Serenity

Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Alan Tudyk, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Summer Glau, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Ron Glass
Director: Joss Whedon
Screenplay: Joss Whedon
Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi
Rated: M moderate violence
Running Time: 120 minutes

The future is worth fighting for.

Synopsis:
Five hundred years in the future mankind has colonized space, but there are no pesky aliens to worry about. Instead, Earth superpowers are playing out the same old conflicts on a larger stage. In the wake of civil war the crew of the Serenity, led by rebel soldier Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), are making ends meet by whatever means necessary. Their efforts to stay out of trouble are hindered by the presence of Simon Tam (Sean Maher), a doctor traveling with his troubled younger sister, River (Summer Glau), who is endowed with psychic abilities. River is being hunted by the Alliance, the galaxy's governing body, for what they fear she knows, and her escape is endangering everyone. Decisions both moral and practical must be made.

My Verdict:Joss Whedon's 'Firefly', a sci-fi Western with an ambitious scope, was cancelled before the end of series one. Its fans, infuriated by Fox's treatment of their darling, were not willing to leave it at that, and when DVD sales went through the roof Universal Studios came to the rescue. Now the endearingly low-tech spacecraft they call Serenity, home to a mismatched band of outlaws, takes to the skies once more.

The plot is recapped for those who came in late and certainly 'Serenity' works as a stand-alone experience. But it will probably mean more to 'Firefly' viewers, if only because of their greater affection for the characters. The story takes us a little deeper into the conflicts set up in the show and is, as Jewel Staite (who plays the ship's flirtatious mechanic, Kaylee) commented, "prettier and shinier".

'Star Trek' has dominated the sci-fi landscape for many years and we're accustomed to its ordered vision: the Federation keeping benevolent watch over the endeavours of its noble starship captains. Like 'Farscape' before it, and 'Star Wars' before it became an institution, 'Serenity' is a vision of space that's less sanitized. It's about individualism and the notion of liberty, with echoes of gunfighters, saloon girls and preachers. These are people attempting to escape authority but, as in all good Westerns, finding themselves forced to contend with a sense of their own personal responsibility.

In many ways 'Serenity' depicts the flipside of the 'Star Trek' universe. The Alliance is advanced and well meaning but controls the flow of information and ruthlessly crushes dissent. This is the perfect theme for the current political moment in America, where many people are beginning to wonder, in the wake of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, if their system is really as fair and open as they had previously been ready to believe. If 'Star Trek' can be seen as a hymn to the ideal of world government, perhaps 'Serenity' is a plea for free thinking. With the rise of blogging, podcasts and independent journalism, and given how this film itself came into being, this is very apt.

This is old-fashioned entertainment in the best possible sense. 'Serenity' doesn't have any high-priced, miscast stars hogging their requisite screen time. It's an ensemble piece and each character matters as much as the others. And although this time around Whedon has gone for a more traditional lead in Mal, a man's man in the Han Solo mold, he's still bucking stereotypes. Zoe (Gina Torres) and Wash (Alan Tudyk) are the ship's married second-in-command and pilot. She goes out and kicks ass, he stays on board and keeps things going. Meanwhile, the villain of the piece is rational, highly intelligent and even somewhat sympathetic. Chiwetel Ejiofor, recently seen here in the Knight's Tale episode of 'Canterbury Tales', is compelling as the Operative. As the mysterious River, Summer Glau uses her skills a dancer to great effect; her fight scenes are positively poetic.

The size of the cast does mean that each character has to do a lot in a little time. And some of the more subtle elements of the plot seem a little glossed over. But 'Serenity' is what we've been waiting for: a popcorn adventure to enjoy without being distracted by stupidity, clichés, boring CGI, or disturbingly fascist undertones. See this film even if just because it's a highly commercial movie that has genuine authorship. It's written and directed by a single person. This makes it, at the very least, sincere, and not a watered-down cynical rehashing by a committee of hacks and publicity experts.

If 'Serenity' makes its money back there will be at least two more installments, and I'd be willing to bet the second one will really hit its stride. Perhaps a new kind of Hollywood blockbuster is emerging. We can only hope.

Rating : ****

Briony Kidd