Serenity (2005) [Blu-ray]

Have you ever started a fabulous book, engaging, well-written, and then have it disappear before you could finish reading it? The cancellation of Firefly, an incredible series, was one of the most frustrating and cruel decisions ever made by network. Fabulous acting, great stories, many questions unanswered - and then the rug pulled out before they were finished. But because the fans demanded it, eventually Whedon's miracle arrived, and a movie was made. We could attribute this to the powers of love and belief, both explicit themes in the movie. A movie is not the same as a television series. A movie needs more scope, so instead of the ragtag group of individuals trying to scavenge a living and survive without being detected, which was part of the charm of the series, we get to watch them fighting, essentially, two armies. Devoted fans may also not need some of the exposition. Some little things that I love about both the series and the movie is the use of language. The dialogue is fantastic: witty, funny, sometimes very apt. Whedon, like Humpty-Dumpty, is a master of the words he uses, bending them to his will. There's "shiny" and "companion" and "nethers". And perhaps, my favorite, the use of the word "'verse" to mean "universe" - but which of course also has the poetical meaning of the story. Not all the threads left hanging from the series are tied up, but many of them are. We learn a lot more about River. We resolve the relationship between Simon and Kaylee. Mal recovers his belief system. We have a more sensible explanation for Reavers. We don't get the background on Inara or Shepherd Book, but at least with the latter he says he's not going to give his life story. The movie starts and ends with discussions of love. We first learn the love that Simon has for his sister, recognized by, of all people, the movie's main antagonist, the nameless operative. The nameless operative also understands the power of belief. The operative is therefore in a better position than Mal at the movie's beginning. However, the operative is too committed to unquestioning belief and because of this he does things that he admits make him a monster. Mal, during the movie, also learns to believe again - but his commitment to this is based on a more thorough investigation. There's a wonderful exchange, in which the nameless operative asks Mal if he is ready to die for his beliefs. Mal says, "Yes - but that ain't exactly Plan A." I do have some quibbles. Jewel Staite lost the 20 lbs that she gained for her original stint as Kaylee. Perhaps she's more beautiful without the 20 lbs, but she no longer feels like Kaylee. And although I can imagine Kaylee and Simon getting together - they're both good people - they really don't feel like a good match. Also, there seems to be no resolution to Jayne's story. He finally gets to be considered a genuine hero and perhaps that should have been acknowledged. Nevertheless a wonderful movie and a tribute to the faith of the fans and Firefly's creators.

Sci-Fi, Western, drama, comedy, action-adventure, space opera, whatever you want to call it, this film is all heart. The characters are quickly outlined and filled in, brought to life in their interactions with each other and the breakneck pace of the plot. If it feels a bit rushed compared to most films, that is only because this movie has so much more to say. This movie is not about space, politics, or good and evil, it is about people. An unusually large cast of "main characters" is quickly and adeptly introduced to you, each of which is endearing in their own peculiar way. A doctor with endless devotion to his sister, a mechanic with an unstoppable sunny disposition, a quirky and somewhat goofy pilot, a caring and wise religious man, a mildly dimwitted yet powerful mercenary, the doctor's tortured and talented young sister, an unfailingly loyal first mate, a stunning and adoring companion, and the rugged realist who captains them all in their attempts to carve out a life for themselves on the edge of civilization. The companion is actually a prostitute, and yet somehow she is the only character with any real social status and respectability in society. And it doesn't bother you or seem quaint. In the amazing world that has been created here, it just seems normal. That being said, so interested in every aspect of the "verse" due to brilliant and witty dialogue sprinkled over a deep and involving plot, I could have easily sat for another two hours if they had chosen to dig deeper into this world. I swear I thought the whole thing lasted only 40 minutes. The world Mr. Whedon has created is teeming with depth and completeness that draws you in quickly, and seems tangible from the first scene. As the plot unfolds and the action sets in, the interactions between the characters are engaging and brief, but much like old friends you haven't seen in awhile, you immediately understand where they are coming from and the intricacies and depths of their relationships to each other. These relationships serve not only to illustrate the story and decisions they face, but they actually drive it forward and add great depth to the conflicts unfolding on screen. As varied a crew as they are, they seem at home with each other and so real you'd think you might run into them at the shopping mall or grocery store. There is a heartfelt sincerity and love that is exuding from the experience of this film, and I consider myself lucky to have caught it at the end of its run in the theatres. On a Sunday afternoon, with a rather old crowd and about a half-full theatre, the audience actually stood up and applauded this film when it finished. A sixty year old woman walked out with tears in her eyes, and I myself actually had trouble driving all the way home, so many thoughts about family and friends were racing through my head. This film is all heart. If you have a heart, you should buy it.

