In the last couple of weeks I have been getting more excited. This is going to be something else.
So last night I went to see it. It's a blast! Today in the Guardian ultra-crotchety film critic Peter Bradshaw, hater of genre films (He gave Fellowship of the Ring 2/5) said of the first half hour 'it is an error of taste for someone over 18 to use the intransitive verb "to rock" as a term of approbation, but this really is great.' and that the film has 'more energy in its little finger than Revenge of the Sith had in its whole, bloated body'.
In a way it's hard for me to judge, because this is like my team getting into the semi-finals of the FA cup. You are prepared to overlook the quality of the play, so keen are you for a win, and so much do you love the team. So you hardly trust your judgement when you realise 'My god, they are playing a blinder'.
I found it intensely enjoyable. There are some issues, and these may loom large to some folk, but while noticing them I wasn't put off at all.
I can't finish without talking about the incomparable Jayne. Adam Baldwin said that Josh prevented him from using the 'evolving ape' character arc that Adam had developed in the TV show. Adam has said that Jayne is learning to love, and Josh said 'drop the love'. In line with this the Jayne character is simpler and more static in the film than in the show. As Baldwin has become a restless actor, who wants to do something with the role, he had to do something else. He did two things. Firstly, like (say) Steve McQueen in the Magnificent Seven, he does macho projection even in the background of shots. This is the kind of 'watch this person they are interesting' aura which Tarantino gives to his actors.
The second thing he did, of course, was to be funny. I think Jayne's line 'I might' (Context? You'll see) was marvellous, along the lines of Boromir's 'They have a cave troll'. I think he won the humorous affection of the audience, not an easy task in that role.
I now also want to rave about the other characters, and the quality of the fighting and space-flying (my favourite things!) but that's enough for now.