Serenity is the 2005 movie that serves as a finale to the short-lived but awesome (and very much screwed over by FOX) series, Firefly. The movie stars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, AB, and Summer Glau, reprising their roles from the TV series. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sarah Paulson join the cast for the movie. If you have not seen the series Firefly, you should do so before watching this. When I first saw this in the theater I had not watched the TV series, so it did not make as much sense and the moments that were supposed to have an emotional impact just did not have as much of one since I had not experienced the character development from the show. Most people reading this will likely have already seen the series, but for those who have not, it was originally a show on FOX, that the network totally screwed over by airing episodes out of order and changing when it was aired so it could never gain a foothold. Then it was canceled basically without warning.
The movie basically wraps up the series to show where the story would have ultimately gone had the show not been canceled. The movie begins with River (Glau) breaking out of the facility she was in when she and Simon (Maher) started running from The Alliance, and we ultimately find out what she knew, and what was causing her mental instability. From the outset, River does a lot more than she had in the series up to that point, and Summer Glau does a great job in the movie.
The movie basically wraps up the series to show where the story would have ultimately gone had the show not been canceled. The movie begins with River (Glau) breaking out of the facility she was in when she and Simon (Maher) started running from The Alliance, and we ultimately find out what she knew, and what was causing her mental instability. From the outset, River does a lot more than she had in the series up to that point, and Summer Glau does a great job in the movie.
The A/V quality of the blu-ray is outstanding, especially if you are watching it on a big screen. There is a ton of bonus content including multiple commentary tracks, one with Whedon, and one with Whedon and the cast members, deleted scenes that can be played with commentary by Whedon, several behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes, a visual commentary that can be played while the movie runs, and more. Personally, I will not listen to anything that prominently features Whedon since what an asshole he is, especially to female writers and cast members has come out, but they are there (and he does provide a lot of insight into the story) if you want to listen and/or watch them.
Like pretty much all of Joss Whedon's TV shows and movies, this blends action, comedy, and drama. There are funny moments within tense moments (that are even funnier if you have the background from the series), and the acting and writing are both top-notch. The movie on its own is very good, the movie after having watched the series in the order the series was meant to be seen is awesome. For what it was trying to do (tell the entire story of what could have been spread out over multiple TV seasons in two hours), the movie accomplished that very well. Unfortunately, this and the series are all we are ever likely to have of this story, especially since what has come out about what a jackass Whedon has been behind-the-scenes. As a result, the series and the movie will forever be relegated to cult classic status, and we will never get the entire story that was intended to be told. But, even so, the movie is absolutely worth the time to watch.
Like pretty much all of Joss Whedon's TV shows and movies, this blends action, comedy, and drama. There are funny moments within tense moments (that are even funnier if you have the background from the series), and the acting and writing are both top-notch. The movie on its own is very good, the movie after having watched the series in the order the series was meant to be seen is awesome. For what it was trying to do (tell the entire story of what could have been spread out over multiple TV seasons in two hours), the movie accomplished that very well. Unfortunately, this and the series are all we are ever likely to have of this story, especially since what has come out about what a jackass Whedon has been behind-the-scenes. As a result, the series and the movie will forever be relegated to cult classic status, and we will never get the entire story that was intended to be told. But, even so, the movie is absolutely worth the time to watch.
