OK. SERENITY, and what did I think. I'll skip the preamble and go ahead and tell you up front that I liked it a lot. A LOT. But then again, I'm one of the converted. I drank the kool-aid two years ago and have been hoping for seconds ever since. But since I'm going to try and review this thing, I have to at least attempt to be objective, and it's really hard for me to do so. And, I would imagine, it must have taken the same sort of effort, to the power of 100, for Joss Whedon to craft a film which would not be a total headscratcher for the Great Unwashed, but satisfy the rabid Browncoat cult who is the real audience, after all. That, and the empty suits at Fox. But that's another story.
Which is not to say that I didn't have nits to pick, and I suppose that I'll go ahead and get them out of the way early so I can commence with the gushing. What I didn't like can be boiled down to the actual nuts-and-bolts of the story, which pretty much follows the tried-and-not-so-true Action Movie Template that's been in effect since, oh, Die Hard, and probably longer than that, actually. Fortunately, Joss is smart enough to play scenes like big finale in which Our Hero (Mal) must do desperate battle with the Superior Cool and Evil Menace (The unnamed Operative) while swinging on chains to a interplanetary communications tower in the middle of a big room, high over a deadly spinning fan-like apparatus so he can achieve his goal, just like a video game- by leavening the mood with a surprising twist here or a clever quip there. He has to play by the rules and present this in a format that Mr. and Miz Average Moviegoer can relate to, but fortunately he cares enough to mix up the formula. Another complaint I have is the new-for-the-movie Tech Geek "Mr. Universe", the owner of said interplanetary communications tower that every action film just has to have, and who can hack into anything, anywhere, anytime, plus is a geeky-but-cool personality to boot. His presence in the film was the most annoying and egregious contrivance, but he's necessary according to the Action Movie Template. I also wish that Whedon could have spent a bit more time explaining exactly why the Alliance is such an Evil Empire; it's like he expected everyone to assume that Alliance equals bad guys and that's all you need to know. I've already seen one major film critic who has misunderstood this, and I bet he won't be alone. A bit more time explaining that the Alliance is the enemy of free will and thought, etc., etc. might have helped the uninitiated.
Aaaaand that's about it! Now that the bitching is out of the way, I can gush a while. SERENITY is everything that the Firefly fan could have hoped for. In fact, it's what the big, two-hour Season Two finale would have been in a perfect world- the continuation of the most up-front series storyline, that of Simon and River Tam and their flight from the Alliance scientists who experimented on the latter in order to transform her into a psychic assassin, plus it's got ample opportunities for each of the cast to show what endeared them to the faithful. The tone is downbeat and dark, but the pace is lightning-fast, lots of action and thrills, and Whedon keeps the flow going by punctuating it with wit and genuine affection for these characters. He even manages to get a little topical in regards to current events with some sideways allusions when one isn't looking and cleverly gets to flip the Fox network the bird while he's at it. Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds is expected to anchor the movie, and he does so very well, even evoking Gary Cooper with his laconic performance. All the cast members get their share of screen time, some more than others, and all succeed in getting across what made them so endearing to the faithful on the small screen. Adam Baldwin as the lunkheaded mercenary Jayne really gets a chance to stand out- on the show he's played for laughs more often as not, and while he certainly does that here he also gets to show a more serious side on a couple of occasions, most notably the confrontation with Mal over what to do with their perilous passengers...showed me a side of the Hero of Canton that was in short supply on the TV series. Chiwetel Ejiofor does a great job as the calm-but-deadly killer that the Alliance has charged with the finding of River Tam; he gives a sense of detached menace that works well against Mal's rough-edged bluster. One little problem I had with his character, though, is that he's a little too similar to Jubal Early, the merc that was sent to fetch her in one of the later episodes of the TV series; the resemblance is so close that I was under the impression that this was the same person back for a second try.
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
And I apologize- if I ever figure out what color this background is, I'll change the font color ASAP.
Of course, I can't conclude without mentioning the passing of two characters, one expected and the other a lot more UNexpected. Losing Shepherd Book won't hurt quite as much, even though he was probably the most intriguing character of all of them and if the TV series had continued I was most hoping that they would devote an episode or two to his backstory. Obviously he was a mercenary, or perhaps even an Alliance soldier, who turned his back for the Shepherd's life...and in his brief screen time, Ron Glass as Book alludes to just that. But the loss of Wash is one that I still can't wrap my head around. I realize Alan Tudyk has a career outside of Serenity/Firefly, and it's reached a certain sort of momentum, plus no one really knows for sure if Serenity will be sequel-spawning successful...so one can understand if he opts out BUT it kinda blunts the impact of his death if all one can think is "Well, he's been written out". On another level, though, one also has to wonder if, in case there IS a sequel, how Whedon will replace the likeable wit that Wash provided. Guess that bridge will be crossed when it's reached. Regardless, he will be missed very much.
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SPOILER SPACE
SERENITY is not the Best Movie Ever, but it's certainly the best one I've seen this year- and I'm only partially saying that because I'm a longtime Firefly fan. I would imagine that the uninitiated viewer, if they've seen any science fiction films (or Western films, for that matter)at ALL will be able to pick up on what's at stake and who's who. If nothing else, there's a lot of wisecracking, fighting, explosions and flying around, and none of it is boring. After seeing it, I feel pretty good about its chances for mass acceptance and the (hopeful) likelihood of continuance of the series, either back on the small screen or the large. And if none of this is to be and this is indeed the last roundup for the crew of the Serenity, well, they sure got a hell of a sendoff. Against all odds, Joss Whedon has crafted a gem of a series and film, and my hat is off to him for pulling it off.
No comments:
Post a Comment