Number Rolled: 93
Movie Name/Year: Serenity
(2005)
Genre: Sci-Fi
& Fantasy
Length: 118
minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Joss
Whedon
Writer: Joss
Whedon
Actors: Nathan
Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morna Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite,
Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz, Michael
Hitchcock, Sarah Paulson, Yan Feldman, Rafael Feldman, Nectar Rose, Tamara
Taylor, Glenn Howerton, Hunter Ansley Wryn
Normally, I would start my entry off with a couple sentence
description of the beginning of the movie. Maybe make a mention of the main
character or an actor within it. Serenity doesn’t need that kind of
introduction. It’s a fair belief that if you are part of the geek culture
(especially revolving around sci-fi), you know that this movie is what was
meant to tie up the loose ends of a canceled series called, “Firefly.” It’s a
show that lasted only one season and has more followers than many of the shows
that are still airing today.
Serenity is the saddest movie I have ever seen.
I don’t mean the ending or what leads up to it. Nor am I
indicating that the script or plot held a sad tone. It’s what the movie
represents that moves me. This film shows, at a very deep level, what Firefly
could have evolved into.
Television shows go through a kind of evolution. Think about
your favorite complete series of all time; whether it’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,”
“Lost,” “Heroes,” “30 Rock,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “MacGyver” or anything else
doesn’t matter. How would you feel if you watched the very first episode of the
show directly before watching the very last? Would it even seem like the same
series? Would you be able to believe that the air-head blonde Buffy in the
pilot was the same as the broken-down seasoned warrior in the final episode,
without knowing what got her there?
Firefly was a brilliant show that had everything it needed
to get its characters from where they started to a final product that we will
never see. That’s why people aren’t willing to let go of this one season series
that could have been more. In Serenity we see how far these characters could go
and how much further they have left to travel. Fanfic aside, they’ll be
traveling without us.
That is why Serenity is so sad to me. It’s like someone gave
me a book, let me start the first chapter then tore it out of my hands and let
me read the middle of the next book. Aside from the fact that if someone did
that to me in real life I’d likely bite them, it’s almost cruel. We geeks get
attached to our characters. We empathize with them. When they die, we cry. When
they succeed, we cheer. When the TV goes off, we write fan-fiction and make
pictures on tumblr, just to get them to stick around. We look for philosophy
between the lines of characters that probably weren’t written with philosophy
in mind. We publish books about those philosophies. Here we are handed Mal, Zoë,
Wash, Inara, Jayne, Kaylee, Simon, River and Shepherd; all characters that are
highly relatable, that have in depth independent storylines that brought them
together. We made friends with them as we traveled on their Firefly ship
through the galaxy, until they left us behind. The worst part is, I don’t think
any of us really understand why.
Emotion aside, the movie’s really
good. Attention to detail is spectacular – right down to the blown blood
vessels that can appear in an eye that’s been punched. The script was like an
episode of Firefly only better. And, of course, it’s Joss Whedon, which means
anyone can die at any time from the moment the movie starts to after the
credits roll, leaving you wincing anytime someone takes a hit because you
wonder if that’ll be it.
Long live Firefly… if only in our hearts.
Overall Opinion – 5/5
