Now we come to the most miraculous chapter in the story of Firefly, the feature film Serenity. Some way, somehow, Joss Whedon managed to convince a studio (Universal) to fund a not-lavish-but-not-cheap sci-fi movie based on a TV show that ran only 14 episodes. Well, okay, the quality of said show (and enthusiasm of its fans) surely did some of the convincing too... but the point is that it's hard to overstate just how improbable it was that a movie continuation of Firefly would ever happen. But it did. And it's good. Really good.
One of the most impressive things about the movie (to my writer sensibilities) is how perfect the first 5-10 minutes are. Following the original series pilot and the FOX-requested "second pilot" episode The Train Job, this marks the third time Joss Whedon has had to find a way to introduce all the characters and the premise of the universe. And while I might argue it isn't handled quite as deftly as it was in the two-hour Firefly pilot, it is handled much more quickly here, and without sacrificing clarity -- both "musts" for a feature film.
We start in a school room setting, where we're quickly told about Earth-That-Was and the Reavers, then segue directly into Simon's rescue of River, showcasing their relationship and giving the background on what was done to her. And then that segues into the introduction of the Operative, the villain who will be chasing them. And from there, it gets even more sophisticated, with one of Joss Whedon's trademark "one-ers," a single camera shot that takes us through all of Serenity, showing the full geography of the ship and quickly introducing us to every character on board. You know who the pilot, the engineer, the doctor, and so forth all are, because you see them doing those things. And it's all done in an entertaining way, with quick pacing and plenty of humor, for those of us Firefly fans who already know all this stuff and don't need the re-introductions. Really savvy writing; exposition is nigh-impossible to do this well.
This is just the first of many great balancing acts achieved by the script. We get a thrilling chase sequence in the opening act, the kind mandated in a "mindless action movie," but it's hardly mindless here; it shows the threat of the Reavers, establishes the character of the crew in general (and Mal in particular), and showcases the signature Firefly blend of adventure and humor. At the end of the film, we get a desperate "last stand" sequence so well set up that you really do believe any one of the characters could die. And in between? Fist fights, space battles, and everything else you expect in an action movie, but intelligently presented and motivated by the plot.
That plot manages in just two hours to give us closure on several dangling threads from the series. We learn what the experiments on River were really all about, and why the Alliance wants so badly to re-capture her. We learn the truth of the Reavers. You laugh. You cry. You cheer. You're stunned into silence. (When I saw it in theaters, there was an audible gasp following the infamous "leaf on the wind" line... and then stone silence.)
Is it absolutely perfect? No. Inara and Book have rather marginalized roles in the film -- particularly Book (whose mysterious past is teased again, to be left unrevealed). The fanboy in me wishes that Mal's contact after the bank robbery could have been Badger, just for one more connection to the show. And then there's Mr. Universe, a rather weird character who crosses over to annoying in my book, in that he feels like he's intruding on the poignant funeral moment at the end of the film. (Seriously, this guy gets "billing" next to major characters we've loved throughout the series?)
Still, these quibbles aren't sufficient to make a dent in the A grade I give the film. It's on my top 100 list. I've let that list fallen so far out of date that I couldn't tell you exactly where it falls, but I don't have to wait on my eventual update to know for certain this would still be on there. This unlikely additional chapter in the Firefly saga is one of the best -- even if it does make you wonder in a bittersweet way how all these plot revelations might have spooled out over a season or two of the show itself.
Ah, Firefly.
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