Serenity Review
If there is a book about how a Science Fiction film is supposed to be made, complete with cliches, and characters that you have to have in the film, Joss Whedon didn’t read it. Instead, he wrote his own and threw the other book out. Because of this, he makes one of the best sci-fi movies I have ever seen. Between the storyline, character development, special effects, dialogue, and shooting style, it is one of the most brilliant movies I have seen in a long time. If you are a fan of the sci-fi genre, then you need to see this movie. I give it a 9 out of 10.
I have been looking forward to this movie for a while now. The story stems from a defunct TV show called Serenity that was on FOX one season and cancelled back in 2002. In fact, it didn’t even make it one season. At 11 episodes, it was cancelled as it was put on the death slot of Friday night. But they made 15 episodes and released the box set of DVD’s that expoded online. This brought about a fan base that the movie studios could not ignore. They decided to give Joss Whedon a second chance at Firefly by making a movie called Serenity about the same universe, same characters, and same ship from the show. In case you don’t know who Joss Whedon is, he is the one who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as being a writer for Toy Story, Atlantis, and Alien: Resurrection. He is also working on the new Wonder Woman film that will be out in a couple of years. So he is a veteran at making sharp dialogue and a character driven ensemble storylines. The guy is ridiculous in his writing style at how well he integrates every character and makes you want to know every character equally and have a real attachment and investment in the characters. This movie is no exception.
The story is about the crew of a ship called Serenity who do not take on honest work because there is not much honest work to be had. Instead, they steal from people who can afford to be stolen from and then sell it off to people who can afford to buy in so that they can make a buck. There is also another way that they make money and that is by taking on passengers who need a ride. Upon doing this, they have taken on a brother and sister who are wanted by the Alliance, who is the government of all of the planets. After an attachment has grown between the crew and the passengers, the captain decides that it is best that he hides them from the alliance as he isn’t fond of the government and has a humanistic side that won’t let him give up on good people. The story also takes place in the 26th century after two major cultures have merged and have come out as the only languages or cultures that have been salvaged from the world we know today. China and the United States have formed the culture that they know in this universe to make a very interesting bridge.
Joss Whedon is great at making dialogue that fits the situation and also will make you laugh without seeming too hokey. This movie is riddled with dialogue that does just that. He is also great at giving a sense of mystery to the world that keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to understand alongside of the characters what is going on. He also keeps an eye on how to break cliches as I spoke of earlier and does so without breaking too far off so it seems foreign to the viewer. With little items like zooming of the camera and letting no one character be invincible, he cracks the mold that is set in front of him by so many other science fiction filmmakers.
The acting in this film is wonderful. It does help that the majority of the people who are in this film have had plenty of practice at becoming their character through the show, but they still do a masterful job at taking you into their world and out of the one you are in. There is no one actor who stands out, but that is the way it should be in a film like this. When you have 9 major characters in a movie, no one person should upstage the rest, nor should they be below the level of the rest, instead they should all share the same acting chops so that the story and movie itself can stand on its own.
The special effects and style were amazing. The ship fight scenes were so great. It really looked so good, and like I said before, he uses the zoom in special effects shots which is something that hasn’t been done and seems a lot cooler because of it. The ships all looked amazing, and the feel of the action really took you away and made you hold your breath. The Reavers, bad guys, were freaky. In the show, you never actually see the Reavers, but in the film, it helps to drive the story in the direction that Joss wants to go.
There are a lot of things about this film that I am not sure that people will get if they are not fans of the old show Firefly called Browncoats. It also answers some questiosn from the Firefly universe that have been wondered for awhile. I tried my best to put myself into the shoes of someone who didn’t know the storyline and characters and whether or not they would enjoy it. But that was hard for me as I immersed myself into the film and was taken completely out of reality for the 2 hours of this movie. Joss also shows that no one is invincible in his universe. I can’t say much more, but a few things will take you off guard. If I had a gripe against the film, it would have to be that I wished that they would not show the Reavers as quickly into the story as they did. I wished that they would leave it a little more to the imagination and let their myth build in the minds of the viewers as to what they were and how scary they were and all. But they were still extremely scary to me.
Overall, this movie almost gets a 10 from me. I just can’t make myself give out 10’s to any movie. It was really a great film and a really fun 2 hours. If you are a fan of science fiction, or comedy, or action at all, then you need to check out this film. If you haven’t seen the trailer for it, then you can check that out here. But if you have, or it doesn’t matter to you, or whatever the reason, you need to see this film. It is great and I think that everyone could like this film as it brings so much to the table. So I give Serenity a 9 out of 10.