Serenity (2005)

Serenity is the eagerly awaited film by devoted fans of the cancelled TV show Firefly, who incidentally call themselves browncoats, but you don't have to be a browncoat to enjoy this science fiction romp.

That said it should be noted that while one doesn't have to be familiar with the TV show to understand the film it does help in that one will have a better appreciation for the background of the film's world.

Basically, it takes place roughly five hundred years from now in another solar system terraformed and colonized by humanity. The story follows the adventures of a crewmembers and passengers who eke out a living as smugglers on board a freighter ship called Serenity while trying to avoid the Alliance's eyes. The Alliance is the authoritarian governing body that runs this system comprised of dozens if not hundreds of habitable worlds. The inner worlds which were first colonized have the latest in technology, resources and culture, think of it as the U.S. today, while the outer worlds are today's poorer nations with limited technology and resources and the basic look of these outer worlds are a bizarre mesh of Old West and Asian cultures. It's not unusual to see characters dressed like cowboys riding horses through dusty Western-type towns that show signs with Asian script while spaceships fly overhead. It can be jarring for some to watch and not easily explained which could explain why the Fox network quickly canceled the show after fourteen episodes. Nonetheless, Firefly built up an intense cult following not seen since the early Star Trek shows and DVD sales were strong enough for Universal Pictures to greenlight a follow-up film.

This film, written and directed by the show's creator Joss Whedon, takes place a few months after the last episode and reunites the entire original cast. The film stays faithful to the show's characters and situations while expanding the thematic world as well. What helps with the expansion are the impressive special effects that for the most part work. One appreciates them more when it's realized that the film only cost $39 million. But despite that what works the most are the attention to the characters. What's interesting about this is that the characters are basically the same people from the show but there are subtle differences that would be appreciated if one is familiar with the show.

For starters, a couple of characters Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin) and Shepard Book (Ron Glass) aren't on the ship anymore having both gone off to pursue other paths. Crewmembers Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) and Zoe Alleyne (Gina Torres) are more critical of their leader while Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite) is noticeably thinner from the hard life they've been experiencing. But the most notable difference is seen in the main character Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) who is slightly darker; more embittered which harkens back to his original presentation in the show's pilot episode. In this film, Reynolds goes through a personal journey where he becomes better able to recover his faith that he lost during a war against the Alliance. This reawakening is intertwined with the film's main story that picks up one of the show's plot threads.

The Alliance is after teenage fugitive River Tam (Summer Glau) who was once subjected to clandestine experiments that turned her into a psychic super soldier but left her insane. This time the Alliance sends a philosophical agent known only as the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to track her down and eliminate her. This Operative is exceptionally refined and brutal and won't stop at anything to find his prey. Ejiofor's performance is one of the best in the film and the character is one of the more complex villains ever seen on film.

River and her brother Dr. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) are still hiding out in Mal's ship, but tensions on board run high due to her unpredictable behavior. During one of her psychotic episodes it's discovered that she holds hidden knowledge about an abandoned world called Miranda. This and the Operative's attempts to capture Summer sends the ship's crew to the dangerous borders of known space to find out about Miranda with the Operative and the Alliance in hot pursuit.

It turns out that the mystery behind Miranda involves the machinations of the Alliance which they would like to keep quiet because public knowledge of Miranda could turn the populace against the Alliance. This is why the Operative is so intent on finding River since he is slavishly devoted to the Alliance and will do anything to protect it. The Miranda mystery also ties in with the show's other villains, the savage and cannibalistic Reavers. For the first time, we're shown what they look like, as well as their backstory and it's all terrifying.

What works for the film is that the complexities of the plotline aren't overwhelming and are fairly easy to follow. But as stated before the heart of the film are the characters which are well portrayed, defined, and grounded. The actors know their parts intimately and it shows, as does Whedon who gives each character a moment to shine (which gives Baldwin and Alan Tudyk's Wash some of the funniest lines in the film). Like any good story, the characters here are allowed to grow and change. Also there is enough humor that doesn't go overboard to balance out the story and keep it from becoming too maudlin.

The film doesn't try to resolve every plot thread from the show, in fact some are kept vague which leaves one wanting to know more about the characters and what happens next, which is always a good sign (though a sequel is unlikely due to poor box office results). Serenity is worth checking out on DVD or cable since, Browncoat enthusiasm aside; it is one of the most well realized science fiction films ever made that can be enjoyed by most. Who knows? It may leave some wanting to find out more about this fantastic 'verse, which can be done by seeing the show itself.

J.L. Soto