Serenity: it makes me a shameless marketing tool - 10.3.05
I wrote this as part of a movie promotion - if you had a blog and would write a review of any kind, you could go see a free preview. So of course, that's what I did.

Really, I don't mind doing it. In fact, I'm almost pleased to be a part of the people's effort to promote this fine, fine film. The cynical part of me says this is all just an elaborate and insidiously clever marketing scheme, but the idealist in me wants to believe that it is indeed a wonderful outpouring of fan fervor, a genuine grassroots movement born of true dedication and non-commericalized enthusiasm. Excitement, not contrived hype.

But this isn't what you want to hear about. It's the gorram movie. Such a fantastic movie! Beautifully crafted, taut with suspense and plot twists, packed with action and yet true to the characters at its heart... it's one of the tightest films I've seen in while. Of course, this comes after loving the tv series and getting to know the characters - which made for a surprisingly emotional experience at times. Prepare to be shocked and amazed!

Yet it's not an esoteric piece of fan arcana. I took my dad to this screening; he's a sci-fi fan, yet had never seen anything of Firefly. I asked him afterwards what he thought. He said he followed it easily and thoroughly enjoyed it. He said he could tell there was a lot more going on, and he was interested enough to really want to see the tv series after. Well done, movie. I think the film did a very good job of balancing the delicate demands of pleasing discerning Browncoats and engaging complete newcomers. The entire first sequence on the ship was brilliantly concieved - it quickly introduced and defined the characters, while moving us through the ship and giving us a good feel for everything. It was a graceful and elegant solution to what could have been a very confusing for newbies and boring for fans.

So Serenity works for both followers who know and love Firefly, and for people who've never been a part of any of it. I think this really shows the wide appeal of the movie - you don't need to study the episodes to quickly get drawn into the drama. The story is strong and the characters are powerful. It's the relationships and personalities that make it real and make it matter. It's not just cowboys in space, it's not just shooting and punching and fancy flying (although there is that) - but really, it's about the people. We're treated to a film that does not insult our intelligence by throwing only flash and dazzle in our faces; instead, it develops a world that we care about and compells us to watch as the action unfolds.

And what action! Some extremely intense fight scenes, interesting combat coreography, and one of the best space battles I've seen in a very, very long time. Never a dull moment, and there's always the wry, snarky quips and smart dialogue that we've come to expect from Whedon's pen. Bring that together with solid (and refreshingly understated) effects and a strong score, and it's a pretty fantastic movie.

Sure, there're some cliche moments and occasionally some of the character development would seem very artifical or contrived for people unfamilar with the show. But I'll have to watch this a few more times before this thrill and admiration wears off and I can be a serious critic. For now, I'm just an enthused fan. And that's just shiny.