Serenity Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Painful

I lost the will to watch more after the first few cliches. I did try to get into this but I could not find anything different or anything that had an outstanding or redeeming quality.

It is a shame because I usually manage to enjoy either the storyline or some good acting or special effects which I like about a movie but sadly I found this one just too mediocre.

Phew - he didn't mess it up!

I saw the film at the final showing in Edinburgh with a non Firefly watcher. Not only did he not need to have seen it he nicked my DVD set afterwards.

There are some things newbies wouldn't know eg what Inara does. I don't think the film makes it clear - but it isn't needed so the fact newcomers won't know has absolutely no bearing on how they view the film.

I went basically hoping he hadn't screwed it up as I did enjoy the TV show - but I too loved the film. The following tries very hard to avoid any semblance of spoilers.

First - it looked like a big SF film which I wasn't expecting. Whedon does personal, he does character and he does humour. Not full on space battles. Apparently I was wrong with the latter.

I've seen pretty much all the 'blockbusters' this summer - thought some OK, some so-so, some not worth mentioning in a review of a good film *cough-Lucas*. Most looked like you could see the money on the screen. I was told the other day this was about $50m - that stunned me. Given what they do with more, this looked like more.

Whedon did well as a director - there was a very directorly long shot going round the ship which looks like a single shot (but is apparently two - still very impressive). Rarely happens in SF - too much CGI. There were small touches all through the film - the non-sequitor moves between scenes, the Reaver ship doubling up as Shelob, frame for frame I'm sure.

When you go and see films, particulary the 'bigger' ones you hope to get a good story. Maybe some good action. If you are lucky - some humour. Rarely do you get all 3 as well crafted as you do here - Whedon does character and the film was funnier than the series. Jayne is particularly well used in this regard.

And it is genuinely tense. Knowing the series is cancelled, you seriously believe, at times, anyone's (and possibly everyone's) life is up for grabs. Very very rare - normally you at least believe the 'star' will make it. Not here. Some pretty big shocks for those who get into the story as, I think, most viewers will.

The acting is fine - no standouts, everyone just seems to fit. And isn't that a good thing?

The western elements also remain strong - including the old standard of a payroll heist (curiously watching the Deadwood DVD this weekend made me think of Firefly - I think they did watch Firefly first (they certainly stole the music!) as the tenor and pace of the dialogue is quite similar.

There is more than enough action to keep fans of that particular genre happy.

For fans of the show - me, personally, I loved the attitude Whedon takes with Book's backstory - for many viewers of Firefly this was something we had hoped to see addressed.

Demerits? Remarkably few. I don't think the religion angle quite works - mainly because it isn't truly explained and I think part of the problem was it didn't really seem an issue in the series so it may work better with newbies. But it is a minor part of the script - although it is part of the characterisation for one of the new people.

And you do feel some of the cast are underused BUT given the size of the cast I think this will be more the view of fans of the series than newcomers.

Finally - I think the moment they use to seal Mal's character (ah la the kicking the guy into the engine in the series) isn't as telling or as shocking.

Overall - and I am a fan of Whedon not a fanatic and if an epi of say Buffy sucked, I said it - this has got to be one of the the best things I've seen this year.

T.V executives take note...

Fans of Firefly should breath a huge sigh of relief, Serenity is a wonderful addition to the Joss Whedon Universe. First Buffy, then Angel and now Firefly. It would appear that the man Joss Whedon can do no wrong. Unless that is, you're an American t.v. executive who doesn't know a good thing when you've got it.

Thankfully though this story has a happy ending because Firefly was given a second chance, in big screen format, and Serenity is a fantastic film which will keep most fans happy.

Whether it wins over new fans though is a different story. In these days of digital glory and Star Wars movies it's fair to say that some of the set pieces and special effects are, well, just a little bit clunky.

Joss Whedon more than makes up for this though with great characters and a dark and witty script. Something the Star Wars movies were missing for all their child like enthusiasm.

It does feel like a t.v. movie at times though and Serenity may suffer because of that simple fact. Look beyond the special effects though and then you will find yourself in a brave new world of irrisistable sci-fi. Joss Whedon has opened the door to a winning formula, lets just hope he gets to up the ante with a sequel sometime soon.

Joss Whedon announces himself as a special film maker

Joss Whedon, the small screen auteur of ground breaking shows 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel', created a third show called Firefly. It was a big hit with critics but unfortunately not its network who decided to air episodes out of order and in graveyard slots. Predictably, it was cancelled after only 11 aired episodes.

Really the story should end there. The show disappearing into the vacuum of forgotten failures. But this wasn't enough for Joss Whedon and three years later here we have 'Serenity'. A two hour $40m movie based on the series written and directed by Joss Whedon.

