Movie Haiku - Serenity

www.serenity-themovie.com


Dir: Joss Whedon


Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau


She knows their secrets

one word will make her kick ass

or she'll fall asleep


Now that the Star Wars saga has finally come to a close, sci-fi buffs need a new franchise to focus their attention on. Serenity could provide the answer. Rising from the ashes of the ill-fated television series Firefly, a victim of poor scheduling and uncertain marketing, fan pressure somehow persuaded Universal to stump up the $40 million required for creator Joss Whedon (Buffy) to give his project a second chance to succeed, this time on the big screen. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t seen the series as the movie quickly roams the spacecraft Serenity to introduce us to its crew: Mal (Fillion), the wisecracking captain; Zoe (Torres), his no-nonsense partner from the war against the Alliance; Wash (Tudyk), pilot and Zoe’s husband; Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a tough guy with questionable morals; Kaylee (KT Tunstall… no, sorry, Jewel Staite) the mechanic who likes..; Simon (Sean Maher), a doctor who joined the crew in the first episode of Firefly, along with..; River (Glau), his younger sister who he rescued from the Alliance who were performing some secret experiments on her. Absent faces are Inara (Morena Baccarin), ‘companion’ (aka posh whore) and Shepherd Book, the preacher, who’ve both left the ship to settle on other planets – but don’t worry, they both turn up later in the film. The best thing about this sprawling cast of characters is that every one of them is clearly defined, each with their own distinct role and personality. Serenity shifts the focus onto the character of River, and we learn more about her abilities as a mind-reader and body-weapon, and why the Alliance want to capture her to protect their dark secrets. To these ends they’ve entrusted a mysterious operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) with the job of tracking her down and bringing her back. Throw in a few space-cannibals (the dreaded Reavers) for good measure, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for an old-fashioned space romp. For fans of the series it’s a continuation of everything that was great about those original episodes - notably great writing, good acting and a healthy dose of humour. For newcomers it's a delight, a real breath of fresh air. It's not an overly geeky sci-fi tale, Serenity feels more like a western which just happens to be set in space, and for that reason it should have a far broader appeal. Whedon grabs his big screen opportunity firmly with both hands - as do the cast - and delivers the goods, a job well done which has led him on to direct Mission Impossible 3 next. This is the film that will make Nathan Fillion a major star, a modern-day Harrison Ford, and bodes well for his forthcoming Night Of The Creeps rip-off, Slither. But to be honest everyone performs well here, there's no weak link, and this bodes well for the future - if there is to be one for Serenity. I for one, certainly hope that this is just the first of many films involving these engaging characters.

soulmining rating: ****