Serenity (2005)
“Do you know what your sin is Mal?” – The Operative.
“Ah Hell…I’m a fan of all seven. But right now…I’m gonna have to go with wrath.” – Capt. Malcolm Reynolds.
Serenity (2005)
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Summer Glau, Jewel Staite
Possibly the greatest sci-fi movie you’ve never seen, Serenity is the satisfying delayed ending to Joss Weadon’s 2002 space-Western TV series Firefly. It also solidifies that ‘Space-Western’ is one of the greatest genres ever conceived, with equal parts fast-talkin’ comedy and quick-thinkin’ action from a loveable cast.
The film follows Mal (Fillion) and his crew on-board the spaceship Serenity. After freeing the young and innocent River (Glau) from the clutches of the evil Alliance, they assume their job is done. However, when River is revealed to be a psychic who has stolen Alliance secrets, they must try to evade a deadly assassin sent to retrieve her.
Serenity is a hell of a lot of fun. I adore this film, and whilst that might have something to do with the fact that I loved Firefly, and enjoyed having the characters back in my life, I don’t think you necessarily need to have watched the series to enjoy this. For those unaware of the background, Firefly was a 14 episode series created by Joss Whedon and produced by Fox. Low ratings meant that Fox axed the show after only 11 episodes were aired. However, strong DVD sales and a cult following led to this - Joss Whedon’s feature film directorial debut. Which is a pretty cool and rare story of fans strong-arming a production company into making a film.
On the surface, the plot of Serenity seems quite simple and follows the quintessential sci-fi skeleton: space travel, futuristic technology, a battle of good versus evil amongst ‘civilised’ society, and a more fearsome alien race that poses a threat to both good and evil. However, it’s the nuances and the characterisation that set this part. Most importantly, it’s a Space Western. While this is communicated in the broader setting of the show (the crew spend their time on the far reaches of space, where people are less advanced and still ride horses), the genre also dictates the action and dialogue. This is the future, yes, but the action isn’t all laser guns and overpowered weaponry – there is a lot of grimy hand-to-hand combat, with bar fights, one-on-one duels, and even some gun-slingin’ with characters quick-drawing pistols. Basically, Whedon does a good job of making this feel more Indiana Jones than Star Trek.
Which brings us to the characters, who anchor the movie! Fillion is a standout, and answers the question: what if prime Brendan Fraser was cast as Han Solo? That’s a compliment by the way – he’s unapologetically cheesy, but a hero with a good heart but a warped moral compass always leads to good viewing. Reasonably early Chiwetel Ejiofor gets to play a badass assassin, who has one of the cooler introductory scenes I can remember, and everyone else…sort of just plays their role. Some of the characters don’t get a lot to do in this film – which is just the byproduct of nine main cast members and a two-hour runtime – but Whedon does his best to let everyone’s personalities shine through. Also shoutout to Summer Glau for playing the traumatised River – she’s a really cool character, and it’s fun to watch her transformation through the movie from helpless teenager to deadly assassin – and Glau did a great job.
In summary, Whedon plays it safe with the plot (save for a wild end sequence), but the great pacing and likeable main characters make Serenity a unique sci-fi-action-comedy that everyone should check out. Originally meant to be part of a trilogy, I’m kind of relieved that this will end up being a one-of-one. Much like the TV-series, I’m happier knowing this ended on a high. Highly recommend.
Rating: 7.5/10
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