”Come a day there won't be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all.”
With Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon turned a failed movie into a successful television series and a multimedia franchise. Buffy spawned a hit spin-off in Angel, along with countless action figures, games, and comic books. Whedon could go the opposite route by turning his space western series Firefly (which lasted less than a season on the air) into a feature film. Dubbing themselves "Browncoats," the fans of Firefly spoke out loud and clear that they wanted more and DVD sales of the show led to Universal greenlighting Serenity. The results were not quite as successful as Buffy. Not from a lack of trying and it’s certainly not, by any means, a comment on the film’s quality. Firefly and Serenity received a lot of positive reviews from critics, even if they didn’t draw in the ratings or box office. For me, Serenity was one of the most fun cinematic experiences I had in 2005, but the movie narrowly missed making back its $39 million production budget in worldwide grosses.
It is 500 years in the future and humanity has migrated into deep space after exhausting the resources of their native Earth. The majority of the planets are under the rule of the Alliance while many of the worlds in the outer rims formed the Independents to fight against their authority. Short and sweet, they didn’t win. While this may be the future and people fly around in spaceships, this isn’t Star Trek There iss still poverty and crime, especially in the colonies out in the boondocks. Aboard the spaceship Serenity, Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a veteran in the war for independence, ekes out a living through smuggling and robbery. His crew includes; Zoe (Gina Torres), Mal’s right-hand woman who has served with him since the war; Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a not-too-bright mercenary who loves grenades and big guns; Wash (Alan Tudyk), the ship’s pilot and Zoe’s husband; Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the ship’s engineer with a cute and bubbly personality; Simon Tam (Sean Maher), ship’s doctor and a fugitive from the Alliance along with his sister, River (Summer Glau), who was experimented on by the Alliance and left with a fractured mind. The full range of her abilities hasn’t been explored yet, but she is known to have telepathic powers and extraordinary fighting skills. In between the film and the TV show, two members of the ship left to pursue their own paths. Inara (Morena Baccarin), a beautiful Companion (courtesan) for the privileged, left to train and teach other Companions. Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), a preacher with a mysterious past, now tends to a different flock on the planet of Haven.
Attempting to make their way through the fringes of the galaxy, Mal and crew rob an Alliance payroll. Before they can finish loading the jackpot, the city is swarmed by Reavers, primal, cannibalistic savages that were once men. Against Simon’s wishes, Mal took River along to utilize her powers to sense danger beforehand. Incensed, Simon decides to take his sister and leave Serenity for good. His departure doesn’t last very long as the Alliance is dead set on retrieving River. They’ve dispatched one of their top agents, The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to go after Mal and anybody who’s ever had contact with him. Apparently, River has a deep, dark secret hidden somewhere in her mind that could undermine the Alliance’s control. The only clue that Mal has to go on to save everyone he cares about is the name, Miranda.
Being a continuation of a TV series, the main question for Serenity is, will people who’ve never watched the show be able to dive right in? I can’t say for sure. There’s a rich history to the universe that Whedon has created, but it’s not really necessary information. This is about the little guy standing up to the big guy. Whedon does a splendid job kicking off the movie with a bang while getting in important exposition. The film starts with a young River attending class. This is actually a memory as we cut to scientists experimenting on River. Simon breaks her out of the facility, but this is revealed to be a holographic recording being watched by the Operative. Whedon keeps the audience on their toes as he feeds them information without relying on pedestrian methods like flashbacks or intertitles. In one of the film’s best scenes, Whedon uses a single continuous shot that takes us through the ship and introduces us to each of the main protagonists. Right away, we get the gist of who they are and what they’re like. It all might be a bit disorienting for non-fans and they might not grasp some of the nuances of their relationships.
Unlike Star Trek, the universe of Serenity isn’t a pristine and sterile place where Replicators can magically give you whatever you want. It’s dirty and grimy and nothing works when you want it to. There is a definite inspiration taken from Star Wars and, specifically, Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. Like the Falcon, stuff on Serenity breaks all the time and pieces fall off frequently. Malcolm is certainly the kind of swashbuckling scoundrel that Solo was in the original, non-special edition film. I’m talking about the Solo that shot Greedo first before he could shoot him. In fact, Mal has no qualms about shooting an unprepared and unarmed Operative.
As Malcolm Reynolds, Nathan Fillion displays an easy-going charm and a quick wit that makes him a fantastic leading man. But, the hero is only as good as his villain and in the case of Malcolm Reynolds, he has an amazing villain. The Operative isn’t your standard baddie who twirls his mustache and makes overly dramatic gestures. He hardly ever raises his voice either. He’s cold, calculating, and foremost, a complete fanatic. He feels justified in murdering women and children. That this will actually bring about a better world. Yet, he has no delusions about the horror he inflicts and takes no pleasure in it. The Operative is one of the most multi-faceted antagonists I’ve ever seen in a movie and Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a wonderful performance. With films like Serenity, Four Brothers, and Children of Men under his belt, he’s definitely an actor to watch out for. I’d also like to make special mention of Jewel Staite who is absolutely adorable in this film and lights up the screen with her smile, even when she’s covered in engine grease. Staite perfectly embodies the sweet-natured Kaylee.
Thanks to Fox’s erratic scheduling, I only caught two episodes of Firefly during its brief run. It wasn’t until I bought the DVDs that I was able to enjoy the show and I anxiously anticipated their jump to feature film. Serenity is an exceptionally fun film that’s jam-packed with a little bit of everything. Action, adventure, comedy, drama, eye-popping battles in space, it’s all there. George Lucas could learn a thing or two (or three or four) from watching this film. Serenity is the kind of Star Wars movie the prequels should have been. Whedon places the focus where it rightly should be, on the characters, not the special effects. Whedon specializes in creating an ensemble of memorable characters and their relationships with one another. He backs that up with sharp, original dialogue.
Rating: ****
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