Serenity

Based on the short-lived Fox series, Serenity follows the ragtag crew of a dilapidated spacecraft as they attempt to evade the advances of a tenacious assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor) out to abduct one of their own (Summer Glau’s River Tam). The simplicity of the premise is initially at odds with filmmaker Joss Whedon’s almost astonishingly cluttered sensibilities, as the writer/director has suffused the proceedings with a myriad of (mostly needless) subplots that effectively wreak havoc on the movie’s momentum – with the less-than-engrossing atmosphere compounded by an emphasis on underwhelming action sequences (ie Whedon’s overuse of shaky camerawork drains such moments of their impact). It is, as such, not surprisingly to note that the tremendously affable protagonists are, to a certain degree, lost in the shuffle, with Whedon’s plot-heavy modus operandi resulting in a pervasively distressing lack of the smaller, character-based moments that were both prevalent and a highlight on the show. There’s subsequently little doubt that one’s ongoing efforts at embracing the busy narrative tend to fall flat, although, to be fair, Whedon sporadically perks up one’s dwindling interest by stressing the jocular banter between the film’s heroes – with the watchable vibe heightened by the inclusion of a few admittedly striking sequences (eg Nathan Fillion’s Mal Reynolds delivers a stirring speech to get his crew moving). Serenity‘s status as a middling sci-fi thriller persists right up until the truth about the series’ villains, the bloodthirsty Reavers, is revealed, after which point the movie’s problems become (relatively) moot and the viewer is propelled right through to the entertainingly action-packed finale. The end result is a decent adaptation that’s clearly been designed to appeal solely to hardcore fans of the show, with Whedon’s narrow focus ensuring that neophytes (and even casual viewers) will find all-too-little here worth embracing.

**1/2 out of ****