Serenity

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Matthew D A solid sci-fi adventure with charming characters, but odd writing. Director Joss Whedon’s space Western Serenity (2005) is a mixed bag of big sci-fi concepts and likable characters. Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau really carry this movie off their acting. Whedon can direct some exciting fights and shootouts, funny comedy scenes, and endearing sincere drama. He doesn’t really have enough style to keep scenes totally engaging. I had a good time, but did find it somewhat confusing and slow for how much action there is here. At least Firefly fans got a decent ending to their beloved canceled show. Joss Whdeon’s script is very hit or miss for me. His sci-fi story is pretty dull and generic. I never watched Firefly, but it’s easy enough to pick up who is who and what’s each person’s type. The world is like a more boring Star Trek though. I can see why Firefly was canceled. Whedon’s writing for Buffy the Vampire Slayer was usually strong, but Serenity has plenty of stilted dialogue that’s weirdly awkward as much as some of it comes across as genuine. The acting saves and elevates Whedon’s shallow story and basic character arcs. Joss Whedon combines Star Trek, Star Wars, Cowboy Bebop, Riddick, Equilibrium, and Ultraviolet in one strange sci-fi send off to Firefly. Nathan Fillion is steadfast as the fast talking and emotionally grounded Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds. He’s like a funny Han Solo or Star Lord type space hero. Fillion really brings a charisma and warmth to Mal that makes him cool and compelling. He’s the dramatic heart and most captivating aspect of Serenity. Gina Torres is very pretty, smart, and neat as Zoë Alleyne Washburne. She doesn’t get much to do here, but she feels interesting when she bounces ideas off of Mal. Alan Tudyk is sometimes funny as Wash, but mostly given nothing to do. Morena Baccarin is really beautiful and intriguing as Inara Serra, but she’s sadly given next to nothing to do or say. Adam Baldwin is really terrible as the awkward and clumsy acted brute Jayne Cobb. He’s so distractingly bad. Jewel Staite is cute and quirky as Kaylee Frye, but she mostly just babbles for some charming lines. Sean Maher is awful as the bland brother Simon Tam. Summer Glau is gorgeous and engaging as the sister psychic River Tam. Glau is lovely to watch kill guys and deliver dramatic lines as River is traumatized. Some of her delivery falls flat into awkward territory, but I generally liked her in Serenity a lot. Ron Glass is solid as the religious man Shepherd Book, who gets two emotional scenes with Mal. David Krumholtz is cringe inducing as the knowledgeable Mr. Universe. Chiwetel Ejiofor is cool and sinister as The Operative. Michael Hitchcock is really awkward as Dr. Mathias. Sarah Paulson gets a laughable cameo in a recording as Dr. Caron. She tells us of people killed by a disease or whatever and she’s just so ridiculous in her line delivery. She sounds insincere. Editor Lisa Lassek has certain cuts that kept me enthralled and others that randomly cut to other scenes, places, and memories that are mostly confusing. Cinematographer Jack N. Green works best during the still dramatic close-ups, but there’s a ton of wild panning shots that are really annoying. Serenity certainly looks like a television show visually. Gary Tandrow’s lighting looks like a cheap daytime show and not shadowy or dynamic like a film. The camera operators Mark Emery Moore, Ryan Green, and Andrew Shulkind deliver some smooth panning shots and others erratic shaky shots. Production designer Barry Chusid’s cheap ship sets look rough. I kept thinking about Power Rangers watching these sets. The CGI is good for the spaceships, yet monitors and blasts look cheap. The Reavers look awful. Composer David Newman’s film score is great with lots of emotion. I just wish his music stood out more in a unique way as it sounds like tons of other sci-fi shows and movies. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter crafts cool outfits for the main cast, but all the supporting characters and Reavers look bad. In short, Serenity works even as a viewer who has not seen Firefly. It’s just inconsistently written. Half of the jokes are amusing and the other half awkward and embarrassing. Serenity feels like the canceled show Firefly’s finale rather than a standalone film. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/02/24 Full Review D W This is a timeless Sci-fi Western that never gets old. Lovable characters, cool setting, epic plot and lots of fun. Check out the Novels and Darkhorse comics if you want more. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/24 Full Review Eric C Loved the show, love the movie. Even if you have never seen the TV show, they give you enough background that you are not lost. I think the universe they created could be used to produce more movies and shows, it has depth and breadth that could be expanded upon. All the really great shows never seem to get more than one season though. Very sad... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/19/24 Full Review Cathleen S I watch this movie at least 3-5 times a year, no joke. Exceptional, epic tears for Wash and Shepherd, whyyyyyyyyyyyy? One of my all time favorites and always will be. The word exceptional cannot be used enough to describe this movie. If I had a genie in a lamp, one of my wishes would be for Firefly to have more seasons than the Simpsons! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Don T I often use RT to gauge whether to buy/rent a movie on AppleTV. This one is a profound waste of time: Poor acting Poor script And WTF is this? A science fiction film? No, methinks it is drek Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/29/24 Full Review Bill D Outstanding. As good as firefly Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Serenity

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