Serenity (2005)

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writer (WGA):

Joss Whedon (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Can't stop the signal.

Plot:

In the future, when a passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit...

Plot Keywords:

Grief | Impalement | Deceit | Shot In The Back | Suspense

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. May 24	4:30 AM	MAX
Thur. May 29	10:30 AM	MAX

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Mal
Gina Torres	...	Zoe
Alan Tudyk	...	Wash
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee
Sean Maher	...	Simon
Summer Glau	...	River
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	The Operative
David Krumholtz	...	Mr. Universe
Michael Hitchcock	...	Dr. Mathias
Sarah Paulson	...	Dr. Caron
Yan Feldman	...	Mingo
Rafael Feldman	...	Fanty

Also Known As:

Firefly (USA) (working title)
Firefly: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:16 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:16 | South Korea:15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Malaysia:U | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Saskatchewan) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:15 | Peru:14 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:12 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, California, USA

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

The first nine minutes of Serenity were made available online as a promotion in advance of its theatrical release. Between the online release and the theatrical release, the brief cut to Alliance security personnel was changed from blue to red.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the very last scene when River and the Captain are flying the ship, Mal presses a button causing it to light up. In the next shot the light is off, and in the next shot it is back on again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Teacher: Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance...

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Filmmaker's Journey (2006) (V)

Oustanding adaptation

Instead of going into a long, drawn out review, let me sum up "Serenity" by saying that 1) no fans of "Firefly" will be disappointed, and 2) Whedon does a good enough job laying out the backstory that newbies to the Firefly universe will have no trouble figuring things out and enjoying the heck out of the movie.

The film is split more into halves than the standard three acts, which works just fine in this instance. The plot may be confusing at first, but when the second half of the film starts there are no lingering questions and a pantload of great action bits and one-liners. Frankly, the last 45 minutes are absolutely outstanding. The first half takes a bit to really pick up, but it's the second half of the movie that will leave old fans and new yearning for a sequel.

There are some sad moments, some gut busting lines, and some rousing actions sequences that make "Serenity" a wonderful film that really, really deserves a sequel and, perhaps if we're lucky, a second chance on Sci-Fi.