Serenity

Space the final frontier.

Many moons ago, Capt. James T. Kirk uttered the words "Space, the final frontier". I was young at the time but it conjured for me, images of Cowboys and Indians in rocket ships. Being a fan of Joss Whedons other work (Buffy,Angel) well let's just say when Firefly premiered and it was a new show by Joss and it was about Cowboys in space, I was hooked. It saddens me that FOX has cancelled so many good, cutting edge shows in their infancy, but it makes sense. It's an all around money maker for FOX to buy a "Pilot" and a few episodes of a fledgling show, cheaply. Advertise them as the "Newest,Hottest Show". Run them helter skelter to fill open slots on their network while they rake in advertisement dollars. Then when the initial run is over tout the newest show and move on ad nauseum. The Basic Rule: If a show is successful, It's expensive. This works well for me because now I don't even have to watch FOX network. I just wait until they cancel a show I was interested in and then offer the DVDs... Then I go out and RENT them and watch them commercial and FOX free. Serenity picks up after Firefly and answers some but not all of the questions posed during the series short run. The genius that is Joss Whedon, created a thouroghly enjoyable movie that is watchable whether you are familiar with the show that spawned it or not.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best Sci-fi this year!

This film will keep you on the edge of you seat! It is action packed and laugh out loud funny. Joss Whedon has a gift for making amazing characters and great storylines. Serenity is the name of a Firefly class transport ship 500 years in the future. Earth has been used up, and Serenity's crew travels around the raggedy edge of space taking any job that pays. The crew is made up of Capt. Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) who fought on the losing side of a civil war, Zoe (Gina Torres) the first mate who served with Mal in the war, Wash (Alan Tudyk) the pilot who married Zoe, Kaylee (Jewel Staite) the chipper mechanic, and Jayne (Adam Baldwin) a mercenary. They have picked up a young doctor Simon Tam (Sean Maher)and his sister River (Summer Glau). Simon and River are fugitives from the Alliance, the totalitarian government that has performed heinous experiments on her. They send a man known only as The Operative to find and kill River. Mal and his crew try to avoid The Alliance, and figure out the secret that is driving River increasingly more insane. Toss in the cannibalistic Reavers who roam the edge and by the end of the film its anyone's guess who will be victorious. If you are a Star Wars fan, check this out! And if the new Star Wars was a disappointment to you, DEFINATLY check this out!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cult Classic Soon to Rise

It's unfortunate that both the TV series "Firefly", and the movie version of that series "Serenity" didn't gain wide spread attention, because both are excellent and creative sci-fi flicks. It's the wild wild west, meets "Star Wars". It's brash, funny, and stylish. On top of all that, "Serentiy" is just plain old fun. These types of films go directly to cult classic statues, which is not a bad place to be, however it just means that the film doesn't get as much exposure it needs forehand. Even most critics were surprised by "Serenity", but the main thing is audiences just have to check it out for themselves. And as for those who know the TV series, they will not be disappointed. (Because there are no half star ratings,I'm going to give this film a 4 1/2 stars)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best movie ever!! I would love if they brought firefly back

Best movie ever!! I would love if they brought firefly back

Absolutely Wonderful

I became a fan of the aborted series when someone gifted me with the Firefly DVDs and first watched this in theaters, and this as a fan I loved this film--it tied up so many threads brilliantly. The pacing makes for a suspenseful film, there is humor as well as drama, and I loved the themes about freedom, utopias and human nature. I know several have discovered the original series (sadly less than a full season) and through it have become fans, so certainly you could watch this first--or only this film--and never try the series. I think that would be a shame though. The film does act as a spoiler, and a lot of the fun for me of the film was seeing how some mysteries in that series was resolved. This is also one of those DVDs where the commentary adds a lot to the value--I found Joss Whedon's comments on making the film fascinating.

