Serenity (2005)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writer (WGA):

Joss Whedon (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | 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 | Sister | Captain | Brother

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	1:00 AM	USA
Thur. Nov. 12	1:30 AM	USA
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

Colour:

Colour

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:

When the Operative reviews Mal's file, it shows his birth date as 9/20/2468. 9/20/2002 is the day "Firefly" (2002) premiered. Coincidentally, 9/20/1968 is "Firefly" writer/producer Ben Edlund's date of birth.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mal and Zoe talk about the man left behind during the bank job, there's an orange/yellow light flashing that reflects off of the right of Mal's face but not at all off Zoe's, even though they're standing right opposite each other.

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:

Referenced in Ultimate Sci-Fi Quiz (2006) (VG)

Extraordinary

The others do a good job gushing about the movie. Sure we're fans and bound to like the movie more than the usual fare, but those looking for an original and thrilling movie experience, this will shock and amaze. The Firefly world introduced a fantasy home for many of us, with characters we truly cared about and dilemmas we could get behind. The best way to describe it is to take the best aspects of the Han Solo elements of the original Star Wars, and build a world around that. There's no grand theme or clear cut good and evil. There's just a band of fugitives trying to make their way in a dangerous sky. It's something folks can relate to, although most of us won't be in a space battle or fighting psychotic creatures anytime soon. The point of the name Serenity is the name of the ship, though in a deeper sense that's what our characters are in search of. Finding freedom and a home, and that's what the ship represents to them, and to the fans. So you understand why so many are so excited about this dinky little scifi flick.

The movie captures that beautiful feeling but takes us on a ride that there's no turning back from. In my opinion, the one thing that makes for a truly GREAT movie is if you walk out of the theater a different person than when you walked in. This movie takes you on such a journey I didn't know if I would leave the theater at all. Sure the visual effects are stunning, but even the unfinished effects I saw meant nothing to me because it was the characters I cared about (and note that the digitally created ship itself is one of them, and I cared just as much for that than any of them). The humor is probably better than anything in the theaters this year, and the action is even greater. My screening actually came a week after Episode 3 was released, and I immediately washed my hands of Mr Lucas, and months later when I saw Fantastic 4... well let's not even talk about that one.

This movie really does have something for everyone, and even in the core of the geek fandom, the range of people is total - men and women split it at least 50/50, uber-geeks and "cool" types, and a surprising amount of attractive people of all ages. Seriously though, don't trust the rants of the fans. Check out the movie for yourself. Give it an honest chance and I promise you will be taken on a journey that will turn you into a fan as well.