He’s too busy writing lines so campily charming and characters so delightful he doesn’t have time to show us the Senate’s chambers. Whedon doesn’t get too bogged down with galactic, political drivel. While watching “Serenity,” I discovered a new (to me) group of characters as electric as I remember Luke, Leia, Han and the rest being. I grew up with “Star Wars” and, like many Gen Xers, was disappointed by the newest set of films. Through a series of daring raids and close calls, the crew of the “Serenity” seeks to do what all true rebels do best: never let authorities get away with suppressing Truth. Mal and his crew are being tracked by The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who has been sent by the Alliance to retrieve River and preserve the secret. Mal and company refuse to desert their human cargo-a moral choice that makes their lives hell. It seems that River knows a secret the Alliance wants to keep. The plot kicks off when the crew of “Serenity” picks up a doctor named Simon (Sean Maher) and his telepathic sister, River (Summer Glau). Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), the capable leader Zoe (Gina Torres), his first mate and solid rock Jayne (Adam Baldwin), the brute mercenary Kaylee (Jewel Staite), a tender-hearted mechanic and Wash (Alan Tudyk), the wise-cracking pilot. Whedon’s most obvious skill is drawing characters so sharply you simply want to spend time with them: Capt. This narrative framework comes straight from the science-fiction genre, but Whedon improves it with his storytelling agility. The rebels must fight not only the Alliance, but also Reavers-a nasty breed known for their barbarism. Set 500 years in the future, a small band of resourceful rebels keeps making life difficult for the Alliance, which is the centralized government of the galaxy that has won a war crippling planets on the outer rim. It’s really not the story that engages, though. If you enter the theater not a Whedon fan, changes are great you won’t leave that way. “Serenity” takes the characters-and actors-from the show and recycles them for a feature packed with not only solid special effects but absolutely adorable characters and witty writing. “Serenity” is the brainchild of writer-director Joss Whedon, the auteur behind cult favorites “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.” His show “Firefly” got scrapped after only 14 episodes (three of which never aired, but are now available on the show’s DVD). I therefore am not part of the cult following that will flock to this picture, much like X-Philes turned out for the 1998 feature based on the popular TV show starring Mulder and Scully.īut after experiencing “Serenity,” which opened nationwide Friday, I certainly see what fans of this sci-fi world-often called Browncoats-are jazzed about. I never watched “Firefly,” the FOX TV show on which “Serenity” is based.
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