Review: Serenity

The perpetually employed cyclone known as Joss Whedon has captivated genre TV fans with two long-running hit series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and its spin-off, Angel (1999-2004). Now, with his first feature, Serenity, he is calling attention to not only the tragedy that was Fox's too-soon cancellation of his third series, 2002's space cowboys bonanza Firefly, but also his consummate skill as a Man Of Many Hats.

A serialized space opera set 500 years in the future aboard a Millennium Falcon-like frigate crewed by cranky cast-offs, the series held incredible promise and potential. However, as networks often do with such ideas (see also: Freaks and Geeks), Fox pulled the plug after just 11 episodes (10 plus one double which was released theatrically in Europe), leaving 3 unaired. However, fear not, you brooding, alienated mopers and starry-eyed wonderers looking for something to believe in, because for the most part, Whedon's streamlined movie version rocks.

It is clear from the super-tight opening -- a Scorsesean tracking shot through the ship in which Whedon introduces the crew of Serenity -- that this guy, who has been tapped by Warner Brothers to bring Wonder Woman to life in 2007, toiled considerably to create a standalone that requires no prior knowledge of his storied universe (though they are symbiotic). Like Ridley Scott did in Alien, he lets us connect with these characters on the most basic of levels as regular people, working stiffs trying to eke out their next paycheck. Yes, his characters are flawed people, but this is part of why his noir-ish, shades-of-grey dynamic works so well. He abandons the notion of the perfect family, because a) he is a smart guy and knows there is no such thing, and b) people who get along all the time are boring and not the stuff on which good drama is founded.

Because Whedon's cast is made up of mostly unknowns and character actors (intact from its TV incarnation) they bring to the uninitiated no prior expectations and give themselves the freedom to freshly define their characters. Leading the bunch is Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, played by Nathan Fillion. The Canadian actor is not so handsome as he is plain, another basis for a wide audience to easily connect with him (porn producers typically cast regular schlubs instead of menacing studs for this same reason). Fillion plays Mal like Han Solo before the "Greedo Shoots First" blasphemy flattened his character arc and turned him into a big pussy. Like the rest of his not-so-merry men, Mal blames the interplanetary federation known as The Alliance for their woes (Serenity's crew were all on the losing side of a worlds war). His first mate and fellow veteran ("Browncoat"), Zoe, played by Gina "Mrs. Laurence Fishburne" Torres, backs him up solidly. Torres gives Zoe a certain necessary toughness, but manages to portray her relationship with husband and ship pilot, Wash (an always-hilarious Alan Tudyk) with warmth and sensitivity. Fetishists are bound to fixate on River (Summer Glau), the deadly nymph/escaped Alliance experiment whose presence on Serenity endangers all who come in contact with her. River may be a little too much like The Perfect Being in The Fifth Element, but Glau nicely balances her perpetual state of confusion as to what she is with the regular defensive mode ass-kickings (kudos to stunt directors Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda). The ship's mechanic, Kaylee (Jewel Staite) is just so goddamn adorable, and her undying love for River's brother and protector, Simon (Sean Maher) is touching. The Operative, played with a cool menace by Chiwitel Elijofor, personifies The Alliance, though Whedon's letting this very naughty man off the hook as he does in the end is a choice that is a bit questionable.

There is not much point in nit-picking over how certain characters were given more play on the show, because by its nature, a weekly series allows for an entire episode or block of episodes to be dedicated to a single character (see Lost). In a movie, certain compromises have to be made in the interest of economy, and Whedon makes the right ones here. As a result, his film is more epic, without the episodic feel of a show, no matter how good it may have been or promised to be. Plus, the show was not on the air long enough to have ingrained so indelibly how things in this future 'verse are and are not supposed to be.

The commendable ferocity with which Whedon held on to these characters after the cancellation of Firefly really shows through here. The ultimate test of this comes when he sacrifices one of them -- and the chorus of gasps and sniffles from the sold out, mixed-gender preview crowd was testament to his success at that. Also, despite this sacrifice, he does not treat human life as all-around cavalierly as he did on his first two series. He unfolds the back story of the marauding Reevers, the Evil Force that presents the most pervasive danger to life and limb, and it sure is a satisfying one. The set pieces are larger than on the series, there is more action, and though Whedon's prodigious experience in TV occasionally shows in his slightly forced intimate blocking of the human drama, he again shows here that can pull the strings like few others can. He consistently writes dialogue that pops, without überhiply calling attention to itself (à la Tarantino), and you can take away all the futuristic gee-wizardry and still have a really good story (though the chases wouldn't be as exciting with stagecoaches instead of space cruisers).

With or without a sequel or new episode order, Serenity stands on its own as a great night out, though with Whedon's rabid following (Firefly fans have adopted the Browncoats moniker and the battle cry, "Can't Stop The Signal"), this is probably not the good ship Serenity's last star trek. Here's hoping that the marketing folks over at Whedon's home base at Universal can bring enough newbies into the fold here and on DVD, so that the franchise may, like Fox's unprecedented Family Guy, receive the post-mortem breath of life from fans and return from the dead (or at least get some made-for-TV sequel movies like Alien Nation did).