SERENITY

Remember the original Star Wars movies? Or Indiana Jones? Those were fun movies, movies that exhilarated, movies that suspended you in a different time and place. They weren’t deep or complex films, but they were stories in which explosions and gunfire did less to shift you forward in your seat than a genuine concern for the characters getting blown up or shot at. Serenity is like that. I probably don’t need to confess my extreme bias on this subject, but let it be known that I entered the theater already in love with the characters and the world. Nevertheless, I was apprehensive. Where was the twangy guitar in the trailer? Why all the cool, unfriendly color tones aboard ship? What was this about people dying?!

I’m happy to report that while these fears were valid, the film’s merits go above and beyond the call of duty to outweigh them. Action? Well-choreographed, meaningful. Effects? Subtle, not dependent on CGI. Writing? Up to Whedon’s smart and hilarious par. Twangy guitar, existential crisis, a feeling of true home and family aboard ship? Sadly missing, but I can see how they wouldn’t really translate into film. Well, into commercially successful film.

Ok, spoilers: WHY WASH?!?! WHY!?!?!?! Who will fly the ship? Who will wear Hawaiian shirts? Who will play with toy dinosaurs? WHO?! Killing Wash just seemed gratuitous. I mean, Book was a sad loss, but he wasn’t married to another member of the crew. What if Zoe just loses it. Argh.

Also, there seemed to be some narrative gaps. Within the space of 20 minutes, Mal went from a mean little “with me or against me” speech to the whole crew, to selflessly getting stabbed and risking everything to tell the whole human race that their government created the Reavers. It seemed like a leap within the context of the film. Those of us who know Mal know he really is a good guy who would do just that, but I’m not sure there was enough evidence in the movie.

Anyway, this movie definitely goes on my top 5, along with, um, The Incredibles, Contact, Star Wars tESB, and maybe Aladdin. It is worth more than the price of your ticket.