Small Screen, Big Screen
"Serenity", written and directed by Joss Whedon.
Not too long ago, Joss Whedon - the creator of the popular television show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - had another show on the air called "Firefly". It was a western by way of science fiction, and (due to an erratic broadcast order, some would say) it was cancelled before all of its first season episodes were aired. Like many other shows, it developed a devoted following, the series as it stood was released on DVD, and that, you might say, was that.
Universal Pictures has decided to gamble on "Serenity", a feature film version of the show directed by its creator. Mr. Whedon insisted on retaining all of the cast members, and from what I've heard from fans, the film fits well in the program's narrative continuity. Happily, though, it's not a film that preaches exclusively to the converted.
The plot focuses on River (Summer Glau), a 18-year-old being conditioned by the Alliance, a passive-agressive version of the Empire in "Star Wars". Much like her doppleganger Buffy, she has extrodinary fighting abilites, but it's her psychic powers that interest The Alliance the most -- River may contain information that would be incriminating to them. Her brother Simon Tam (Sean Maher) rescues her from their brainwashing, and as the film begins, they're passengers aboard the good ship Serenity.
The crew - Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillin), his right hand woman Zoe (Gina Torres), her pilot husband Wash (Alan Tudyk), the Willow-like mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite), and hotheaded lunk Jayne (Adam Baldwin) - make their living by pulling small heists here and there, Butch-and-Sundance-style, on the less developed planets. In addition to the usual hazards of larceny, these areas are also rife with the Reivers, savage cannibals who rape and devour their victims alive.
Like Han Solo, Malcolm is not too concerned with the political repercussions of his choice of passengers. He mainly sees River as a sort of living Fuzzbuster, potentially able to warn them of danger. However, his crew is starting to chafe with the closeness of space travel. The ship needs repairs, everyone is broke, and Kaylee is bluntly in need of shore leave. The mood of the Serenity is anything but.
Unfortunately, the procedures that River has been subjected to have left her unstable, and she begins to have unpredictable, violent episodes. This, coupled with the pursuit of The Operative, an assassin sent by The Alliance to recover her and destroy her comrades, keeps the Serenity in a escalating squeeze play through the rest of the film.
"Serenity" doesn't quite free itself from its television origins as successfully as, say, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" or "The Fugitive". There's a lot of characters and plot to set up, and the first half hour is weighted with talky exposition. While the dialogue is snappy, the abundance of one-liners leaves the characters sounding anachronistic (most of the folksy flourishes sound awkward), and very similar to one another. Perhaps due to their premature cancellation, the performers haven't yet developed the vivid personality contrasts that can make an ensemble so much fun. There's an estranged love interest for the captain (Inara, played by Morena Baccarin), but she has little to do aside from joining the cast for a sequel.
Things pick up in the second half, though, once the set-up is out of the way and we can get to the space battles and hand-to hand combat. The action sequences are a bit choppy, but they are brisk and have a nice sense of scale to them without being overwheming. It's good B-movie pulp, with nice pacing and a welcome willingness to put its characters at risk. When it counts the most, the film draws you in and makes you care.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay in "Serenity's" universe. Whether future movies or a "Family Guy"-style television resurrection is at hand remains to be seen.
Not too long ago, Joss Whedon - the creator of the popular television show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - had another show on the air called "Firefly". It was a western by way of science fiction, and (due to an erratic broadcast order, some would say) it was cancelled before all of its first season episodes were aired. Like many other shows, it developed a devoted following, the series as it stood was released on DVD, and that, you might say, was that.
Universal Pictures has decided to gamble on "Serenity", a feature film version of the show directed by its creator. Mr. Whedon insisted on retaining all of the cast members, and from what I've heard from fans, the film fits well in the program's narrative continuity. Happily, though, it's not a film that preaches exclusively to the converted.
The plot focuses on River (Summer Glau), a 18-year-old being conditioned by the Alliance, a passive-agressive version of the Empire in "Star Wars". Much like her doppleganger Buffy, she has extrodinary fighting abilites, but it's her psychic powers that interest The Alliance the most -- River may contain information that would be incriminating to them. Her brother Simon Tam (Sean Maher) rescues her from their brainwashing, and as the film begins, they're passengers aboard the good ship Serenity.
The crew - Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillin), his right hand woman Zoe (Gina Torres), her pilot husband Wash (Alan Tudyk), the Willow-like mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite), and hotheaded lunk Jayne (Adam Baldwin) - make their living by pulling small heists here and there, Butch-and-Sundance-style, on the less developed planets. In addition to the usual hazards of larceny, these areas are also rife with the Reivers, savage cannibals who rape and devour their victims alive.
Like Han Solo, Malcolm is not too concerned with the political repercussions of his choice of passengers. He mainly sees River as a sort of living Fuzzbuster, potentially able to warn them of danger. However, his crew is starting to chafe with the closeness of space travel. The ship needs repairs, everyone is broke, and Kaylee is bluntly in need of shore leave. The mood of the Serenity is anything but.
Unfortunately, the procedures that River has been subjected to have left her unstable, and she begins to have unpredictable, violent episodes. This, coupled with the pursuit of The Operative, an assassin sent by The Alliance to recover her and destroy her comrades, keeps the Serenity in a escalating squeeze play through the rest of the film.
"Serenity" doesn't quite free itself from its television origins as successfully as, say, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" or "The Fugitive". There's a lot of characters and plot to set up, and the first half hour is weighted with talky exposition. While the dialogue is snappy, the abundance of one-liners leaves the characters sounding anachronistic (most of the folksy flourishes sound awkward), and very similar to one another. Perhaps due to their premature cancellation, the performers haven't yet developed the vivid personality contrasts that can make an ensemble so much fun. There's an estranged love interest for the captain (Inara, played by Morena Baccarin), but she has little to do aside from joining the cast for a sequel.
Things pick up in the second half, though, once the set-up is out of the way and we can get to the space battles and hand-to hand combat. The action sequences are a bit choppy, but they are brisk and have a nice sense of scale to them without being overwheming. It's good B-movie pulp, with nice pacing and a welcome willingness to put its characters at risk. When it counts the most, the film draws you in and makes you care.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay in "Serenity's" universe. Whether future movies or a "Family Guy"-style television resurrection is at hand remains to be seen.
