Movies
Serenity now!
Sci-fi western is smart and complex
Reviewed by Paul Abramson
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Serenity
Directed by Josh Whedon
Now Playing
4 / 5
Serenity, the film adaptation/continuation of the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series Firefly, is a science fiction movie unlike anything before it. Essentially, it’s the first movie to successfully merge two completely different genres: science fiction and western. The end result is an enthralling and complex film that can be enjoyed by both fans of the original series and new viewers who are not familiar with the show.
Five hundred years into the future, the Earth becomes too over-populated to sustain life. Humanity is then forced to find another galaxy to inhabit. A civil war then breaks out and the Alliance, the totalitarian government in control of the galaxy, takes control.
The film focuses on the spaceship Serenity and its colourful crew, headed by Mal (Nathan Fillion), a former general for the losing side of the civil war and the captain of Serenity. The rest of the crew consists of second-in-command Zoe (Gina Torres), her husband and pilot of Serenity, Wash (Alan Tudyk), muscle-bound goon Jayne (Adam Baldwin), and the ship’s mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite).
Mal and his crew decide to harbour two fugitives: a doctor named Simon (Sean Maher) and his sister, River (Summer Glau). Simon has just rescued River from the Alliance, which was performing mysterious and inhumane experiments on her. But River knows something about the Alliance, which is something that the Alliance will stop at nothing to keep secret.
The strongest aspect of this film is the script. Writer/director Joss Whedon (creator of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and the original Firefly) has a knack for writing clever and witty dialogue that brings comic relief to what would otherwise be serious material. The dark tone of Serenity’s plot is successfully contrasted with the occasional humorous line or two. The script also successfully makes the film enjoyable enough for those who aren’t familiar with Firefly.
As a director, Whedon is at the top of his game. He uses the big budget given to him by the studio to make the settings and Serenity itself more visually stunning than in the television series. The large budget of this film gives him the freedom to create his own universe, which consistently dazzles throughout the film. He also manages to get great performances out of the actors, Fillion in particular, which almost overshadows the elaborate sets and special effects.
The only problem with the film is character development. Most of the development of these characters takes place during the television show. This makes it difficult for the viewers not familiar with Firefly to identify and connect with the characters. This isn’t to say that the characters in Serenity are soulless to those who haven’t watched Firefly; it can be very difficult to develop characters in an ensemble cast. There is definitely enough development to keep your interest in the movie. But there could have been a little bit more.
After airing only 11 of the 14 episodes of Firefly, FOX pulled the plug on it. Two years later, Universal Pictures, upon seeing the success of the Firefly DVD set and the devotion of the fan base, bought the film rights and commissioned Whedon to write and direct Serenity. It’s a pretty good bet that FOX executives are kicking themselves right now: not only could this be the start of the next major sci-fi franchise, Serenity is one of the smartest, most elaborate and imaginative science fiction movies of the past decade.
