Serenity

Serenity - Dir. Joss Whedon (2005)


”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: ****

The Spirit

The Spirit - Dir. Frank Miller (2008)


I wouldn´t presume to know what the late-Will Eisner would think of Frank Miller´s adaptation of his most renowned character. Suffice to say, I´d wager he might have the same befuddled expression on his face as I did as this bizarre concoction unfolded across the screen at my local multiplex.

Eisner is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the comic book medium. The Spirit began life in 1940 as a Sunday newspaper comic strip. It was part-film noir, part-adventure with dark and lighthearted moments throughout its run. Eisner never dumbed down his creation, aiming for an adult audience. He revolutionized comic composition by freeing the strip from the confines of the typical panels used by other cartoonists. Eisner even coined the term ´graphic novel´ (used so frequently nowadays) to describe his semi-autobiographical book, A Contract with God.

Comic book fans know Frank Miller best for his magnum opus, The Dark Knight Returns, which many list as one of the greatest comics ever written and is mentioned in the same breath as the equally heralded Watchmen (which was released the same year). Miller´s work on Daredevil was largely the basis for the character´s much-maligned feature film while his Batman: Year One was certainly influential on Batman Begins. After a poor experience writing the scripts for Robocop sequels, Miller personally stayed away from Hollywood until Robert Rodriguez called to co-direct the big-screen adaptation of Sin City. Hot on its heels, Miller´s 300 was faithfully recreated by Watchmen director Zack Snyder and met with equal success. So it was only a matter of time before somebody gave Miller a chance to go solo.

Miller considered Eisner a friend and mentor. Conversations between the pair were published in Eisner/Miller, a comic book equivalent to Hitchcock/Truffaut. Miller took on the daunting task of bringing the Spirit to life mostly because he didn´t want somebody else ruining the character. A previous version filmed for television in 1987 was so bad it made Eisner´s "toes curl." From then on, Eisner was staunch in his refusal to allow anyone else to do it again. He rejected proposals to give the titular character superpowers or put him in superhero tights. Miller vowed to remain faithful and was even going to title the film, "Will Eisner´s The Spirit." I have no idea what changed his mind, but this is "Frank Miller´s The Spirit" all the way.

Our hero, played by Gabriel Macht, is Denny Colt, a beat cop who is gunned down, but somehow comes back to life. In the comics, Colt allowed everyone to still believe he was dead and adopted the alter-ego of the Spirit. He put on a blue three-piece suit, matching fedora, and a domino mask in order to fight crime in Central City. His origin remains mostly the same except he wears all black with a blood red tie. The Spirit´s arch-enemy is the Octopus, a mysterious crime boss whose face was never revealed in the strips. He was only recognized by a pair of purple gloves with yellow stripes. Here, he´s Samuel L. Jackson who wears a variety of outlandish outfits in his attempts to conquer the world. He constantly talks about eggs for some reason. Don´t ask. Oh, have I mentioned both men are invincible? Through some sort of cockamamie science project, the Spirit and the Octopus are rendered virtually indestructible. This is evidenced at the start of the film when the two engage in a one-on-one fistfight that´s usually saved for the climax. It isn´t just a fight, but a Looney Tunes horror show as the Spirit punches the Octopus in the face about two dozen times to no effect. They smash each other with several large objects including (literally) the kitchen sink. The battle culminates in the Octopus braining the Spirit with a toilet, then gleefully cackles, "C´mon, toilets are ALWAYS funny!"

This one fight largely sums up just about everything that is wrong with this picture. First off, any sort of suspense the audience might have is killed off because we know neither lead can be. Uh-oh, the Spirit just got pushed out a window. No worries, he can´t be killed. He just got stabbed with a sword? Riddled by a machine gun? The Spirit just shakes it off. Secondly, the fight runs far too long and the same can be said for the majority of the film. Some people love to hear the sound of their own voice. Frank Miller seems to be a man who loves to hear actors speak his lines. He packs in tons of dialogue leading to an overly talky film. Scenes and conversations go on and on with no point whatsoever. One minute, the Spirit is delivering a gruff, hard-boiled voice-over in the vein of Raymond Chandler, the next, he´s bantering with his colleagues in the style of a screwball comedy. Miller never seems to make up his mind whether he wants The Spirit to be a dark film noir, a frothy adventure or a campy comedy.

