Right off the bat let me confess something: I am a browncoat. For those of you who are uninitiated, that means I’m a fan of the television series “Firefly”, which is the series this film has sprung from. I’ve been a fan since, oh, July. So in the grand scheme of things, I’m a Johnny Come Lately to this TV series, which had a brief run on the Fox network in the late months of 2002. I remember watching one episode while unpacking boxes after I first moved to Madison (and, yes, most of those boxes did contain DVDs). I liked that episode, and then promptly forgot about it till hearing that they were making a show that lasted only fourteen episodes (only eleven of which were actually televised) into a major motion picture. The only other times a cancelled TV show has made the leap to the big screen were a) “Star Trek” and b) “Police Squad”, which became the movie “The Naked Gun”. So this whole phenomenon is not unprecedented, but it is rare. I guess that has something to do with the pedigree of the man who created the series, and wrote and directed this film: Joss Whedon. Joss made the “Buffy” and “Angel” shows (which you probably already know) and I was not a gigantic fan of either of those series. But when I started watching “Firefly”, I really loved it. I connected instantly with the characters and I really dug the whole universe that Whedon created for the show (and this movie). Also, unlike “Buffy” and “Angel”, this show had barely any cheese in it.
Why do I mention all this? Two reasons. First of all, I would just like to reiterate what a geek I truly am. I waited in line for a midnight screening of a film based on a sci-fi series that only lasted eleven televised episodes and I didn’t get into that show until buying it (having only seen one episode) on DVD. (I think we can all agree that’s pretty geeky, and not very logical.) Second of all, I already liked the “Firefly/ Serenity” universe. I already cared about these characters and dug these fictional stomping grounds. I guess what I’m trying to say is this: I’m probably not the least biased of reviewers.
For all the non-browncoats out there, here’s the basic idea of “Serenity”. It’s five hundred years in the future and the human race has outgrown Earth. We’ve moved on to a completely different galaxy, terra-formed the planets and moons therein, and established a new solar system and a new government known as The Alliance, which controls and regulates pretty much everything on these planets. On the edge of this solar system, roving like a pack of hungry wolves, are a race of bloodthirsty cannibals known as Reavers. According to legend, the Reavers were men who went mad at the edge of space. A few years back, The Alliance was challenged by a faction known as The Independents (otherwise known as The Browncoats) who were basically like The Confederacy without the slave-owning. The Browncoats lost and now one of them, a captain by the name of Malcolm Reynolds, cruises the cosmos under the Alliance radar doing odd and mostly illegal jobs. Along the line he has picked up two fugitives that the Alliance is quite keen on recapturing: a telepathic, spooky girl named River Tam (Summer Glau) and her doctor brother Simon (Sean Maher). A new Alliance operative (Chiwetel Eijiofor, who really should choose a stage name) has taken on the task of tracking River down as the movie opens. For the rest of the film, Mal (the charismatic Nathan Fillion) and his crew of brigands are doing their best to defend River from this assassin and discover what, exactly, the government is so eager to kill her for.
I’ve seen this movie twice already and while I did love the show, I think I love this movie more. Without knowing anything about the “Firefly” universe, you should come to love the main characters within the first fifteen minutes. They’re just good, well-written characters that are tremendously easy to like. Hell, even the film’s psychopath is a character you appreciate and want to know more about. He’s got more dimensions than the average cinematic psycho. So when the shit starts hitting the fan about halfway through and the characters get placed in jeopardy, it puts you on the edge of your seat. The best science fiction remembers that it’s a compelling plot and good characters that make for great entertainment, and “Serenity” is brilliant in that regard. The special effects are often not up to “Star Wars” caliber, but I guarantee you won’t even give a shit. The whole government conspiracy plot plays out magnificently, and these are characters I am happy to follow to the ends of the universe, characters whose perils put me through the wringer. In fact, I hope this film does well. It left me wanting more. In that regard, it reminds me of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. And, like that trilogy, “Serenity” succeeds because its characters are not scientists or high-minded military men exploring a new frontier: they’re outlaws taking whatever job they can get to keep food on the table and gas in the tanks. And when people like this find something worth fighting for and decide to risk everything for something noble…well, that’s pretty damned interesting, as far as I’m concerned.
I love the plot and I love the characters, and both combine to make this one of the most emotionally wrenching and suspenseful films I’ve seen in a long, long time. It’s a lesson more hollow Hollywood blockbusters would do well to learn. The film has a gritty, lived-in look that reminded me of the “Alien” films. It’s not one of those sci-fi films where everything looks pristine and new. Also, every member of the cast (none of them are all that well known) give everything they’ve got to these roles. This is clearly a labor of love for the actors as well as the crew, and that love spills over into the audience. In my opinion, this is the best, non-“Star Wars”, science fiction film since “The
Matrix”, and it’s definitely one of the most fun EVER. Unlike most sci-fi, the “Firefly” universe has a simple, human message and a lot of heart behind it. That is what ultimately distinguishes the film and the series. And the movie never feels like just a long episode of the show. It is epic both in idea and plot (and in terms of scope).
I don’t know if the average viewer will appreciate it, but a couple of the people I convinced to go along with me loved this movie, and they’d only seen bits and pieces of the original show. An appreciation of the show might add some depth to the movie, but it’s far from mandatory. The film does a great job of setting everything you need to know up within the first five minutes, and investing you emotionally in the characters in the ten minutes shortly thereafter. After that, I’m fairly confident that everyone in the audience will be sucked in as efficiently as I was. All things aside, this is simply a damn good movie. Joss Whedon has never done anything better.
This year has been short on movies that I’ve legitimately loved, but I really loved this one. Give it a chance. You might love it too.
