Serenity
From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi
Director: Joss Whedon
Screenplay By: Joss Whedon
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Adventure/Thriller
Released: September 2005
Rating: PG-13 for intense violence, action and some sexual references
Runtime: 119 minutes
Based on the ill-fated television series Firefly, Serenity is a movie that defies the logic of Hollywood. This movie should not exist, and the fact that it does can be attributed to two things: creator, Joss Whedon's dedication to his pet project and the efforts of millions of fans worldwide. It may have taken a few years, but with Serenity's release in September of 2005, the story of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds and his crew continues.
Serenity Plot
If you've not seen a single episode of Firefly, honestly - you're missing out, but not to worry because Whedon has written Serenity to give enough of the show's background for non-fans to be able to follow his story. The movie begins with a little history lesson, not only to enlighten the unaware, but to give the fans more insight into Whedon's vision of the future and the adventures of his characters.
The story focuses on a secret that wayward child and psychic, River Tam unknowingly picked up during her years at a government owned learning academy for gifted children. The toleration regime, the Alliance, will do anything to keep the secret and have hired a private assassin to shut her mouth permanently. After River's location is exposed, the crew of the Firefly class vessel, Serenity, must struggle to keep her safe and fight to learn the truth behind the secret hidden in River's brain.
Characters & Setting
Firefly's richly textured characters make an impressive mark on the silver screen, introducing to non-fans all of the humor and charm that lovers of the show expect to see from Mal and his crew. The new characters Whedon deploys are so well integrated into the story that one would never guess that fans are meeting them for the first time. Mr. Universe is one such character, portrayed by actor David Krumholtz, and though he doesn't make one appearance in the series, it is clear that he is well acquainted with Mal and that the rest of the crew hold him in high regard. Whedon's characters are a testament to the fact that he knows how to tell a good story and his talent shines even more brilliantly in Serenity with the additional faces.
Stepping outside the realms of the television series just a bit, Whedon's imagination explodes onto the big screen, bringing in a broad scope of sights for audiences to see. Fans of the show will be thrilled to visit places only mentioned in the series and new comers will be amazed at the diverse and lavish universe Whedon has created. From the Blue Sun Corporation labs where River is poked and prodded to the settlements of colonists trying to scratch out a living from the dirt on the outer planets, Serenity is an amplified and extended episode of Firefly, taking audiences to places they couldn't dream of in their most sound sleep.
Cinematography & Sound
With Firefly's Emmy win in 2003 for special effects, it's hard to imagine after watching Serenity that the movie will not win another such award. Unless Oscar is turning a cheek to the defiance of Hollywood logic, movie fanatics should expect to at least see a nomination because this film takes the effects of the show to a well-polished new level. The same rugged techniques are applied here, zooming cameras focus and refocus, panning desperately from one corner to the next to capture all the action, and slick CGI animations swoop across the screen and click the story into place with a brilliant action-packed sheen.
The emotional music and snappy sounds of Firefly return in the movie, every bit as beautiful and accurate as they were in the television series. The east meets west flair of the music blends in perfectly to Whedon's scenes and effects tap an authentic spring of sounds to bring further realism to the fantasy of the movie. Dreamy and precise, the music and sound of Serenity provide the film with exquisite accents, drawing the audience into the experience as the sirens of mythology lured sailors into the depths with their songs.
Performance
One of the best things about Serenity is the fact that all of the original actors from the series have returned to their roles, slipping comfortably and happily into their Firefly skins. New comers to Whedon's universe breathe passionate life into his characters and quickly gain the adoration, whether they are good or evil, of the audience. Adding to the realism is the fact that many of the new faces are on relative levels of exposure in the acting world - there are no big names in this movie. Some performers will be recognized from their previous work, but because of the abundant talent and skill of the cast, actors audiences know are unrecognizable as anything but their characters after just a few sentences.
Final Thoughts
If you've never seen Firefly, watch this movie and you'll be rushing out to buy or rent the series on DVD. Any fan of the show has all ready seen it; probably more than a few times and despite a few sad, unexpected turns has loved every minute of it. With so many questions about the character's pasts and futures still floating in space it is the hope of this fan that perhaps another adventure awaits Mal and his crew. Talk of a trilogy has been overheard, but the reality of such a gift to Firefly fans must be looked at realistically: Serenity went to DVD just a few months after its release into theaters, but who knows? Whedon's vision of the future defied logic once and maybe it can do it again.
Trivia
- The crew's second language is Chinese. It's not apparent in the film for those who have not seen Firefly.
Serenity Links
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