Serenity (2005)

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writer (WGA):

Joss Whedon (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Can't stop the signal.

Plot:

In the future, when a passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit...

Plot Keywords:

Space Colony | Hologram | Thief | Tense | Space Fight

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Mal
Gina Torres	...	Zoe
Alan Tudyk	...	Wash
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee
Sean Maher	...	Simon
Summer Glau	...	River
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	The Operative
David Krumholtz	...	Mr. Universe
Michael Hitchcock	...	Dr. Mathias
Sarah Paulson	...	Dr. Caron
Yan Feldman	...	Mingo
Rafael Feldman	...	Fanty

Also Known As:

Firefly (USA) (working title)
Firefly: The Movie (USA) (working title)
Serenity (Argentina) (video title) (Spain) [es]
Serenity (Portugal) [pt]
Serenity - A Luta Pelo Amanhã (Brazil) (DVD title) [pt]
Serenity - Flucht in neue Welten (Germany) [de]
Serenity - põgenemine uude maailma (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario/Saskatchewan) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:16 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | France:U | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Norway:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Brazil:16 (DVD rating) | Peru:14 | Ireland:15A | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The DVD of Serenity was flown up to the International Space Station by astronaut Steven Swanson on board the shuttle Atlantis during it's June 2007 STS-117 mission.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene at the temple, when the operative and Mal are fighting, the operative kicks his gun from his hand. You can clearly see it's a stunt double he knocks the gun from, and not Fillion.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Teacher: Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance...

Movie Connections:

References Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Joss Whedon works his magic and succeeds wonderfully!

Before you start reading this, you have to know where I'm coming from. I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon's work, was a loyal follower of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' and really got into 'Firefly' (on which this movie is based) and the whole browncoat phenomenon as well. So I was, you might just say, pretty much predestined to like this movie. But, not so. Whedon-fans are a pretty critical bunch, most of the time, and no one went into this thing with higher expectations than us. And to have those expectations be met in such a way as Serenity does, is very special indeed.

The movie itself has all the elements that make Joss Whedon's work so very unique. The sense of humor, the wonderfully realized characters and their strong interpersonal bonds, masterful dialogue and emotional pain, everything is present. I laughed, I cried, I pretty much went through the entire emotional spectrum watching this movie, and that's not something you might expect from 'just another sci-fi movie'.

While I'm writing this, the release of Serenity is still a few weeks ahead, but I got to see the finished version of the movie with a selected group of Dutch Firefly fans in an exclusive pre-screening. Afterwards, the atmosphere was strange, subdued. It was almost as if everyone had survived some kind of big disaster together and we were too stunned to really say much. And I say that in the kindest possible way. Honestly.

If you're not into Whedon's work, or even if you're not into sci-fi in general, this is gonna be a movie worth watching. Ignore the whole 'geekmovie' hype that'll undoubtedly surround the release. Ignore the hype created by Whedon-fans such as myself. Simply go see it with an open mind and be prepared to be blown away. Because when Whedon works his magic, everyone has to pay attention.

This movie is truly a leaf on the wind. Watch it soar!