SPOILERS Once upon a time there was a cancelled television series called "Firefox". Popular amongst a few of my friends, but something I managed to completely avoid, it was cancelled very early on for numerous reasons. Written by Joss Whedon of Buffy fame, it was popular amongst it's fans, and as almost a relaunch of sorts, Whedon made a film based on it. That film was "Serenity", and I've seen that, and remarkably it's bloody good fun.
In a distant future, humanity has spread across the stars. After a bloody civil war, it has become split between the dominating alliance and an outskirts of rebels struggling to survive in the out planets. Aboard the spaceship Serenity, Mal, the captain of this motley crew is trying to make a living, whilst avoiding the alliance's forces. Unfortunately aboard his ship he has a girl with a past, and this past is about to come back and threaten everyone he cares for.
Beautifully shot, and well thought out, I could go on about the great things about "Serenity" for ages. I'm not going to though, mainly because there is one aspect of the film which demonstrates just how clever it is.
I'll confess here and now that I'm a bit of a science fiction fan. A Star Trek enthusiast (and former obsessive) since the Next Generation began when I was eight, I've seen series come and go and which have basically spent a vast period of time building up characters that we care for and bond with. As such, when you watch an one off film with no previous build up, the characterisation has to be pretty damn impressive to get the viewer hooked. Amazingly, "Serenity" does this with ease. Yes the characters are semi-predictable and the plot follows a remarkably familiar story pattern, but as we watch and absorb this film, we find ourselves growing attached to Mal the Captain and his rag tag band of renegades. It's impressive writing from Joss Wheldon, and if he ever branches beyond science fiction and fantasy, Wheldon could produce films to rival any other script writer. Only time will tell however.
"Serenity" is a quality action adventure film. Beautifully written and directed by a man with great potential, it is a thrill ride well worth watching. It is not difficult to see why it did so well amongst film magazine readers, and here's hoping that we get to see more of the same soon. Go watch.
In a distant future, humanity has spread across the stars. After a bloody civil war, it has become split between the dominating alliance and an outskirts of rebels struggling to survive in the out planets. Aboard the spaceship Serenity, Mal, the captain of this motley crew is trying to make a living, whilst avoiding the alliance's forces. Unfortunately aboard his ship he has a girl with a past, and this past is about to come back and threaten everyone he cares for.
Beautifully shot, and well thought out, I could go on about the great things about "Serenity" for ages. I'm not going to though, mainly because there is one aspect of the film which demonstrates just how clever it is.
I'll confess here and now that I'm a bit of a science fiction fan. A Star Trek enthusiast (and former obsessive) since the Next Generation began when I was eight, I've seen series come and go and which have basically spent a vast period of time building up characters that we care for and bond with. As such, when you watch an one off film with no previous build up, the characterisation has to be pretty damn impressive to get the viewer hooked. Amazingly, "Serenity" does this with ease. Yes the characters are semi-predictable and the plot follows a remarkably familiar story pattern, but as we watch and absorb this film, we find ourselves growing attached to Mal the Captain and his rag tag band of renegades. It's impressive writing from Joss Wheldon, and if he ever branches beyond science fiction and fantasy, Wheldon could produce films to rival any other script writer. Only time will tell however.
"Serenity" is a quality action adventure film. Beautifully written and directed by a man with great potential, it is a thrill ride well worth watching. It is not difficult to see why it did so well amongst film magazine readers, and here's hoping that we get to see more of the same soon. Go watch.