“Serenity” (Universal)
Director/creator Joss Whedon made his name with the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He tried to strike gold a second time with the unconventional sci-fi series “Firefly.” It didn’t fly and was cancelled after only a few episodes. However it did attract a core group of dedicated followers who bemoaned the cancellation in a unified voice. This led to a contract for a movie version of the series titled “Serenity.”
“Serenity” is a space adventure that is peopled by a group of Han Solo soundalikes. They all speak with that same wry outlook as well as a sarcastic sense of humor. Chief among these proponents of Solo-speak is Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). His second in command is Zoe (Gina Torres); his pilot is Zoe’s husband Wash (Alan Tudyk); his mechanic is a girl named Kaylee (Jewel Staite); and his lead commando is a man named Jayne (Adam Baldwin). Does he have a brother named Sue
There is also a brother and sister team on his ship. The man is named Simon (Sean Maher) and his sister is named River (Summer Glau). She is a frail looking thing who has some sort of ESP precognitive power. Some really bad people led by The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are in pursuit of her.
When the movie starts the audience feels it has stumbled into the middle of a story that is halfway through in its telling. Those of us who never watched the TV series don’t have a clue as to who is who or what is what. Eventually things begin to fall into place and the impact and action of the story take over.
Whedon has a sure hand in guiding this adventure. He keeps the action coming and adds welcome dollops of humor. It is the humor that makes this film better than it otherwise would be. Fillian’s Mal is especially droll and gets off good one liners at every turn. The rest of the cast is also impressive.
This space adventure is not a kiddie film. There are brutal fights, unexpected deaths, and salty dialogue. It probably could have been the basis for a successful TV series if only it had not been cancelled so quickly.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
There may be an audience for a series of movies about the Serenity crew. Or Whedon may just have a one hit wonder in the movie world with this cast and story. It is a better film than I expected and a lesser one than the “Firefly” fanatics will claim. Just classify it as better than average with the humor making the difference.
I scored “Serenity” a nervous 6 out of 10.
