Movie Review #22 - "Serenity (2005)"
Yes ... I know ... I am reviewing a movie that is almost nine years old ... Sorry that I am so late to the game ... But ... You'll understand why I am reviewing this film and its associated TV Series first ...
First ... Let's get the IMDB link out of the way:
Okay ... Let me get this out of the way ... This is one of my most favorite science-fiction/fact movies of all-time ... There are so many good things that I hope I can convince you to at least watch the movie if not the series ("Firefly (2002)"). So, without further ado ...
Benny's Tabasco Rating: 8 / 10 Tabasco Peppers
Right now, you are probably saying, "Benny is an idiot" ... He says it's one of his all-time favorites but doesn't give it 10 Tabasco Peppers ... Well, you're right ... There are a couple of things that I'll reveal soon ... (I promise)
Story: This story takes place in the future where there is a battle for a new planet since we messed up Earth so bad ... There are sides chosen, a battle enrages, and well ... the cast of the ship, "Serenity" lost in the battle ... The crew of Serenity are basically scavengers and thieves ... Stealing their way across the galaxy ... Not to mention the controlling planets deemed "The Alliance", they have to deal with a group of wacked-out, nasty, flesh-eating, self-mutilating humans called "Reevers" (and no ... not pot smoking people ... but that would be interesting to watch this stoned ... )
The crew of Serenity go into a space port on one of the planets to trade out "merchandise" and fill-up ... (That's my version or opinion). They pick up several passengers to carry and make some $$$ ... They end up picking up a "government weapon" in the form of a human named "River" (played by Summer Glau) ... Along the way, they encounter "Reevers", the Alliance, a priest like man named "Shepherd Book" ... Again, most of the story takes place in space ... They also have a companion (i.e. prostitute) except that in these times "companions" are basically considered royalty.
There are plot lines of action/adventure, love, trust, faith, hope, courage, etc. As I write about the story, it's really better than an 8 /10 Tabasco Peppers ...
Benny's Revised Tabasco Rating: 9 / 10 Tabasco Peppers
Cast: When you read (past tense) in 2002 (when the series started) or 2005 (when the movie came out), the cast didn't seem to impress very much ... Nathan Fillion plays Captain Malcom "Mal" Reynolds ... He is very captivating as the leader of the Serenity. Currently, Nathan plays the lead role on "Castle". This man has the gift ... He's believable and humorous without being stupid or slap-sticky (not a word, but go with it) ... His right hand man is a woman named Zoe Washburne played by Gina Torres. You might know her from a variety of things ... She's on "Suits" (USA Network show) ... Again, another solid performer ... Zoe's husband is the pilot named Hoban "Wash" Washburne (played by Alan Tudyk) ... He's pretty good at the role ... He plays a very good supporting role as the pilot and the husband ... River Tam (Summer Glau) and Dr. Simon Tam (Seah Maher) plays the stoways from the Alliance. River is the malfunctioning government weapon (almost sounds like a Bourne movie) ... Dr. Tam becomes a vital member of the crew ... When someone needs patching up, Dr. Tam to the rescue ...
There are a couple of other cast members ... The bad guys from the Alliance, the Reevers, etc ... but really not worth getting into ... They do "OK" ...
Finally, the "jewel" (sorry for this) of the film is Kaylee Frye played by Jewel Staite (again, I apologize) ... She really brought out something in a nothing role as the ship's mechanic ... She becomes Dr. Tam's love interest ... She really impressed me as this was my first encounter ...
Wait ... Forgot about Inara, who plays the "Companion". Morena Baccarin (also in "Homeland") is AWESOME ... Beauty, style, sophistication ... Stunning ... Moving on ...
Direction: Joss Whedon. Do I need to continue? Yes, I do ... This cat is awesome in the sci-fi genre ... He got his start with "Firely" ... Then did "Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)", "Angel (TV)", "Dollhouse (TV)", and maybe you remember that HUGE Marvel vehicle ... "The Avengers" ... Yes ... that's him ...
Put it this way ... He's the man ...
Writing: Joss Whedon. Done ... Well ... No ... If you watch "Firefly", the characters take on more depth ... But I think he did a pretty good job trying to recap the TV Series into a film ...
Here we go with the spoiler (so to speak) ... You start watching the movie or the TV Show saying to yourself, "Great. Another Sci-Fi to watch" ... But Joss Whedon turns it on its head and really makes this a western ... It's a Western in space ... I know, when my son turned me on to this, I was like "Really? That doesn't sound so good!". His reply, "Go Watch" ... It really is amazing to see what good writing can do ... And Joss does it so well with this project ...
Cinematography: A lot of CGI as to be expected ... The chase scenes are pretty cool ... But overall, this is the one spot that I wasn't over the top impressed ... At the end of the film, there are a couple of cheesy things that I was like ... "Really? Fireworks?" ...
Overall Review: Yes, I'm 9 years behind ... But maybe some of my friends and followers haven't seen this ... Or want to chime in ... It's a great watch ... But ... If you do, watch "Serenity" first, then binge-watch "Firefly" ... Both of them are on Netflix and maybe Amazon Prime ...
Here's the really cool fact about the film, "Serenity". The studio cancelled the TV after 14 episodes ... Yes, 14 ... The fans of the show rallied and basically petitioned the studio to make the movie ... There's a really interesting and thought-provoking documentary about how "Serenity" came to be after the TV show was cancelled ... It's called "Done the Impossible: The Fans' Tale of 'Firefly' and 'Serenity' (2006)" ... It really makes you think about how social media and a strong and convicted fan base can be ....
It's Saturday ... It's cold ... Watch it if you haven't seen it ... Then, binge-watch "Firefly" ...
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