The film´s most infamous moment comes when the Spirit is captured and tied to a dentist´s chair, ready for torture. The Octopus emerges from behind a red curtain dressed in a Nazi officer´s uniform replete with monocle. There´s Nazi paraphernalia everywhere and the set looks like a commedia dell´arte remake of Triumph of the Will. It´s almost amusing in a WTF kind of way, but Miller drags the proceedings beyond the point of tolerance as the Octopus commits the cardinal super-villain sin. He monologues. Yes, this is the point in the movie where the bad guy reveals his origins and his detailed plans for world domination. I kept waiting for those folks from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to show up and scream, "Get on with it!" Ironically, the Spirit remarks that he's just plain "bored" by his nemesis. So am I, Spirit. So am I.

The crux of the story revolves around the Octopus´s endeavors to acquire the Blood of Herakles which will complete his transformation to immortality. By the time it´s all revealed, the audience has long since stopped caring. At least, there´s plenty of eye candy for the men. Miller has shown he has a strong predilection for sultry vixens and he makes sure there´s a wide assortment of beautiful ladies, each one falling head over heels for the masked protagonist. At the head of the class is Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), a world-class thief and the childhood sweetheart of the Spirit. However, the Spirit´s heart seems to belong to Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), a doctor and daughter of the police commissioner (Dan Lauria). She´s the only good girl in the film. There´s Morgenstern (Stana Katic), an eager and earnest rookie cop. Working for the other side of the law are the Octopus´s girl Friday, Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), and a dagger throwing belly dancer assassin named Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega). Finally, Jaime King appears in several interludes as the spectral siren, Lorelei Rox.

The ensemble cast also includes an army of dim-witted clones (each played by Louis Lombardi) who serve as the Octopus´s henchmen. These goofs are like something out of Batman. I'm not talking about the Christopher Nolan version or the Tim Burton incarnation, but the cartoonish Adam West series. Remember when the Joker would show up with goons adorned in black shirts with names like ´Tee-Hee,´ ´Ha-Ha,´ and ´Ho-Ho´? Well, these guys have names like ´Phobos,´ ´Nervos,´ and even ´Huevos´ and ´Rancheros.´ I´d call them comic relief, except I didn´t find them to be funny at all.

Miller uses the same green screen techniques from Sin City to create a stylish world cut from the same cloth. He highlights bright colors, such as red, and sprinkles in silhouette shots. Taken individually, they look great, but there´s no flow from scene to scene, especially during action sequences. It looks like they strung together a bunch of comic book panels without bothering to create transitions in between.

The acting is all over the place. Some actors seem to take the film seriously while others just ham it up. Jackson chews through his scenes like a piranha and normally that´s entertaining enough, but (just like his director) he´s just far too excessive for his own good and working with such flat dialogue didn´t help. As the lead, Macht is far too bland to really be effective as the square-jawed hero. Sarah Paulson is the only actor in the entire movie that plays their character as an actual human being.

2008 was a big year for comic book films. They started out strong then fizzled out as time progressed. Iron Man and The Dark Knight were both faithful translations and did gangbusters at the box office. Wanted wasn't quite as faithful to the source material, but was still a fun action flick. By year´s end, fanboys only got lackluster efforts like Punisher: War Zone and The Spirit.

I would have been fine with Frank Miller turning The Spirit into a spin-off of Sin City. It wouldn't have bothered me too much if he decided to do the movie as a tongue-in-cheek camp cartoon. I just wished Miller would have made up his mind. The Spirit suffers from an inconsistent tone and a complete lack of direction. The film goes nowhere fast and comes off as a self-indulgent exercise of unrestrained lunacy.

Rating: * 1/2