I am not a ‘series/sitcom’ man. But this movie made me watch Firefly TV Series.
Serenity is a science fiction/ fantasy movie writen and directed by 
Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the TV series Firefly which was canceled after the first season and takes place some two months after the final episode. The story revolves around the Capt. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and the crew of the ship “Serenity” (hence, the name). The captain and his first mates are the survivors of the inter-planetary war having fought for the independents and now survive on petty thievery. His crew consists of his second-in-command, Zoe (Gina Torres); her husband and the ship’s pilot, Wash (Alan Tudyk); Kaylee (Jewel Staite), an engineer, and Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a tough-talking bruiser. The movie is essentially about Captain Mal and his crew.
The history is pretty interesting. As humans became too many to inhabit planet Earth, they left in search for other planets and solar systems. Another planetary system was finally found which was ‘terraformed’ to make it habitable. The inner planets, known as the ‘core’ planets were a beckon of civilization, developed and prospering. The outer planets were, however, less civilized. Soon, the core planets unified to form the ‘Alliance ‘. This Alliance, a coalition of the two super-powers existing then, the US and China, attacked any nation that wished to maintain its independence. The Alliance was obviously victorious with the survivors from the independents drifting towards the outer planets.
In such a universe, Capt. Mal, who volunteered for the Independents, survives doing small jobs here and there. They also ferry people in what would be a very cheap mode of transport. During one such trip, they picked up River Tam (Summer Glau) and Simon Tam (Sean Maher) , her brother. River, we come to know is a psychic genius whose abilities were not really explored in the Firefly series. They also picked up Shepherd Book, a preacher whose mysterious past was not discussed in the series. He now resides in the Planet Haven.
This introduction would be enough for the understanding of the premise of Serenity. The movie begins with how Simon Tam, a brilliant doctor, rescues River. Being a psychic, the Alliance toyed around with her brain making her a super-weapon and a killing machine of sorts. The Alliance’s pursuit of River acts as the film’s motive. They send an operative, a believer in the cause, ruthless and intelligent, to track down Simon and River. Though, River isn’t initially a problem, her instability creates tension amongst the crew members, adding to the generally tense situation.
As I mentioned before, this movie is a continuation of the Firefly series, a film for the fans. An introduction to the series does help. The characters make more sense, the situations become understandable. However, that does not mean that the movie does not work as a separate entity.
First and foremost, this is an adventure, a ‘space-western’ of sorts. The characters are interesting and have depth, their behaviour being credible and realistic. The moral conflicts are complex and engaging, making the characters very well drawn indeed.
It fast paced and an engaging adventure. The story proceeds at break-neck speed but that doesn’t hinder the narration. It is smooth and there is ample scope for character development. This, however, doesn’t come at the cost of the entertainment value. There is a liberal dose of humour put in for good measure which doesn’t seem out of place at all. Credit to the director.
Visually, the movie is pretty good, though not in the same league as Star Wars. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. It leaves a lot of time for interaction between the characters and helps the narration as well. And unlike the usual science fiction or adventure movies, this one doesn’t just jump from one action sequence to another. That said, the film features plenty of exciting action and fight sequences. But blended with interesting and believable narrative.
Mal, the captain, is more compassionate than what it seems. He puts his crew before anything else, has his own principles and ideals and is not afraid of danger. Heck, he would do something just cause it is more dangerous! But he has this resigned feeling, as though there is no hope. Fillion gives a good performance, more convincing that the series.
But what gives this movie an aedge is the role of the Operative played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. He is as interesting as villians get, intelligent, cunning and ruthless. Using his wits more often than power and muscle, he makes the conflict more interestsing. As I said before, he is a believer, giving his single minded approach a complexity not seen in the usual villains.
I am not a ‘series/sitcom’ man. But this movie made me want to watch Firefly TV Series. It was that entertaining. It has everything the Series gave us, and more. Si-fi fans should have a blast. Firefly fans should have a blast.
And if you are a fan of good action/adventure movies, you will have a blast as well.
Cheers
Jais
PS: Though not a prerequisite, an introduction to the firefly world does help in the understanding of the movie. Of course, one has to remember that this is a movie for the the fans.
