Serenity (2005)

 

What do you do when a series gets cancelled, yet receives major fan love further along the road? You wait a while and then create a feature film that wraps up the story, of course. Which is exactly what Joss Whedon did after 'Firefly' was cancelled. 'Firefly' was a fun series that pretty perfectly merged western and science fiction and above all boasted a great cast, but you did feel the story still had some ways to go.

So then came 'Serenity'. But did it wrap things up as everyone expected?

Yes. Yes, it did. 

Picking up after the series (yet you don't need to have seen the series, the prologue fills in most of the gaps), the crew of the ship Serenity is comprised of former rebels who do heists in order to survive. They are often chased by the Alliance, which is the central government of planets. Sure, maybe the crew is comprised of just a couple too many likable rogues, but one would be hard pressed to not feel affection for this group of characters. Among them is a young girl named River and she is a psychic after having been used by Alliance scientists for experiments. She was freed by her brother and now they are part of (but not really) the crew. 

Because previous attempts to capture her again have failed, there is now an unnamed operative after them, and he is by far the most ruthless and methodical one yet. However, Serenity's crew is trying to survive and even if they pretend not to want River and her brother along, captain Mal is one of those 'rough on the outside, heart of gold on the inside'-types, so you always know he just wants to do the right thing. In any case, the operative is hot on their trail and things do start to look bleak. The reason the Alliance is after River is actually a rather nifty one, as she knows something that most involved would love to see buried forever. So naturally, this film focuses on uncovering that secret and maybe even exposing the Alliance. 

Oh, and to make things spicy you get the Reavers, who are a type of space pirates who mutilate themselves and do unspeakable things to the people the get their hands on. 

If you are worried that not seeing the show will impair your viewing enjoyment: don't be. Yours truly saw the film before the series and even then it still works as a fun adventure. You can infer a lot of stuff by the interactions and you will quickly get the story as a whole. In all honesty, it's the characters and the actors portraying them that make this one work best. Nathan Fillion is wonderfully charming as Mal, but everyone has little quirks and a clearly defined trait that sets them apart. The best role goes to Summer Glau as River, as she gets to play a traumatised young woman with some exceptional skills and one never knows how she will react. 

Oh, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is absolutely brilliant as the always calm operative. There's something about his levelheaded approach that is both unnerving and clinical. It is grand. 

The story is fun if a little predictable at times, but the action set pieces make up for that. The space battles might be a little disorienting, but the action scenes, especially with Summer Glau, are great. They don't use an overabundance of cuts and because this woman is an accomplished dancer, her martial arts moves look stunningly perfect. It truly all feels like a dance and the few times you get to see it are absolutely worth it. 

Is it a great science fiction adventure? Perhaps not quite, as it does lack a bit in the story department, but it sure as all hell is a fun watch. Don't expect large scale sci-fi, but more that cool western vibe that just happens to have science fiction included. It's fun, light and entertaining as all heck, so give it a watch if you like something different.