I’m happy to own this on BR now. I had it on dvd many years ago, but lost it during a move. The 4K uhd was so beautiful. It’s nice having all the formats depending on where I am and what I’m doing. You can’t go wrong with this set.

All Firefly fans must see this. It's the sequel to the TV show, most likely the only one we're going to get. It expands upon some of the characters' back stories that we didn't get much of in the show, especially River. The bad thing is, it only gives just enough on some of them to keep you hooked- it still leaves things unexplained, such as Shepherd Book's whole history. Very little about him was told in the show, same here. Oh well, at least we get to finally see the Reavers, and they don't paint a pretty picture. The Blu-ray has several extras that explain the whole story about the Alliance and those who refused to join, which led to the war that Malcolm and Zoe fought in. Takes awhile to go through all that, but it's worth it. One scene in particular will make you wonder why the Serenity never had weapons mounted on it before now. Anyway, great movie.

I don't want to give too much away because this is the type of movie that is better enjoyed not knowing what's to come so I will try and keep this a very general review and set up the premise. This movie had me literally enthralled from the opening scene to the last image on screen. The story had something for everyone, scares, screams, laughter and intrigue. In some cases you were laughing one second and gasping a second later. The characters are richly written and you really feel connected to each and everyone of them, including the assassin! The lead characters, Mal & River, are two totally different people but caught up in the same web by the overly controlling alliance government. River, a teenage girl, was falsely lured away from her family to attend a school for "gifted" children. But it was a cover for the government to use children with psychic abilities, enhance those natural gifts and use them for their own purposes. River's brother, realizes something isn't right and rescues his sister and they end up on Mal's ship named Serenity. Mal is a soldier who fought against the Alliance but was on the losing side and has made every efforts to live on the outskirts of civilization. But, he feels an obligation to protect River and fight the Alliance assassin that has been sent to hunt her down and kill her. Every character in this movie is interesting and fun to watch. If you are a fan of the series, you'll already be familiar with the crew of Serenity but you do not need to have seen the series to enjoy this movie. Joss Whedon does an excellent job of introducing the characters in the beginning of the movie and getting on with a roller coaster of a story. The villain is one of the best villains I've ever seen in a movie and if there ever is a sequel they could probably spin off something with this guy alone (but I hope not because I want more of the crew of Serenity). I highly recommend this movie. I'm a huge sci-fi buff and I've seen all the Trek movies and all the Star Wars movies but this one, in my opinion, is the next level of sci-fi entertainment. Star Wars was a great franchise and really introduced the world to fantastic big screen adventures and Star Trek took a beloved TV show to the big screen and it was a joy to see but Serenity is the best of both these worlds and manages to be that big screen sci-fi adventure that is richly character driven and a blast to experience.

After finishing the series I was eager to get more and more of the shows elegance and fun loving crew onto my TV. After the first watch through I'd say I was surprisingly unimpressed. Not with the quality of the movie and the amazingly spiced up special effects that such a Hollywood budget was given to Joss Whedon for his finale romp through the black. I was more unimpressed with the whole ending of it all. I'm still unclear as how this movie holds out alone and thats probably why it didn't get the numbers the execs wanted, but the movie with the show is an exceptional piece of sci fi all worth the small amount it's been on our radar. ***SPOILER*** It truly does have a finally and an ending, especially when some key characters are no longer with us. That's the part that really irked me. As if and yes we all knew, Joss including more than anyone that there'll be no more Firefly, hence Serenity was the truthful end. That was the part that just made me unsettled. The movie it self has a well thought out premise and defiantly leads you in with learning more about the Firefly history. The last tid bit of the film does feel rushed, like I stated people just start falling down left an right. I am understanding the reasoning behind it, the peril that they where against is truly imminent and the notion that the crew was getting picked off like fleas made the action and the situation that much more real. I'd love to see a continuation of the Firefly series, perhaps with a different crew or a new method, but then again a new crew probably would grasp me into this universe as much as the true crew has done. That's what made me love this series, the people and their interactions. How everyone does play a role, whether small like a machinist or large like a captain. All pieces of the story are fun and awesome to watch. I do love that this was a show and a movie combined that I was able to experience. It's a great show and a great story.

