| Film Review | Sam Milligan |
Serenity
There’s no place that I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can’t take the sky from me...
I’m
sure that by now, most if not all Firefly fans have
been to see Serenity. For those who haven’t, and for
those who never watched the television series the movie is
based on, you are missing one of the finest science fiction
movies ever made. Even if you are not a fan of the space
opera, this is a film that is highly entertaining and well
worth seeing. Joss Whedon has succeeded beyond all
expectations in translating the storyline of the series to
the big screen, while at the same time producing a work that
stands on its own. One can go to see this film without
having seen a single episode of the television series, yet
still follow the story and the characters easily, and
devotees of the series will not feel like they are watching
a rehash of old material and plots.
Set some five hundred years in the future in a universe
where Earth has been used up and Mankind has colonized the
stars, Serenity has as much the feel of the classic
Western as of science fiction. It takes place after the
Unification War, when the central core planets of the
Alliance defeated the frontier Independent forces (whose
soldiers were commonly called “Brown Coats” in reference to
their uniforms). After the war, former Independent sergeant
Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) bought a surplus
Firefly-class transport and put together a crew,
including Zoë Washburn (Gina Torres), who had served under
Mal in the war. Naming his ship Serenity, after the
Battle of Serenity Valley that wiped out most of his
platoon, Mal operates his vessel as a tramp freighter among
the frontier planets, picking up legitimate jobs where he
can, taking on passengers, smuggling goods prohibited by the
Alliance, and not hesitating to commit piracy and robbery
against the Alliance when the opportunities present
themselves. The crew includes Hoban “Wash” Washburn (Alan
Tudyk), Serenity’s crackerjack pilot and Zoë’s
husband; Kaywinnit Lee “Kaylee” Frye (Jewel Staite), the
young prodigy of a mechanic who keeps the ship from falling
apart; and Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), a criminal turned
mercenary with an obsession for weaponry of all kinds, not
exactly trustworthy but invaluable in some of the less than
legal situations the crew gets involved in. Also aboard are
Simon Tam (Sean Maher), a brilliant surgeon who serves as
the ship’s doctor, and his sister River Tam (Summer Glau),
who he rescued from an Alliance conditioning facility,
thereby making the two of them (and by association
Serenity and her crew) the object of a massive manhunt
by the Alliance. The Parliament of the Alliance sends a
deadly efficient and ruthless operative with no name (Chiwetel
Ejiofor) to get River back, setting the basic storyline of
the film. Fans of the show will be glad to see that two
former crewmembers, companion (courtesan) Inara Serra (Morena
Baccarin) and Shepherd (reverend) Darriel Book (Ron Glass)
also appear in the film.
There are many subplots that intertwine in and around the
main story, creating an atmosphere of tension and intrigue
that will have you on the edge of your seat, wondering what
will come next - and it’s never what you think it will be.
Mal’s bitterness and loathing of the Alliance over the
outcome of the war, Zoë’s loyalty to Mal, Kaylee’s crush on
Simon, Jayne’s focus on what’s best for Jayne, Simon’s
fierce protection of his sister, and River’s instability all
blend together to weave a rich and brilliant tapestry of a
story. All of this and more; and I haven’t even touched on
the incredible special effects, which are dazzling, but in
no way detract from the interaction of the characters, which
is the real entertainment of the movie.
Adventure, intrigue, action, love interest, loyalty,
betrayal, tragedy, triumph, humor, heroism, violence,
tenderness, nobility and more. There is something of
interest in Serenity for almost everyone.
Oh, and Reavers. Did I mention Reavers? No explanations are
possible without spoiling the movie for you, so you’ll have
to see it for yourself.
