Serenity (2005)

I saw the sci-fi film "Serenity" when it first came out in 2005, never having seen a minute of the American television show "Firefly" that preceded it. I caught onto the film, liked it well bunches, and three years later picked up the whole "Firefly" series on DVD figuring it'd be just as good. And it was far more brilliant than I ever hoped.

"Firefly" concerned a ragtag group of space traders (err, thieves) in a distant future with basic plot elements taken from several sci-fi and Western films, with post-Reconstruction America history weaved in. Its dialogue, stories, cinematography and even music are like nothing I'd ever seen on TV -- all outstanding.

So, now having seen the show, I'm miffed to return to "Serenity." It has the same cast (led by Nathan Fillion as a Han Solo type) and basically wraps up most of the show's central mysteries, but its soul has been stripped. Joss Whedon, creator and main writer of "Firefly" and this film, has made too many sacrifices for the big screen. Gone are the dialogue, music, cinematography and moral complexities that made the show standout.

It's not a bad film by any means; it's still highly entreating in its own right, but it feels woefully average now. "Firefly" blazed new trails in well worn genres; sadly "Serenity" is content to stay in line. Chiwetel Ejiofor joins the film as an assassin, and steals the film from his fellow cast. B-