Sci-fi at its funny, adventurous best

In and of itself, Serenity is a terrific movie: smart, fast-paced, with great actors, great special effects, lots of action and snappy dialogue. But as closure for the Firefly series, Serenity both does and doesn't do the job. Certainly it addresses many of the plot points raised in the series: what are the Reavers? Why is River the way she is? Why is she important? Will the Serenity crew ever come to terms with the Alliance? But as far as a satisfactory end to a beloved story, it doesn't quite get there. At the end of the film, I found myself thinking of all that I still wanted to see the characters do. That's not necessarily a bad thing---I'm inclined to think of it as a testament to how compelling Whedon's characters are, actually---but anyone hoping to watch Serenity and feel they've reached the end of the adventure is sure to be disappointed. It feels, instead, like yet another beginning.

Serenity is a thinking man's Sci-Fi movie created for those who have not forgotten how to laugh.

Serenity give us a glimpse of how the spirit of independence and self-reliance that helped to establish the "Wild-West" and the "cowboy" as enduring themes in our culture might clash with an all pervasive universal government in the future. Serenity is a direct development from the television series, Firefly. The movie length treatment of the Firefly story allows for more complete character development while remaining true to the essential elements that made Firefly a classic among SciFi fans. The special effects are excellent. The musical score is enjoyable, appropriate to the story line and superior to other Action Adventure / Sci-Fi films. The dialogue which is delivered by the excellent cast including Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and Adam Baldwin is intelligent, funny and at times, surprising. Serenity has become an important addition to my personal library of films. Serenity is a MUST SEE for all Sci-Fi fans and for anyone interested in considering mankind's future.

Serenity

I'm not really writing a review. Too time-consuming. Rather, just know that Joss Whedon is the god of live-action telemedia.

Serenity

A great conclusion for the series Firefly. Too bad the series was so short. This movie does a great job of ultimately telling the story of River Tam and at least some of what happened to her. Just wish there was more like this out there.

Great ending to an amazing show.

While Serenity is a good stand alone sci-fi movie, it really means the most to those viewers who were cheated out of an ending of the amazing TV show that it is based on, Firefly. Serenity gives viewers a little bit of closer that we didn't get when the show was abrubtly cancelled. With that said, the movie was very well done. The story was well written and kept humor and the characters true to the series. Having a major motion picture budget to use on the special effects was put to good use. Purchasing Serenity in Blu-ray only enhanced this. I'd recommend this movie to any sci-fi fan, whether you're a fan of the original show or not.

In Search Of Serenity

Serenity, like love and peace, is often sought but seldom found. And so Josh Whedon plays with this paradox in the film that is the culmination of his television series Firefly. In both the film and the series, the title focuses on the space ship which does have a personality not unlike its Captain Mal. Both seem on the verge of falling apart and seem to be held together by little more than will and what Mal calls "love." The very moral and straight shooting Mal steals and hides and tries to make a living in the freedom of the remote fringes of what counts as civilization. Of course, what passes as civilization is all about manipulation and control that is so extreme it will have serenity at any and all costs and that is no serenity at all -- at least for the non-believers.<BR/><BR/>The other characters are all paradoxes as well. Jayne seems the big and brawny man of war but he approaches life almost as a child. And the child of the crew, 16 year old River, seems innocent and vulnerable but she can take down Jayne and a host of Reevers with little more than a bit of sweat. The rest of the cast of characters continue with the paradox of appearance and realty. Shepherd Book is clearly at war with the peace he promotes, Kaylee is an ace mechanic and not a piece of female puff. And other paradoxes are embodied in Zoe, Wash, Simon, and Inara. All try to live by a code of their own choosing and which aims at a balance that hopes for "serenity" yet all find reality intrudes and brings them to conflict not just with events and one another but also with themselves. <BR/><BR/>The play of the story and the characters is simply fun and hits all the right buttons on our own desires for what, maybe, we too have lost or may be still fighting for -- individual freedom in a technological world that has become more of a trap of powerfully imposed dogma of obedience by a largely anonymous government and social and religious institutions that seek conformity and serenity by allowing only one way of thinking, acting, and being -- theirs. Our only hope as in Whedon's world may also be in those who decide to "misbehave" as only free people can. Maybe serenity can only be had by being true to one's self and to what is just and right by the measure of that guide.<BR/><BR/>Of course, Serenity can also be viewed for just the funny and adventurous and creative story that it is. Maybe that is the best way. May Serenity continue on The Wave.

amazing

this movie was really fun. i really liked the firefly series and this movie was a good continuation.

