Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...
I was a little sad when I didn’t hear Firefly’s theme song at the start of Serenity but I quickly recovered. I saw Serenity on opening weekend, I bought the DVD as soon as I was able, and if it happens to come on television there’s a good chance my TV will be playing it. In a way it’s a guilty pleasure, it’s comfort food, it’s a good time, fun entertainment, but it’s also more. Through Serenity and Firefly, the television show that Serenity follows, Joss Whedon has once again created a world and characters that invite viewers to lose themselves in make believe.
Serenity picks up somewhere after Firefly leaves off. Since the show had somewhat of an abrupt ending certain things established in the series are changed, condensed, or adapted for the film. The basics are all there though. Simon and River Tamm (Sean Maher and Summer Glau) have taken refuge on the ship Serenity after Simon rescues River from a top-secret government research facility where they were doing cruel tests on her. She was in program designed to turn gifted children, children with psychic abilities, into weapons. Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) agrees to take them on as long as Simon and River pay their way. Mal takes River and several members of the crew to do a job, which gets dangerous when Reavers attack the planet they are on. The Reavers are men gone mad, cannibals, who can be counted on to kill, mutilate, rape, and eat anyone they come across. If you’re lucky, it will be in that order.
They make it back to Serenity in one piece but Simon decides to take River off of the ship. However, they soon realize that someone is after River Tamm. And to get to her he will kill anyone in his path, anyone including Mal and his crew. You see, River is a special girl and River knows a secret. A secret that many do not want to come to light. It becomes a game to discover what haunts River while avoiding an assassin who will stop at nothing, the entire Alliance army, as well as the Reavers. It’s all about making a better world, it’s about belief. But what cost does this world come at? And whose belief is the one to stand by? It all has to do with the name “Miranda.”
All of Firefly’s characters are back. Besides Simon, River, and Mal, Serenity is home to pilot Wash, Mal’s second in command Zoe, the homicidal Jayne, and engineer Kaylee. Inara and Shepherd Book also make appearances. New additions include Mr. Universe, a communications guru, and The Operative, the government’s assassin assigned to recapture River Tamm.
The thing about Joss Whedon is that it’s all in his characters. The characters he crafts, the relationships they form, it’s the people that draw audiences in and generate the rabid fans that Joss Whedon creations usually have following them. He invites you to relate to, empathize with, and truly care for the people whose stories he is telling. They are what hold the powerful attraction to his work, they are what enthrall and entrance his viewers. It’s not always about creating a new world but it is about bringing his world to life.
Fans of science fiction and anime will recognize many elements from other series and movies. Fans of westerns will recognize even more. Serenity is basically a cowboy movie in space. The worlds are a blend of the old west and various Asian cultures. It's neat to see some of the things that come about but it can also be frustrating. In a places it's just seems so transparent where the original ideas came from. I don’t particularly mind how derivative it can all be though. When it comes down to it, it’s just so fun.
It’s also crafted with love and care. It’s clear how much this film meant to everyone involved. Firefly’s life was cut short before anyone was ready to let it go. Fox cancelled the show after only fourteen episodes. Through Serenity the creators, cast, and crew were able to make their peace and say their goodbyes. They were able to go out with a bang.
Looking at the films of last year, I honestly think that this really was one of the better ones. It holds its own in everyway and is able to appeal to audiences wider than the small fan base that had grown around the show. While it does follow Firefly, everything you need to know is given to you. So someone who has never seen the show can definitely still enjoy the film.
For the viewer who has never seen Firefly: First you are witness to a young girl’s nightmare followed by a harrowing escape from a government medical lab. You learn that this girl is River Tamm and her rescuer is her brother Simon. You watch as a frightening, ruthless assassin begins his search for the missing girl. And then. There is a ship, it is entering a planet’s atmosphere, and pieces of it are falling off. Over the next three minutes you are introduced to this ship’s crew and you learn what they are about to be doing. All in one shot. One long, choreographed, handheld shot that travels through the entire ship, introduces the entire crew, and doesn’t cut once.
After that shot I knew I was going to like this movie.
I like it, I love it. It’s entertainment and it’s a little bit more. It’s like covering apple slices with peanut butter to trick the kids into enjoying a healthy snack. There are shiny surfaces but it’s not just fluff underneath. Belief is a dangerous thing but it can also be a beautiful thing. Those aboard and behind Serenity believe in her. As do her numerous fans. As do I.
As for the DVD, if you like the movie it’s definitely worth the purchase. There are both widescreen and full screen versions (I’m a widescreen fan myself). There is also a nice selection of special features: deleted scenes, outtakes, making of features, and a Joss Whedon introduction. I always enjoy getting to hear a bit about the creative process behind a film. I also like owning this DVD because it means I can watch Serenity whenever I want and believe me when I tell you that I definitely take advantage of that fact. On a fairly regular basis.
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