Film Review - Serenity

It's difficult to go anywhere on the internet without encountering a rabid Firefly/Serenity fan, and the critics were very warm in their response to the film. I therefore decided to give Serenity a chance.

This is the point where I eat crow.

Serenity is some of the best science fiction I've seen in a long time. It tells the story of the crew of the starship Serenity, lead by Captain Malcom Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), and who have among them (for some reason likely explained in the TV series) human weapon named River Tam (Summer Glau): engineered by the Alliance to be both psychic and deadly. River, because of her psychic nature, and the fact that she was exposed to high ranking members of parliament, holds secrets that could harm the Alliance. The powers that be therefore dispatch a nameless assassin who will stop at nothing to see that River is destroyed.

One reason I found the film so enjoyable is that it seamlessly combines two of my favorite genres, that is, science fiction and the western, which is reflected in Mal’s gun-slinging, as well as the witty, if somewhat inconsistent, dialogue. The screenplay is very strong overall, with characters that seem fleshed out and real, and a narrative that is straightforward yet engaging, with a little social satire thrown in for good measure. I had no trouble following the story, despite my having no exposure to the television show.

That said, the film suffers a little from having a few too many Han Solos, and the effects are decidedly low budget and a little cheesy, but the film is so much fun that it really didn’t bother me too much.

Now I'm going to have to go back and pick up the Firefly TV series on DVD so that I can catch up. The current rumor is that Serenity will have a sequel, although it will likely be a direct to video release. Given the success of the TV series on DVD, that may be best way to continue the story.