Rambo R.I.P.

We'll miss you.

Movies: Serenity

Movies: Serenity
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This film is based on the tragically under-watched and prematurely cancelled TV series "Firefly". I have been looking forward to this movie for nearly two years. Waiting and wondering if it would be as good as the show or if Hollywood would make a mess of it.

Serenity picks up the story of a band of brigands-for-hire in space. Serenity is the name of their Firefly-class space vessel. Writer/Director Joss Whedon does a superb job of establishing all of Serenity's crew in about the first 10 minutes or so, giving the uninitiated a good idea of who these people are and what drives them. He does this with natural dialogue and bits and behavior. It never feels like you're being hit over the head with exposition.


A young girl named River (Summer Glau) and her brother Simon (Sean Maher)are being harbored on the ship, or boat as the captain calls it, because River is being sought by the Alliance after Simon steals her away from their experimental labs. She has psychic abilities and some other gifts no one is aware of at first. The Alliance fears she's gleaned some secrets and wants her back at all costs.
The rest of the crew includes the darkly glib captain, Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion); Jayne (Adam Baldwin)the ships public relations rep (AKA muscle); second in command, Zoe (Gina Torres), pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk), and mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite).

This movie is edge of your seat suspense, with great effects, clever, funny dialogue (a mixture of future-speak, 19th century english, and a splash of Mandarin), and more than a few surprises. This is as much an action film as it is a space opera.

Just about all the questions remaining from the series are answered. If there is a sequel, and I pray there is, I'm not sure where they will go with it, given that everything is pretty much wrapped up with a bow. But I have great faith in Mr. Whedon.

One of the biggest hazards in movie-going (and perhaps my greatest downfall) is getting one’s hopes up too high. Harboring high expectations for a long awaited film or buying into all the media hype can often lead to major disappointment. None of that applies here. I’m here to tell you Serenity delivers. BIG TIME. I'd even go so far to say it's the shiniest movie in the 'verse.

FOUR STARS

And stuff: TomKat

So Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are having a baby.

If I'd known she had a thing for older men, I never would have stopped stalking her.

:)