

The cinematography was excellent. Considering the low budget of fan films, it was well lit, well shot and believable. As well as entertaining. Kudos to the director.

Now for a couple of critiques: 1. Fan films should not be feature length. That causes directors to put awesome scenes into the movie that really do not add to the movie. As some actors claim, their best scenes end up on the cutting room floor. 2. I liked the fire fights, but the Alliance soldiers suffer from the same ability as Stormtroopers. There are a few times where the Browncoats would have easily been hit, and weren't. Either hit them or have them in cover that makes sense that they weren't hit. 3. Some of the battle scenes could have been tightened up a bit. They are there to tell a story, not to showcase lots of lead going down range.

A couple of highlights: 1. The armored vehicles. For a fan film, where did you get those? Awesome! 2. The bad guy in the trench coat. I liked him. But when he pulled down the binoculars and showed that he was wearing a patch, I almost expected a joke there. 3. Great continuity. I suspect this was shot over a long period of time, but I saw no inconsistencies in costuming, make-up or actors. Good job.

Browncoats: Redemption came first and was a good try. Independence War was better, much better. All in all, a good movie that carries on the Firefly legacy.

Update-v1: I have looked at all the low ratings and I figure it is one of two things. Either they are idiots, or they are jealous of the work that this crew put in. There is no way that this movie rates anything below a 5. And should be an 8 or above.

Update-v2: I read several of the 1 star reviews. In spite of having different names, it's the same person. It's the same writing style, they just pulled up a thesaurus and replaced derogatory words with something similar. If the person were a true critic, they would have offered advice outside of attacks. It's one jealous failed person attacking others when they cannot perform themselves.
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10/10
One of the most BRILLIANT fan films ever made!
iheartmyjesus6 April 2018
This film really is the prequel to the series. The story captivates the audience and draws them into the tragic end of not only the soldiers, but the citizens of Serenity Valley. By expanding the verse of Joss Whefon's beloved Firefly, Francis Hamada has brought new depth and characters that will live in infamy.
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10/10
Very good fan film
panda639-127 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed this film, which is a good adaptation of the war before the Firefly TV show. Being one of the Kickstarter backers, I'm not disappointed. I'm glad I got to go to the very 1st premiere of the movie.

One of my favorite scenes is where Tully is running while being shot at and couple soldiers bet to see if he makes it. The special effect was great and loved the humor especially with the cans of beans.

If you get a chance to watch this movie I recommend it.
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10/10
Why aren't all Fan film like this?
johnosizemoore16 July 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this film!

As I asked in the subject, why can't all fan films be like this? It had heart, drama, scope, and most importantly, kept in line with canon.

When this hit SVCC, I was awestruck by the level of quality in film production - from the sound design and music, to the cinematography, costumes, and live fire weapons. Also, the acting was superior to most low-budget films and fan-films that I have had to watch over the years, as a festival screener. It felt like a real movie, right out of Hollywood, like something with a budget in the millions. -Turns out the whole thing was shot for under $30K. Wow! It sure doesn't look or feel like - like I said, it looks like a million dollar picture.

If you love Firefly, watch this movie and rejoice! There are real/competent filmmakers out there making fan films.

My thanks to TWF Productions for this putting this out there.
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