CORPORATE LINE: Joss Whedon- the Oscar®- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel-now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.
The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family – squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.
When Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister-he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.
THE FILM: There are quite a few players in Serenity and it would seem to be one huge juggling act but Whedon does a great job of keeping them all important to the story arc.
You don’t need to have seen Firefly to understand Serenity. How do I know? Because I’ve never seen Firefly and enjoyed the film as much as the reviewer sitting next to me who seemed to know everything about Firefly. Serenity stands alone and that was very important if they wanted to gain a wide audience.
Better yet, Whedon sets a great pace and keeps you interested from one scene to the next. The entire film keeps you glued to your seat and being that this is a Sci-fi flick you definitely get your fill of action. Serenity’s twists and turns keep you from making a quick dash to the bathroom.
THE EXTRAS:
Commentary by: Writer/Director Joss Whedon is extremely interesting. Whedon is always good at offering insightful commentary.
There are nine deleted scenes. We see a bit more of Inara and Mel. These come with optional commentaries.
“Future History: The Story of Earth That Was” is a background into Firefly. Joss Whedon discusses where the idea came from for the show and movie. It’s a short featurette but very informational.
“What’s in a Firefly” explores the ship as Whedon and cast narrate. “Re-Lighting the Firefly” is more insight from the cast and crew who discuss the film. This is more about the cast.
FRANKLY: Serenity is easily one of the best films of the season. You have to wonder how well this film might have done during had it been released during the summer with all the other summer blockbusters.
+ Charlie Craine
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