Serenity (2005)

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writer (WGA):

Joss Whedon (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Can't stop the signal.

Plot:

The crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic.

Plot Keywords:

Alliance | Planet | Operative | Captain | Future

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 15

6:30 PM

SYFY

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Gina Torres	...	Zoë Washburne
Alan Tudyk	...	Hoban Washburne
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee Frye
Sean Maher	...	Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau	...	River Tam
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	The Operative
David Krumholtz	...	Mr. Universe
Michael Hitchcock	...	Dr. Mathias
Sarah Paulson	...	Dr. Caron
Yan Feldman	...	Mingo
Rafael Feldman	...	Fanty

Also Known As:

Firefly (USA) (working title)
Firefly: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12 | Ireland:15A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Brazil:16 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | France:U | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Saskatchewan) | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Summer Glau trained intensely with the fight choreographers for three months before principal photography began.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Operative is reviewing Mal's file, it lists his service rank as Captain, whereas in the series he was only a Sergeant by the battle of Serenity Valley (where the Independents surrendered, and his military career ended). His civilian rank is Captain.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Teacher: Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance...

Movie Connections:

Features Superman (1941)

Oustanding adaptation

Instead of going into a long, drawn out review, let me sum up "Serenity" by saying that 1) no fans of "Firefly" will be disappointed, and 2) Whedon does a good enough job laying out the backstory that newbies to the Firefly universe will have no trouble figuring things out and enjoying the heck out of the movie.

The film is split more into halves than the standard three acts, which works just fine in this instance. The plot may be confusing at first, but when the second half of the film starts there are no lingering questions and a pantload of great action bits and one-liners. Frankly, the last 45 minutes are absolutely outstanding. The first half takes a bit to really pick up, but it's the second half of the movie that will leave old fans and new yearning for a sequel.

There are some sad moments, some gut busting lines, and some rousing actions sequences that make "Serenity" a wonderful film that really, really deserves a sequel and, perhaps if we're lucky, a second chance on Sci-Fi.