Serenity

Reviews

anthonyryan1
A nice wrap-up to Firefly, unfortunately far too condensed. In may ways it felt like they took the major events that would have spanned the next 2 or 3 seasons and crammed it all into a 2 hour movie. Nonetheless, it provides a decent sense of closure to the series.

Matthew Sanders
This was an extremely poor movie. The weakest character during the TV series, River Tam, confusingly became the story focus in this movie. Despite never exercising and having a small frame, River fought and K.O.ed a room full of bar patrons. The crew, mysteriously, were devoted to going to the planet River wanted to visit to help her discover her past despite showing various degrees of hostility toward her during the series ranging from open contempt to advocating her murder. The main villains do not make sense. They are, supposedly, so wild that they regularly sack planets and cannibalize its inhabitants, but can still work together well enough to fly space ships. The entire population of these wild people came from the planet River wants to visit and from a single research facility. I'd guess about 1,000 research and support personnel were initially infected. They have no way of infecting further individuals, the facility was shut down, and yet their current population is many times the original amount. How? The plot does not make sense. It is not engaging. None of the characters are interesting. The characters die without emotional impact. Pass on this movie. Like the TV series, this is a waste of time.

John Chard
This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then - explode. Serenity is written and directed by Josh Whedon. It stars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Music is by David Newman and cinematography by Jack N. Green. When the captain Mal Reynolds (Fillion) of the space craft Serenity takes on board Dr. Simon Tam (Maher) and his troubled sister River (Glau), it thrusts the entire crew into a world of conspiracy and galactic despots. Coming at it as a complete novice as regards "Firefly", the short lived TV show that Serenity is spawned from, I personally have no frame of reference to work from. What I found was a hugely enjoyable sci-fi Western hybrid that deserved a better box office than it got. The cast are all comfortable with each other and very watchable, which isn't surprising since Whedon has transported them all over from "Firefly", good move that, while the action quota is high and the black comedy rich. Where the itches start to appear for newcomers like myself, is that it does feel like an extended TV episode. With a twisty plot that sees Whedon cram much into the 2 hour running time, it demands the utmost attention. Which is fair enough to a degree, but many go (or more pertinently would have gone) into "Serenity" for a sci-fi action adventure, not for a tickle of the cranium. If this contributed to the poor show at the box office? I'm not sure. But you have to think this really was only made for the die-hard fans of the show. Galling really, because the last third is a ripper of a blockbuster. The action sequences are expertly crafted, the story explodes still further and the principal characters really let loose, particularly the excellent Fillion. Biggest plus of all, the finale doesn't cop out by insulting those who have stayed the course chartered by the good ship Serenity and its crew. It's smart genre film making, a very enjoyable film without doubt, but really it's not got mainstream appeal. Which might suit those die-hards in a selfish kind of why, but that also means we are unlikely to get a sequel. And that's a shame because a newbie like me could easily stand some more of this whizz bangery. 7/10

