Serenity

Dir: Joss Whedon

Str: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau, Adam Baldwin, Chiwetel Ejiofor

From the mind of Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy and Angel, comes this new sci-fi event. Well, when I say ‘new’ I mean in a ‘sort of spin off from a TV show’ kind of way. Yup, this is the sequel, of sorts, to his short lived, yet much loved, Firefly TV series. Before those of you who didn’t watch the show switch off, be aware that you do not need to have seen any of the series to jump on board for this film, hence the film being called Serenity as opposed to Firefly. The first few minutes of the film tell you all you need to know about the backstory, and a stunning sequence after that introduces the crew of the Serenity (the ship which the film is named after). This is Whedon’s first foray into movie-making, even his Buffy script was sabotaged out of his hands by another director (in the camp, and sometimes farcical, film of the early 90s). There is no denying that he has talent as a writer and director for TV, but can he hold a film?

Serenity opens with a sequence which tells some of the history of the colonies who left a devastated Earth and settled in a new solar-system. We are told how the Alliance established peace for the inner colonies, but the outer rim were unhappy. Civil War broke out, which resulted in the Alliance winning, and the rebels being run to gorund, most becoming freelance smugglers, and the like. We are then introduced to the mysterious River (Summer Glau), a kind of super-being created by Alliance scientists. Escaping her confinement, she is now hunted down by a mysterious agent (Ejiofor). Her refuge is the Serenity. It is at this point that we are treated to a glorious tracking shot that spins us through the ship, giving us a quick glimpse of each of the personalities on board. In just a few lines each we discover so much about who these people are, and how they mesh together, from the jokey pilot, Wash (Tudyk), to the gun-nut Jayne (Baldwin), but most of all we get to see who Mal (Fillion) is, the captain of this vessel. Those who know something about movie making will know how tricky a tracking shot can be, and the skill involved in doing one in close quarters, which tracks up and down stairs, can be. In this one shot Whedon shows more skill than certain other sci-fi directors I could (but wont) mention here. From this point on, those who didn’t already know the story of Firefly are ready to join the adventure as the screw find themselves hunted by Ejiofor’s agent, and trying to find out what River’s mysterious secret is. 

I have already mentioned Whedon’s skill with the tracking shot, but it doesn’t end there. As both writer and director, he excels himself in a medium which he has taken too long to get to. Ironic that the tale which finally gives him his big-screen debut is the very same one which became his first TV failure! All the magic he used to bring to his TV shows is present in Serenity. The characters feel so real, each with their own objectives and personalities. The small lines of humour that are scattered through the script break the tension at times beautifully, and also work to make us feel guilty at other moments. Weadon directs the proceedings with love (a poignant note made about the first rule of flying is a reference to this – Whedon is the pilot here), and the action is handled with the skill of a man who knows, and trusts, his crew. As the tale weaves around, bumping us from planet to planet, we, as an audience, become as intrigued as to the mystery of it all as the crew are.

Although this is primarily River’s tale, no one member of the cast is focussed on to the detriment of the rest. Each get their moments of glory, each are part of the same fluid engine that runs the ship. Over the course of the film each will get to tell their own story, and it is this kind of care for characters, that was found so lacking in a lot of recent films, that Whedon handles well. Having a cast who are so loyal to him, and willing to accept anything he throws at them, helps, and Joss has always managed to command a lot of loyalty in his cast. It is no coincidence that Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres have worked with Joss on Buffy and Angel respectively. He picks his actors carefully, and knows how to get the best out of them. Fillion’s Mal character is a wonderful creation, a not-quite the good guy character, whom we see a few really dark moments to. Tudyk’s pilot, Wash, hides behind humour, whilst his wife, Zoe (Torres) is the serious one. Even Baldwin’s gun-freak, Jayne, has touches of humanity at times, whilst still retaining that “Is he really a good guy?” aspect. All the cast, so comfortable from their time together on the show, mesh and work together so well that we really feel that they have been fighting alongside each other all this time.

It is really hard to know where to stop with this review! As someone who jumped onto Firefly when it first appeared in the US, I had huge expectations for the film. Not only did it deliver, but in some cases it surpassed them! All the elements that I loved Firefly for, the lack of aliens (this is mankind’s story), the lack of sound in space (the only space battles with sound are in the upper atmosphere of planets), the ‘old west feel’, but most of all the personalities of the characters, are present and correct. This is a film which the fans of the show will adore.

More than that, this is a film which non-fans can adore too, and then seek out the show. I saw the film with a few people who had never seen the series, and all of them loved it for exactly the same reasons as me, never once being confused as to what was going on. This is Whedon’s skill – he can craft something which adds to the enjoyment for one group of fans without alienating another group. He did it when Angel spun off from Buffy, and he has done it again. All I can say now is “Let’s see more!” I, for one, will keep the signal going!