"In this continuation of the television series Firefly, a group of rebels travels the outskirts of space aboard their ship, Serenity, outside the reach of the Alliance, a sinister regime that controls most of the universe. After the crew takes in Simon (Sean Maher) and his psychic sister, River (Summer Glau), whom he has just rescued from Alliance forces, they find themselves being pursued by the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them."
When I first saw Serenity on DVD, I had not yet seen the television series Firefly. In fact, I didn't even realise that this was connected to a cancelled TV show (I think I first watched Firefly around 2012), yet Serenity is still one of my favourite films of all time. It, therefore, goes without saying that this is a brilliant stand-alone movie.
The film follows a rag-tag crew of mercenaries, who take on a brother and sister that are attempting to flee one of the most powerful agencies in the known world. Not without it's similarities to the Star Wars franchise, we have our own Rebels vs The Empire showdown. The real strength in the group is the charismatic nature of every single character. There are no members of Serenity's crew that you dislike. While Captain Mal (Nathan Fillion) is THE most charismatic rogue out there, every member of his crew have a purpose and go about it in an enigmatic way. They all have their quirks but there are no characters that are an obvious detriment to the team. It feels like a tight-knit family that the audience wants to be a part of. This strong emotional connection between the crew builds suspense and tension when all of a sudden their "normal" day-to-day lives are thrown out of whack, but their choices endear you further and further.
The world building in this universe is amazing considering the relatively low budget of 39 million for a sci-fi film. Building up the universe, there are a wide variety of locations and environments that showcase the difference in living conditions between rebel strongholds and worlds that are a part of the Alliance. From retrofitted caves and near Western landscapes, to the sleek and shiny conformity of Alliance cities, you get a real sense of the control, wealth, and power that the Alliance holds, without seeing any form of military force. Of course there is some sort of military foe involved, and his name is The Operative.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays The Operative, an unnamed assassin, and he excels in the role of this highly skilled agent. What works really well is how both the Operative and Captain Mal use faith in how they make decisions and follow through. Not faith in a religious sense, but they both have a belief that they are doing the right thing from their own perspective, and it builds intensity in that strength of motivation and character. The wildcards, known as the Reavers, are also a constant unpredictable threat that you can't escape from and they add that extra layer of fear and danger to everything, building the suspense.
What really struck me once I invested my time and watched the Firefly series, is how much of a departure in tone Serenity has from the series. Whereas the TV series was a comedy-filled adventure series, Serenity takes a much darker tone. While there is still a lot of comedic elements woven into the script, the overall story moves into a much darker area as it works to close off the story threads that had been left open from the series. The story behind "Miranda" especially was an exceptional twist that I didn't see coming and brought everything full circle.
Charismatic characters, gorgeous environments, competent CGI, and an outstanding plot all combine with futuristic, steampunky aesthetics to create a sense of wonder that always brings a smile to my face when I think about it. I wish there was more, but as far as a send-off goes, this was a hell of a gamble, and it paid off in troves.