CinemaSerf
At the start, I thought this was a sort of hybrid between "Quantum Leap" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" and that it was just going to be derivate nonsense. It's actually quite a bit better than that as we discover the malevolent "Operative" (Chiwitel Ejiofor) is on the trail of a priceless asset. It's not a jewel or a gadget, it's "River" (Summer Glau) and as he closes in on their ship "Serentity", things are starting to get hot for it's captain "Mal" (Nathan Fillion) and the others in this disparate crew. There's plenty of dissent amongst this bunch, not least because nobody actually knows why this unassuming woman is so valuable to their determined pursuer - but can they keep together and focussed long enough to evade capture and maybe even find out? None of the acting here is really worth mentioning, but the dialogue is quite entertaining, the visual effects deliver well and there's loads of high-octane cosmic adventure with choreographed fisticuffs, zapping lasers and an excitingly created denouement that the CGI lads can be proud of. I didn't see any of "Firefly" (2002) on which this is based, but as a stand-alone sci-fi adventure it still works well.
Movie Recommendation
- Domino2005-10-14The story of the life of Domino Harvey, who abandoned her career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.More...
- The Island2005-07-21In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.More...
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity1973-01-13In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.More...
- Star Trek Into Darkness2013-05-05When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.More...
- Blade of the Immortal2017-04-29Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.More...
- Inglourious Basterds2009-08-02In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.More...
- Night of the Living Dead1968-10-04A group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead, flesh-eating ghouls.More...
- Elite Squad: The Enemy Within2010-10-08After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.More...
- Æon Flux2005-11-30400 years into the future, disease has wiped out the majority of the world's population, except one walled city, Bregna, ruled by a congress of scientists. When Æon Flux, the top operative in the underground 'Monican' rebellion, is sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.More...
- Infernal Affairs2002-12-12Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.More...
- Lady Vengeance2005-07-29Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.More...
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider2001-06-11Orphaned heiress, English aristocrat and intrepid archaeologist, Lara Croft, embarks on a dangerous quest to retrieve the two halves of an ancient artifact which controls time before it falls into the wrong hands. As an extremely rare planetary alignment is about to occur for the first time in 5,000 years, the fearless tomb raider will have to team up with rival adventurers and sworn enemies to collect the pieces, while time is running out. But, in the end, who can harness the archaic talisman's unlimited power?More...
- Children of Men2006-09-22In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.More...
- Star Trek2009-05-06The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.More...
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World2010-08-12As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.More...
- Hanna2011-04-07Raised by her father, an ex-CIA agent, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing has been geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys across Europe, eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence.More...
- Galaxy Quest1999-12-25For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA protector - "Commander Peter Quincy Taggart", "Lt. Tawny Madison and "Dr.Lazarus" - set off on a thrilling and often dangerous mission in space...and then their series was cancelled! Now, twenty years later, aliens under attack have mistaken the Galaxy Quest television transmissions for "historical documents" and beam up the crew of has-been actors to save the universe. With no script, no director and no clue, the actors must turn in the performances of their lives.More...
- Stephanie2017-04-27After a mysterious global crisis, a young girl is left alone to hide from a malevolent power that stalks her home. Her parents eventually return and the struggle begins to save their daughter.More...
- Much Ado About Nothing2013-05-28A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.More...
- The Lion in Winter1968-08-20Henry II and his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, battle over the choice of an heir.More...
Similar Movies
Star Trek II: The Wra...
1982-06-04The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.Star Trek III: The Se...
1984-06-01A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.K-PAX
2001-10-26Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.Star Trek IV: The Voy...
1986-11-26When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.Star Trek V: The Fina...
1989-06-09A renegade Vulcan with a startling secret hijacks the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to find a mythical planet.20,000 Leagues Under ...
1954-12-23A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.Star Trek VI: The Und...
1991-12-06After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by an apparent attack from the Enterprise. Both worlds brace for what may be their deadliest encounter.A Clockwork Orange
1971-12-19In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?Sin City
2005-04-01Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark… Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home — Crooked cops, sexy dames, desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge, others lust after redemption, and then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care.Sin City: A Dame to K...
2014-08-20Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.Star Trek: Generation...
1994-11-18Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.Star Trek: First Cont...
1996-11-22The Borg, a relentless race of cyborgs, are on a direct course for Earth. Violating orders to stay away from the battle, Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise E pursue the Borg back in time to prevent the invaders from changing Federation history and assimilating the galaxy.Star Trek: Insurrecti...
1998-12-11When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.Star Trek: Nemesis
2002-12-13En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.North by Northwest
1959-08-06Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.The Terminator
1984-10-26In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?Zatoichi
2003-09-06Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.Spiderhead
2022-06-17A prisoner in a state-of-the-art penitentiary begins to question the purpose of the emotion-controlling drugs he's testing for a pharmaceutical genius.Programmed to Kill
1987-04-05A middle eastern female terrorist is captured by the CIA in Greece, after an attack on a marketplace. Transported back to the USA, the terrorist undergoes an operation where she is transformed into a cybernetic killing machine. Now the CIA have a secret weapon to send back to the Middle East, but how long can they control her?The 39 Steps
1935-06-06Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.