SERENITYOk, I wound up there because I could not breath not because of the movie. Honesty, a new concept for me.
So, Serenity is the full-length movie based on the TV episodes of Firefly, dealing with a group of former Rebel fighters (again on the losing side) and mercenaries who travel together in a space ship known as a "Firefly". This one in particular is named "Serenity" hence the name of the film.
People who never watched "Firefly" probably will have a bit of trouble catching up with what is going on. The framing sequence at the beginning of the film helps to clear up some of the problems with River and Simon's background but beyond that sequence we are shoved right into a new situation.
Much like Whedon did with Buffy, Angel and Firefly on TV. And if there was a problem with the movie for me, that was it. Joss Whedon ran the movie like a TV episode, where all the strings had to be tied together in 48 minutes.
At the same time, this was not a problem since Whedon kept a pace and attitude in all the characters that what was going on was just what was supposed to be happening. I was amazed at the pace and dedication of both the actors and Whedon.
The auditorium where I had the chance to watch "Serenity" had about a 100 people in it for the first showing and when the movie started all of us broke into applause. I mean, we had been waiting for this thing for about two years and had more anticipation of it then we did for several other films this year.
The story is set between five and eight hundred years in the future, when mankind has moved away from Earth to a new solar system. Terraforming and pure luck has led to the discovery and creation of new planets the human race can live on.
A fascist government called the Alliance is in control of the whole shebang, which does not sit well with Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and a couple of his crew who fought the Alliance in the recent civil war.
Mal
and his partners on "Serenity" still fight against the Alliance in
their own way, living life on the edge of life and death most of the time. When they are not plotting against the government, they are trying to stay out of the way of the inhuman "Reavers", mutant killers who roam the system killing and raping everyone who gets in their way.
I love the weapons, which seem to be mostly chemical driven pistols and rifles. Yep, in the future a bullet still seems to cause most of the damage. No laser pistols, no light sabers, which I think fit the mood quite well.
The clothing also worked to capture the idea that this is a new frontier, a new 'Wild West', with jeans, western style shirts and coats that old west cowboys and outlaws would have worn and been comfortable in.
Whedon worked hard to combine the science fiction and cowboy aspects of the film into one good movie. And he succeeded in my opinion, much better then was done in the last two Star Wars films. Sorry Nana; I just think "Serenity" was better done, better acted and much better directed then those last two films.
And considering the difference in budgets, I think Whedon demonstrated that he is able to do a great film on a lot less money. Almost $60 million less in fact.
Along with all the other problems the crew is facing, they are also defending and trying to help a young girl named River (Summer Glau) and her brother Simon (Sean Maher).
River is a psychic so she might not always believe Simon, which adds to the suspense because we know that she is able to 'see' certain things. Because when Simon tells her, "We will get past this" she tells him, "It's going to get much, much worse," which makes you realize that something bad is certainly coming.
The two are being chased by an assassin known only as "The Operative" (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who wants to either take River back to the Alliance or kill her and will stop at nothing to make this happen. On the other hand Mal and the crew will also stop at nothing to defend her, especially when they discover why the Alliance really wants her and what is causing her bouts of insane violence and occasional catatonia.
There were a number of gasps of horror at certain scenes, and several were so unexpected they made members of the audience jump half out of their seats. Whedon knows how to turn a scene and does it with finesse and grace.
The rest of the characters were excellent as well, with Gina Torres leading the bunch as second in command Zoe and Jewel Staite as Kaylee is simply wonderful, mixing worldly knowledge with a wide-eyed innocence that we know if fake but still love. Think of Alison Hannigan in American Pie and you have a pretty good idea of Kaylee's character.
Adam Baldwin as Jayne, the "killer with a heart of gold", is excellent at combining comedy relief with a gung-ho attitude as he constantly complains about how Mal runs the ship, and about helping River but still proves to be a 'stand-up' guy throughout the film.
Alan Tudyk who plays Wash, the best pilot in the system and Zoe's husband is perfect as the main comedy relief. He flies like someone from Top Gun and knows he is good at his job. "I am a leaf in the wind" seems to be his mantra as he flies past Reavers, Alliance war-ships and into various situations fraught with danger. "Fraught", I like that word.
"Serenity" is a first class film that deserves a sequel and a new series. If the executives at the studios had any brains they would already be working with Whedon to create a new company.
Like I said, 'if they had any brains'. Go see "Serenity"; it beats the heck out of almost every Sci-fi and action film this summer, including War of the Worlds and Star Wars.