Serenity
dir. Joss Whedon
Universal Pictures
A few years ago, Fox canceled "Firefly," a futuristic sci-fi western created by
Joss Whedon (best known for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and
"Angel"), after airing just a dozen episodes. In a perfect world,
Whedon would have had a few more seasons to tell the tale of Serenity,
a firefly-class transport ship, and her fearless crew. Instead, he got
two hours — a reprieve granted by Universal, who thought enough of Whedon, his world and his audience to gamble on Serenity, a feature film follow-up to another network's show. For fans who can't get enough, it's a mere tease, but it'll do.
"Firefly" fans, or "flans" for short, need not fear sitting
through a thin rehashing of their favorite canceled TV show. Although
some recap is necessary to bring the uninitiated up to speed, Whedon
wastes neither time nor effort in Serenity. With quirky storytelling, sparse but sharp special effects, and the original cast intact, this film will satisfy old fans and make a few new ones in the process. (Slight
emphasis on the "few.")
Whedon's vision of the future envelops viewers in a fantasy world
where frightening savages called Reavers roam the borders, the
Alliance governs the galaxy and everyone speaks Chinese. Discharged
from the military, Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) has retired to a life of smuggling, thievery and
taking on the occasional fare to survive in the harsh vacuum of space.
When a young doctor and his slightly deranged, psychic sister board his ship,
trouble ensues: Both are wanted fugitives and make it very difficult
for Mal and company to stay off the government's radar.
Through an agent known only as the Operative, the Alliance
relentlessly pursues the fugitives aboard Serenity. While the Reavers elicit fear through their lawlessness (they are known throughout the galaxy as rapists and cannibals), the Operative is all the more menacing for his idealism and unwavering commitment to his mission. His subdued manner, martial arts skills
and seemingly limitless resources make him a dangerous enemy, and Chiwetel
Ejiofor plays him with deadly calm and unfailing courtesy;
the effect is chilling.
To even up the stakes, one of the escapees is the psychic River (Summer Glau). Glau's willowy form lends grace to River's violent fight scenes, and the swift choreography only seems contrived until you remember that, being clairvoyant, she can anticipate her opponents' movements split seconds in advance. She's also a phenomenal government-engineered assassin, and a bit crazy to boot. The strength of Glau's performance is not so much in the expression on her face or the quiver of her voice; it's the tilt of her head, and the measured descent of her foot as it hits the floor or crashes into someone's windpipe.
Those without insight into the intricate backstories of Firefly might not
understand why Mal lets himself get between such adversaries, or why the crew rallies around him; to the new viewer he seems
rather brash and a tad repressed, a heavy-handed leader and
undeserving of anyone's loyalty. This deficit holds true for all of the series' familiar faces — although they have much deeper characters in the TV series, their main assignment in the movie is humor of the lowbrow variety.
This is the weakest part of the film: Although the first act
establishes the superficial relationships between the characters, it
barely scrapes the surface of the insecurities, entanglements and
complications that draw them together. Because of the time
constraints of the movie, Kaylee's crush on Simon seems shallow and
out of place; stoic Zoe's affection for the goofy Wash at times shows
a hint of the maudlin. If those names don't mean anything to you, the movie won't do much to change that. New viewers don't get the benefit of bonding with these people beforehand. Indeed, much of the enjoyment of Serenity comes from insider trivia and pent-up emotion that can only be
stored up from a marathon-viewing of the 15-hour long "prequel."
However, adventurous newcomers will be rewarded with clever dialogue, an
elegant ensemble performance and a pleasantly twisty plot. Shiny.
— Alethea Allarey (tv-dinners@diaryland.com)