A reviewer

I think this movie created a whole new genre of science fiction. The chemistry between the actors is perfect, the writing is intelligent and humorous without being stupid, and the special effects are top-notch. This is an excellent film. Joss Whedon understands that whether the movie takes place in the past, the present, or the future, what's most essential is to create characters that you can relate to, care about, and dialog that is real. It's all about the story. It amazes me that this movie has not spawned a sequel or two, or ten. Come on Joss, how about another Serenity movie, or a series of Serenity novels? I want more!!!

What a great way to sum-up an amazing series

Serenity is just a great sci-fi flick! Whether you are a fan of the series Firefly (which I highly recommend) or you are just looking for a great story, this movie is for you.

I should have watched the show!

Having never seen this show during it's run on Fox, I had no baggage when I picked this DVD up on a whim. This movie requires no background info and struck me a completely stand alone movie, a tribute to the excellent writing.

Firefly Turns Dark

The film represents the TV series with a darker streak to the characters which lends a belivable contrast to that of the gung-ho characterization evident on the TV series. Over-all an enjoyable experience and visual treat which makes you wish that the series lasted longer.

Greatest Movie Ever!!

One of the greatest and most original movies ever. If you like sci-fi westerns or anything Joss Whedon youll love this.

Better Than Most

A good continuation of the tv-series with a higher special effects budget. It concludes a lot from the series, and does it well with action and character. Probably better to have seen most of the series to appreciate the characters fully. Overall, the series as well as, the movie depicts a greater realism of how any colonization of other planets would pan out: developed "core" worlds with younger, and "independent," colonies underdeveloped and using whatever tech was available. The only reason I don't give this 5-stars is the common mistake of sound in space. This is a fallacy in most "space" movies. No atmosphere, means no sound when things explode or engines work. Overall though, a technically sound movie as well.

Remember the Original Star Wars Films?

Okay, so this is no revolutionary film in the way the original Star Wars films were. But in the way the relationships between Luke, Han, etc. helped to give those films emotive depth, humor, pathos, and advance the plot, Serenity is a throwback to the original Star Wars films. Serenity captures our attention and entertains through the use of character driven action instead of just throwing amazing special effects onto the screen. I am reluctant to say it, but for Firefly fans this is a great film, moving the TV show to the big screen in an immensely satisfying way. The effects are absolutley believeable while keeping the same tone, look and feel of the original. I am a late comer to the world of Firefly, just having recently (but prior to the film) borrowed and watched the original series on DVD. But my 13 and 15 year old son and daughter became hooked big time and the movie absolutly did not disappoint. For the uninitiated I'm afraid the film just won't have the same impact, so get the series then buy the film. However, if you are a fan of good action/sci fi, with likeable and interesting characters, and a well told story, this is the film for you. It won't disappoint.

Worth the $4 rental

This is a good sci-fi flick set in a world ruled by the "Alliance" (think the Imperials from Star Wars). The plot was well constructed, with a progressing storyline and characters who became more developed as the movie continued. There isn't so much sappy puppy-love as to ruin the movie (don't you hate when they add this to action flicks?), but just enough of this type of tension between characters that you might be able to convince a girlfriend to see it with you. Plus, there's a few scenes that would certainly induce a scream (followed of course by the comforting arm over the shoulder). Those who aren't comitted sci-fi fans may find the first 30 minutes confusing, but it's worth waiting this out to discover the reasons for the confusion. The film also uses some interesting flash-backs and parallel screens to contribute to the confusion of the first half. Viewers who are willing to sit this out and enjoy the ride will be rewarded.