Don't worry if you have never seen the series, the movie is told as if it is the first time we see each character. And what characters they are. The strength of 'Firefly' is retained for 'Serenity' in its portrayal of a crew of rebels who are like a family. Able to switch between morbid and comical with little effort, the cast are unversally excellent. And in the centre stands Nathan Fillion, who puts in a magnificent performance as the bitter war veteran Captain Reynolds.

The plot follows the crew of Serenity as they carve out a living on the outer planets of a future society. The central planets are run by the 'Alliance', a sterile, joyless authority that won a war to unify all the planets under one rule. Captain Reynolds was a Sergeant on the side that had lost. And so they stay on the outer edge, pulling bank jobs, smuggling goods, anything that will keep the ship fuelled and out of Alliance reach. One of Serenity's passengers is teenage genius River Tam, hiding from the alliance after they cut into her brain and turned her into a vicious assassin; and the Alliance want her back. The movie follows the Alliance's unwavering determination to re-capture their weapon, and Reynold's determintation to keep Serenity flying.

The action scenes are kinetic and exhilarating, the humour sharp and original, and the characters rich and defined. Whedon here has delivered a perfect science fiction film, both embracing and splitting the genre, as the movie retains the show's strong western streak. If you can watch the 'Firefly' DVD's first then do. If you can't, watch 'Serenity', you'll want the DVD's afterward.

Don't believe the Hype!!!This Film is Rubbish!!

My first comment after this DVD finished was 'below average, bordering on $hite!'.

A lot of money has been spent on this movie- that much is apparent on screen- but the characters are cliched, predictable and dull. The script is more or less a re-hash of the more irritating dialogue from Buffy, and the story is akin to a bad episode of Star Trek. The acting is BAD, the special effects sequences follow the recent trend of zoom-pan, zoom-pan, so much that you have no idea what has just happened. Reading some reviews on this site, people seem to be perplexed that Firefly was cancelled. Based on this movie, it sounds like it was a crap sci-fi show in a market already saturated by mediocrity.(For anyone that doesn't know- Serenity is the movie spin-off of a cancelled TV show).Unless you are a die-hard sci-fi geek, I would give this movie a wide berth. Waterworld was better than this, heck even The Postman was better than this. There is nothing positive i can say about this movie. Don't waste your money, it will just encourage them to make another one!! In a nutshell :- Utter Garbage!!!

This is what Star Wars III SHOULD have been

I'll use few words for this: Serenity is the best film of it's kind I have had the pleaseure to see this decade.

I remember the awe I felt as a 10 year old when I watched the first Star Wars film and the disappointment of the recent trio.

Serenity is excellently written (Joss Whedon excels his high standrds), marvellously realised and combines intelligence, action and humour.

I have watched the Firefly series which introduced this world and these chracters: I can recommend that you will get even from the film if you do this - the poignency of some sences is hightened greatly.

Even without that investment of time though - watch this film.

Definitely worth a watch

If you like sci-fi, tongue-in-cheek humour, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Battlestar Galactica (the new series) or in fact just a damn good action movie - this is the film for you.

If you're a fan of the cancelled tv series 'Firefly', you're going to wet yourself...just stop reading this review and rent it, you won't be disappointed.

It doesn't take itself seriously, which is why it meets with such strong opinion both for and against. It is sci-fi, but its a different kind of sci-fi to Star Wars and Star Trek - its fun on a very base level. You don't need to have background knowledge to it, you don't need to have an interest in androids and all things manga - this is a sci-fi movie you can take your girlfriend to watch and pretty much get away with it.

But at the same time its got a detailed world theory, interesting characters and is loaded with enough action to blow your hair back for 2 hours.

If you like sci-fi to the point were you have a collection of hand drawn schematics of the starship enterprise proudly displayed on the walls of your bedroom, leave this one be, it will only frustrate you.

To everyone else - rent this movie now. Its a great 2 hour filler.

No plot no point!

Was i watching the same film as everyone who has given this film a 6 or 7 rating!

It has almost no plot or storyline I kept hopeing one would start!

Its very dull and totaly pointless sorry!

Oh dear!

A truly awful film. It was like watching a B movie. I don't know how Joss Whedon could have got this so wrong, I love Buffy and Angel, but this I can not recommend. The effects and production are great, but the acting and content is mostly awful.

Strictly for anoraks

Beware all these positive reviews. Joss Whedon has a small, diehard fanbase convinced that entertainment comes in the form of singing lesbian witches and glove-puppet vampires.

The TV version of Firefly was pulled after only a few episodes because Whedon's self-indulgent mix of cowboys and spaceships just didn't work. How it then got turned into a movie is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe.

The plot is a complicated mess. The characters are cold and unengaging - I certainly didn't care which, if any of them, made it to the end of the movie. And Whedon's typically wilder flights of fancy cry out for more restraint.

The anoraks will watch it over and over again while waiting for the release of Wonder Woman (the director's next project). Anyone with a mental age higher than fourteen would be well advised to give it a miss.