October 17, 2005 -- “Serenity” is a science fiction movie for adults. It has no-holds-barred action and moral ambiguity laced with humor. It is a cautionary tale about science and politics gone wrong, but it is also about heroism on a grand scale which can trace its cinematic roots back to the days of cowboys and samurai. The film is based on the short-lived television series “Firefly.” That series lasted only 11 episodes. Generally, a project which tries to make a feature film based on a failed TV series is considered an awful idea, and would never be greenlighted. However, this does not take into account the passionate efforts of writer-director Joss Whedon (creator of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series). Whedon has considerable clout in Hollywood, not to mention a huge amount of talent. Somehow, he not only got this powerful film made, but released with few, if any, compromises.

The stars of the film are the same actors who starred in “Firefly” with the exception of Chiwetel Ejiofor of “Four Brothers,” who plays the samurai-like government assassin sent to collect or destroy the mysterious River Tam (played by Summer Glau). River is living on Serenity, a ship captained by futuristic pirate Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (played by a stoic Nathan Fillion). Much of the film is taken up with the relentless pursuit of River by the assassin. In the film, we learn how River was sprung from prison by her brother, Simon (Sean Maher) and we find out what deadly secret she carries trapped in her mind. It is this secret which puts the crew of Serenity in danger.

There is a lot of tension aboard the Serenity. Members of the crew constantly question the decisions of its captain. In one scene, we see the captain sacrifice the life of one man to save his crew. In another scene, we see the captain decide to put the lives of his crew at great risk for reasons none of them understand. Yet, by and large, the crew maintains its cohesiveness and its willingness to follow the captain's orders. They seldom understand his reasons, but they have come to trust the captain's judgement. While the story may not be believable, the characters and the emotions they show are very believable.

There is plenty of action in the film, consisting of both space battles and physical combat. There is even something a lot like a car chase. The central conflict between the Serenity captain and the ruthless assassin is very much like a conflict between two samurai warriors or two gunslingers of old. Each adheres to his own rigid code of honor. It is no accident that the assassin wields a samurai-like sword and talks of the honor of man-to-man combat and ritual suicide. The conflict between these two warriors, in the end, is settled in a most unexpected way. Most movies of this sort serve up a simple recipe of revenge that is supposed to satisfy all hungers. This film has a different recipe. It is summed up in a quotation from Jesus Christ: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The largely no-name cast does a good job maintaining the interesting cast of characters. Especially effective is Adam Baldwin, who plays the muscular mercenary fighter Jayne Cobb. This wisecracking tough guy is the perfect foil for Nathan Fillion's Captain Mal, a guy who is just a little too serious. I found the movie itself to be a little too serious. I would have liked it better if it had a lot more of that delicious humor that surfaced from time to time. I wished it had relied less on its main course of grim blood-and-guts drama. Nevertheless, this is a good film, with excellent cinematography by Jack N. Green (“Secondhand Lions”), competent special effects and good production values all around. This story is certainly sequel-enabled and I would not mind seeing another one. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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