Written & Directed by Joss Whedon
“That girl will reign destruction on you and your ship. She is an albatross, Captain.”
“The way I remember it…albatross was a ship’s good luck ‘til some idiot killed it!”
I’m going to sum up my views on Serenity in four points:
1—This movie proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that those who make excellent television are more likely to make excellent movies…far more likely than actual MOVIE makers! Serenity is the most recent film to build on the 23 year old legacy of Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan. After the excesses and overspends of the first Roddenberry-produced debacle, Paramount slashed the budget of the next Trek film to the bone, and gave it to its television people. The end result was a classic for the age.
I’m not sure if Serenity will ever climb to the summit that The Wrath of Khan occupies…but it’s a damn good film, in terms of production, acting, directing, and visual effects � all done on a relative pittance compared to other movies of its kind. It’s thrilling, it’s gorgeous, and it’s sexy. It’s not how much you have, but how you use it…
2—Serenity almost…ALMOST…gets away with being a stand alone film. The first 10-15 minutes seems like fan fiction with a budget, but once the awkward character set-ups are over and done with, we launch into a film with a direct, linear plot that is easy to follow and easy to comprehend, with little necessity for knowing the back story of these characters from Firefly.
That said, your enjoyment of this film with increase exponentially if you know these people before-hand. In fact, it makes the triumphant closure at the end of the film particularly special.
3—If there is one movie where the concepts of libertarianism find a nirvana, it’s Serenity. In fact, with its wild-west setting, utopian overlords, ravaging barbarians on the border, and down to earth people everywhere in between, you could draw a direct parallel to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire…
…except it’s more insidious…more ironic…more wistful…
Serenity is a lament on the state of America today. It is a lament to powers whose reach exceeds their grasp. It is a cry against those who send machines of war and death into situations where they aren’t needed, and aren’t welcome. It is a homage to the American ideal that once burned in men and women such as Abraham Lincoln & Thomas Jefferson � an ideal that degenerates into false promises & cover ups…and turns men into monsters.
4—Serenity is also about the power of belief…a belief that has nothing to do with God or religion. It’s funny how this week’s episode of The West Wing echoes many of the things Shepherd tells Mal � they’re both concerned with the same worries about personal freedom of thought degenerating into state-sponsored, state-limited freedom. Mal and his crew are victorious at the end of Serenity because they all realize they believe in certain thing — certain truths — that are ALWAYS right � absolutes that have nothing to do with law, but everything to do with morality and justice. Perhaps it’s the only kind of absolute worth holding on to…
…and Serenity is one breath-taking way to explore such questions. Go and watch this film…and cherish it.
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