Review: Serenity (* 1/2)
- From: "Steve Rhodes" <Steve.Rhodes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 05:05:40 GMT
SERENITY
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
Suffering through, I mean watching SERENITY is like starting at the 84th
episode of a convoluted and silly sci-fi soap opera. Sure, fans of Joss
Whedon's cancelled TV show "Firefly," upon which this movie is based, are
certain to love it. Our packed audience of rabid fans burst into thunderous
applause when the words "Feature Presentation" came on the screen. Various
characters from the series got similar but smaller accolades. As a non-fan,
it made me appreciate the wisdom of TV executives who aborted the show.
The story is set five hundred years in the future, when earthlings have
moved to another solar system. The new system is controlled by a fascist
government called the Alliance. The whole story is about as clear as mud,
so please forgive me if I get some of this wrong. Piloting a Millennium
Falcon-like bucket of bolts, Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion),
along with his rag-tag crew, fight against the government, while trying to
stay out of the way of the "Reavers." The latter group are some very
aggressive human mutants who roam the system killing everyone who gets in
their way.
New viewers to the series will undoubtedly do a mental tilt when they see
the weapons of the future. Although space travel happens at what must be
close to light speed, the guns are pump-action shotguns and Western
six-shooters. Among the many explanations needed but never provided is what
caused all technology except for guns to advance. Of yes, and the fashion
statement of the moment is garb that Jessie James would have been at home
in. Go figure. Or don't. It's not worth trying to make sense out of it
all.
Like THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, this movie's charm is rarely
obvious to those not already a card-carrying member of the fan club. Its
clunky recycled dialog, which produced big laughs from my fellow viewers,
includes, "She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true," and that
old-faithful, "We're not alone!"
"We'll get through this," Simon (Sean Maher) says to his sister, a psychic
named River (Summer Glau). As River answered Simon, I felt like she was
speaking directly to me when she said, "It's going to get much, much worse,"
which the movie certainly did. While SERENITY actually runs a minute shy of
two full hours, it felt more like four.
SERENITY runs 1:59. It is rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense violence
and action, and some sexual references" and would be acceptable for kids
around 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 16, gave it ****. He liked the way the film was fast
paced, had good character building and had a unique ship design. His friend
Dustin, also 16, gave it *** 1/2, saying that he liked the comic relief and
the characters.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 30,
2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the
Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve.Rhodes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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