47- Serenity review

When TV shows get cancelled, they’re finished. Joss Whedon’s Firefly lasted all of 14 episodes in 2002, given the axe due to abysmal ratings. It must say something for the short lived series that it inspired a fan base that was hardcore enough to provide a reason for a $40 million dollar movie, replete with space ships, laser fights, and dimly lit interiors. The Naked Gun(1987) was also made from a brief TV series, but cost a fourth as much. Does Serenity live up to its pedigree?

Maybe. I can’t say for sure, because I never saw an episode. Firefly was somewhat accurately described by a friend as the type of show which would get a child dunked into the pool for talking about, so it was never high on my list of things to see. However, if the film is any indication, the series was quite good, taking us on a wildly fun trip without reducing itself to blockbuster mediocrity or lowest common denominator writing. Whedon never lets the ride get boring, and saves the best for last.

We follow the bold adventures of Captain Malcom Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), who commands a cargo ship aptly named Serenity. A vicious civil war tore half of the galaxy apart, with Reynolds on the losing side. He reminds us of those Confederate rebels who fought for months after the war was over, and even then never really allowed the conflict to die inside themselves. Reynolds colorful crew contains a woman who was unknowingly turned into a living weapon, and finds himself at the wrong end of a massive galactic pursuit.

Serenity may have had an advantage in that the characters were already developed. When we are introduced to the ship’s crew, it comes across as more of a re-introduction, as their personality quirks and relationships play out naturally, lacking the need of bold dialogue and movements that painstakingly spell out the space each character occupies. It might be tricky for some to pick up on, but it works, and few will have questions after the film.

Nathan Fillion’s steals the show as Reynolds, a hero that could be accurately described as 80% Han Solo, 20% Jack Bauer. He shoots unarmed men, steals, cracks wise at inappropriate moments, and demands absolute loyalty to his ship. Reynolds also cares about the lives of those around him, only fires when necessary, and goes above and beyond to do what is right. Fillion shows serious potential as a sympathetic swashbuckling action hero, something mainstream Hollywood has failed to produce since Harrison Ford started cashing Social Security checks.

George Lucas’ original Star Wars films were vastly superior to Serenity, but Whedon’s film provides us with many of the thrills that Lucas’ new films came up dry on. Dozens of spaceships trade laser blasts, futuristic desperados have quick draw contests, good and evil settle their differences with fist fights, the effects aren’t cartoonish, the jokes are funny, and we care about what happens. If Serenity represents the future of the space western, then we have little to fear.

4 out of 5