A great wrap up to the Firefly series too bad it didn't go on much longer

"Serenity" works on so many levels, and fails on so few, it's a shame the public didn't absolutely fall in love with Joss Whedon's wholly original yet comfortably derivative universe. Comparisons to "Star Wars" are valid, in that George Lucas took several, infinitely familiar themes, scenarios and characters, and combined them into a creation clearly his own. That's what you get here. The argument whether or not you need to see the TV series before is moot: if you haven't yet seen it, you will desperately want to after seeing this movie. The characters are simply a delight to watch interact with each other. Nathan Fillion, as the leader of the band, Mal Reynolds, is one of the great, recent heroes of filmdom. He's got the gravitas, the humor, the physicality...he's the real deal. The supporting cast is so good, you wish the movie was longer, but THAT'S why you'll go back to the DVD box of the TV show. You will love spending more time with these guys... ...yes, most of them (in this film) are carefully drawn with a few lines and scenes; they don't have the depth they displayed during the series...but they CAN'T in under two hours. Believe me...the actress playing Inora "the companion" (Morena Baccarin)is one of the most startlingly beautiful actresses I've ever seen. She's given a criminally small amount of screen time and should have been a bigger part of this film. Just because I wanted to see more of her. The brief scenes between her and Fillion just beg for more time... Much has been made about some of the tragedy being less significant if you haven't seen the preceding TV series. I wouldn't make too much about that point. Again, comparing this to "Star Wars", the death of Obi-Wan has more resonance now than it did when only the first film existed, but it still worked in that first film. But I'm being selfish...Whedon's film serves the story, and serves it well. He also tidies up many of the over-arching plot themes from the TV show, but not so much that he doesn't leave us begging for more. That's quite the high-wire, tightrope balancing act. The sinister Alliance, the impossibly nightmarish Reavers and that relentless, sword-carrying automaton combine to form a genuinely terrifying set of "bad guys". The action scenes are marvelous. There are fights and stunts that, by necessity, you've seen before (the cinematic Rolodex inside your head will start clicking off recollections of "Aliens", "Raiders"...), and then they tweak them in ways you would have never imagined. The chase scenes in space are breathtaking. I loved the punctuating silences as opposed to the expected bombastic whooshes and crashes. The terrestrial hovercraft chase is a model of how things like this should be done. The "airplane crash" scene is a pleasant torture to sit through. There are small things, like Fillion's makeup near the end of the film. that add enormously to the movie. He looks like he got the crap beat out of him. Not because there were huge welts and dramatic bruises and blood-spattered clothing. It was all artful makeup and one disturbing contact lens. And of course, some phenomenal acting... There's one short scene, where one character says nothing but "yes" over and over again, and another character says "no" in response, as both are staring out a windshield. We as the audience do not have to see what's going on, to completely understand what exactly is happening out that window. It's a brilliant bit of writing and acting. A few pointers for those new to the Firefly Universe. Yes, they occasionally lapse into untranslated Chinese. English and Chinese are the two dominant languages in the future, and believe me, what they say needs no translation. Yes, they use a combination of old-fashioned weapons (six-guns) and sci-fi "ray guns", but it all works. Yes, a lot of this looks like the old West, but the frontier of a "terraformed" system of planets may look exactly like that. There's really not a weak moment in the film. This is the first film in a long time where I had an all-consuming desire to watch it again. Right away. This is a most impressive creation by Joss Whedon, and it would truly be a shame if this were to be the last we ever see of the Serenity crew.