Serenity
In his short introduction to the film director Joss Whedon calls this a “film that should not exist.” That is to say, he never originally intended to make Serenity: had the sci-fi TV show Firefly not been cancelled after one series, had the fans not signed a petition to see the story continue, it would never had happened. With all this taken in consideration though, what is Serenity like as a film?Fans of the Firefly TV series will know all about the United Alliance, the colonisation of a distant solar system and the escape of a young psychic River Tam and her brother Simon from an Alliance research facility. We know how, on the run from the Alliance, River and Simon seek refuge on the humble transport ship Serenity while the Alliance hunt down their escaped human guinea-pig. We are familiar with the Serenity’s misfit crew and their colourful histories, and their constant struggle to make a living on the fringes of space. Serenity kicks off with a breathtaking portrayal of River and Simon’s flight from the Alliance, but then picks up from where the TV show left off.
That is to say, it is helpful to have seen Firefly beforehand but it is not essential. It is fair to say that the whole cast are interesting and engaging; however, there is not enough time to explore them fully within the constraints of a two hour feature. The focus is on the ship’s laconic and disallusioned captain Mal Reynolds, River herself and the Alliance agent sent to retrive her: the task of making a sequel that is coherant and entertaining on its own is a difficult one and in the case of Serenity it largely succeeds.
There are one or two out-of-place aspects, such as the all-too-brief and somewhat unnecessary appearance of Shepherd Book (if he was either left out or entirely or given a worthwhile amount of screen time it would have looked more natural) and limited attention devoted to the rest of the crew but in all honesty this sort of thing was dealt with in the series. There is enough explained to make the scenario work, and the rest of the time is devoted to progressing the story and making a edge-of-your seat rollercoaster ride.
Firefly was always surprisingly character-driven but its big screen outing is more of an action/adventure affair: River transforms from a fragile and traumatised seventeen-year-old to a butt-kicking heroine with feline grace and ferocity. This aspect of her personality and the reasons for it were not explored as fully as this in the series, and contributes greatly to the fast-paced feel. The budget is noticeably more generous that that of Firefly too, with some impressive gunfights, chases and CGI sequences.
In Summary
Joss Whedon’s feature-length debut is an entertaining and exhilerating piece of modern sci-fi that follows on well from the series that preceded it. Fans of the original show will love it for the progression of the story while the uninitiated will find action-packed entertainment that doesn’t throw them in at the deep end. There are one or two minor issues with continuity and it is inevitable that Firefly fans will get the most of out it but Serenity has a lot going in its favour.
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