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Serenity (2005)



Serenity (2005)




7/10



Starring
Nathan Fillion
Alan Tudyk
Adam Baldwin
Gina Torres
Chiwetel Ejiofor


Directed by Joss Whedon

When they decided to take down one of the best TV series ever made (Firefly), I guess they didn’t imagine the massive cult following that would follow. Firefly was an awesome series based on a renegade crew aboard a Firefly-class spaceship, led by a former war sergeant named Mal.

This movie (Serenity) was the follow-up to the series, and like the show, its immersive cult following grew after the movie was released and deemed a box office bomb.

It’s a mystery why both the series and the movie ended up being financial losses because they’re great to watch, and the cast is warm and welcoming to behold. When Fox canceled the show after just fourteen episodes due to bad ratings, Universal Studios bought the rights to make a movie series—an adventure they couldn’t pursue because of the financial loss.

The movie is named after the spaceship the crew is on (Serenity), and it was fun to be back on board. It delves deeper into the life of River Tam, the 17-year-old psychic, and reveals the origins of the Reavers, the man-eating space pirates.

Two of the cast members from the series were killed off: Wash (Alan Tudyk) and Shepherd (Ron Glass). Both couldn’t commit to a sequel, so their characters were written out. If only the producers had known this would be the only movie they’d make, I guess they might have reconsidered.

The movie also introduced The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man from the Alliance who is hellbent on getting River back.

If you haven’t seen Firefly, I wonder why? But I’ll assume some haven’t, so here’s a brief history of what you’ve been missing—or missed—fourteen years ago. Firefly (and this movie) are set in 2517. The story takes place in the aftermath of a civil war on Earth between The Independents and The Alliance. The Alliance won and now dominates the universe.

A crew aboard a spaceship called Serenity travels the universe, taking on jobs (moving cargo, carrying passengers, and even committing crimes) to get by. The captain of the ship is Mal (Nathan Fillion), a former sergeant for The Independents. He’s flanked by his war buddy and second-in-command, Zoe (Gina Torres). Wash is the pilot, Jayne (Adam Baldwin) is the weapons guy, Kaylee (Jewel Staite) is the mechanic, and Simon Tam (Sean Maher) is the ship’s doctor. Along with them are River Tam, a psychic (Simon’s sister); Inara, a companion; and Shepherd, a priest.

In this film, they’re being hunted by The Alliance, who want to retrieve River. She was taken as a child and experimented on to become a weapon. Simon broke her out, and now both are living on Serenity.

Please make time to watch both Firefly and this movie. With all the relaunches of old series happening these days, I wonder if Firefly will ever get a reboot.

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