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Adam Baldwin, clockwise from top, Summer Glau, Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres star in the sci-fi film "Serenity."Review
Energized 'Serenity' screams franchise
Even with a cast of relatively unknown actors, film delivers a great sci-fi adventure.
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A blast of sci-fi energy that makes you realize how good the "Star Wars" movies could have been, "Serenity" mixes space cowboy hijinks, Big Brother paranoia, meteor-fast quips and slamming action sequences into an absolute feast for fantasy lovers. This movie is anything but serene.
Although he's working with a solid cast of comparative unknowns and semi-knowns, the credit must go overwhelmingly to writer-director Joss Whedon ("Toy Story," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the upcoming "Wonder Woman"). Whedon sired a TV series called "Firefly" in 2002 about a nomadic crew of space travelers 500 years in the future, led by a former rebel captain. It was one of the best shows in years, so Fox promptly canceled it.
Luckily, Whedon had enough pull to take the concept to the big screen. "Serenity" (the name of the spaceship) finds the original cast and crew standing up against a government that believes it can force tranquility on its citizens. In the meantime, hordes of cannibalistic, disfigured space pirates roam the edges of the universe, attacking innocents and promoting anything but tranquility. Stuck between the two extremes are our heroes.
The crew of the Serenity, led by Capt. Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), help out a couple on the run from the government, a doctor named Simon (Sean Maher) and his telepathic, mentally mangled sister River (Summer Glau), the victim of arcane experiments. As it becomes more clear just how badly the government wants to re-capture River (specifically through the efforts of a cold-blooded, philosophical assassin played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), and how potentially lethal she is, the crew has to decide whether to abandon the siblings to save their own lives.
The crew is a wonderfully motley assemblage. There's the somewhat nerdy pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk), who's married to the Amazonian second-in-command, Zoe (Gina Torres). There's a sweet-pretty mechanic named Kaylee (Jewel Staite), who has a crush on Simon, and a gruff, burly mercenary named Jayne (Adam Baldwin). Add in a professional space courtesan (of course) named Inara (Morena Baccarin), who love/hates the captain, and you've got the ingredients for a sharp sitcom about a bickering, dysfunctional but loving family.
Except this is a bickering dysfunctional but loving family on a space ship battling cannibals and government assassins. Which is what makes it so cool. Whedon has the backdrop for grand, mythical battles and the contained environment for intimate, relationship battles. Plus, the guy has a nonstop sense of humor.
And he's got the actors to pull it all off. Fillion spent three years on TV's "Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place" (alongside fellow wise guy up-and-comer Ryan Reynolds), and he knows how to pull off both humor and bravado. Baldwin has more than 50 movie credits to his name, dating back to his debut in "My Bodyguard," and including "Ordinary People," "Full Metal Jacket" and "Independence Day." Gina Torres is a veteran of TV's "Angel" and "24" and the "Matrix" movies.
And the new talent fits in right alongside the pros, particularly Summer Glau, in her first actual role, balancing much serious kick-butt action with a wide-eyed innocence that earns some of the film's biggest laughs.
Whedon obviously knows how to cast a movie. And how to write one. But the question remains, can a sci fi spectacle succeed without well-known stars? Let's hope so, because if ever there was a concept that cried out franchise, this is it.
"Serenity" crackles with energy and wit while still managing to hold onto enough heart to make you care. It crams what could have been an entire second TV season into two hours but never leaves you wondering what's going on. And, most important, it is near-constant fun to watch. If you want to take a trip to the stars, this is the rocket to ride.
You can reach Tom Long at (313) 222-8879 or tlong@detnews.com.
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