Serenity

Rating: A+

For me, this is the best movie I have seen this year. I have to admit, had I not been given the DVD of the series, Firefly, upon which this movie is based, I don't know if I would have liked it as much as I did. So i recommend you find one of your sci-fi geek friends to borrow the DVD's from and check it out. It's worth it.

Serenity is the continuing adventures of the crew of the Firefly class spaceship, Serenity. The series lasted for only 11 episodes (14 total, but only 11 made it to American TV), and was the brainchild of Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon. I won't bore you with all the details, but basically the captain of the ship, Malcom Reynolds (Nathon Fillion), and his first mate, Zoe (The Matrix Reloaded's Gina Torres) fought in a rebel war against the Alliance, which consists of the US and China, and ultimately lost. People have left Earth due to overpopulation and I suspect global warming, and they have colonized different planets. Mal and Zoe have been running around doing "jobs" to make money while avoiding the Alliance. They are joined by Wash(Alan Tudyk), the ship's able pilot and Zoe's husband, Jayne (My Bodyguard's Adam Baldwin), a mercinary who will stab you in the back if the price is right, but is not too bright in the head, and Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the undersexed engineer.

The crew picks up two additional passengers, a doctor named Simon (Sean Maher), and his mentally disturbed, courtesy of the Alliance, sister River (Summer Glau). We don't know what exactly what has happened to River, but we do know that it wasn't good, and it leads to mucho trouble.

The movie picks up about 6 months after the series, with Simon and River trying to find out what happened to her. It must be pretty good since the Alliance has sent an Operative (Love Acutally's Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man who truely believes that by killing the sinful, he can make the universe free of sin, to kill River.

This movie has everything. There are parts where you will laugh out loud and cry out loud. Cheer and cringe. It's fantastic. The chemisty between the members of the crew is palatible and believable. The main focus is on Mal, River, and Simon, but while the other crew members fade a bit, they each have their opportunity to shine, and boy do they.

The running time is just under 2 hours, but it seems to fly by. The space fight sequences are shot with none of the dizzyingness of Star Wars Ep III. Very well done. You really care about the characters and what happens to each.

Very good movie, and I will definately be at the theater again to see this one. I don't give out many A+'s, but when I do, it is deserving. Just see the series before you see the movie. It does nothing but enhance the experience.