Serenity Review

Director: Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Screenplay: Joss Whedon (Toy Story)
Starring: Nathan Fillion (Castle, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog), Gina Torres (Angel), Alan Tudyk (Death at a Funeral, Dollhouse), Morena Baccarin (V), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Jewel Staite (Stargate Atlantis), Sean Maher, and Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Cape)  
Gross Revenue: $38,869,464
Rotten Tomatoes TomatoMeter: 81%
IMDB Rating: 8.0

     In September 2002, the revolutionary T.V. show Firefly premiered.  Created by Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon, Firefly was a space western that depicted a ragtag group of frontiersmen, making their way through space on their ship called Firefly.  It was so critically acclaimed that no one understood it, and ratings were abysmal at best.  After only airing eleven episodes (out of order), Fox cancelled the show in December of 2002.  The story should have ended there, but it doesn't.  Fans were so adamant in their support of the show, through high DVD sales and internet blogging, that Universal ordered a movie based off the show.  Serenity is a continuation of that excellent show Firefly, and serves as an excellent science fiction actioner for fans and non-fans alike.
     Set in the year 2518, a war-hardened captain takes on two fugitives onto his ship: a doctor and a mentally unstable girl who harbors many dark secrets.  This girl, wanted by the government, is hunted by the mysterious "Operative" a "believer", who will stop at nothing to make sure that the fugitive girl is killed.  Captain Mal must avoid the government, the Operative, and deadly killers known as Reavers, while keeping his crew from breaking apart from the inside out.

     Joss Whedon has an arduous task in writing Serenity.  He had to make a film that served as a continuation of the series which pleased fans of the series, but also made sense for people who had never heard of "Firefly" before.  He is able to introduce the characters and the complex backstory to a new audience, but retain everything fans loved of the original series.  Whedon's snappy dialouge is present here, as characters yell and argue with each other in the quickest and wittiest way.

      The story is pure Whedon genius.  Joss Whedon is one of the smartest writers of his generation, and no one is better of setting the various ways people interact with each other against some massive conflict.  In this case, it's Mal's treatment of his crew and the world around him, while trying to run from the masterful assassin "The Operative".  Mal is the centerpiece of this movie.  Nathan Fillion's performance is a layered, three-dimensional look into how a man who has lost everything retain what he has left.  He's funny, dangerous, unpredictable, and unafraid to fight to get what he wants.  But he is also compassionate and caring, and believes in personal liberty above all else.  His actions inspire the people around him to fight, even to the death, for the cause of liberty.  The other characters are also just as complex, and just as funny.
      While the film does contain a social commentary on the nature of liberty and authority, it is also a freakin awesome action movie.  The budget isn't nearly as high as other similar sci-fi movies, but is just as good, even better.  The effects rely on practical methods instead of CGI, which make this western-influenced world seem more authentic.  The action scenes are expertly choreographed, and the ethos displayed from the characters adds to the tension and suspense of the fight scenes.

     Serenity is the perfect science fiction film.  It has exciting fight sequences, complicated characters, witty dialouge, and a timely social commentary all expertly weaved together by the master Joss Whedon.  Even though Firefly ended too early, fans refused to give up, and were rewarded with one of the better science fiction films of recent memory.  Serenity is an exciting continuation of the T.V. series Firefly and features exciting action, witty dialouge, complex characters, and is easily understood and enjoyed by fans and non-fans alike.  4.5/5
"I don't care what you believe in, just believe it"