Serenity (2005)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

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:

The crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic.

Plot Keywords:

Alliance | Planet | Sister | Captain | Brother

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	1:00 AM	USA
Thur. Nov. 12	1:30 AM	USA
Sun. Nov. 15	6:30 PM	SYFY

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Captain Malcolm Reynolds
Gina Torres	...	Zoë Washburne
Alan Tudyk	...	Hoban Washburne
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee Frye
Sean Maher	...	Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau	...	River Tam
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 - L'ultime rébellion (France) [fr]
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:

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

When the Operative reviews Mal's file, it shows his birth date as 9/20/2468. 9/20/2002 is the day "Firefly" (2002) premiered. Coincidentally, 9/20/1968 is "Firefly" writer/producer Ben Edlund's date of birth.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mal and Zoe talk about the man left behind during the bank job, there's an orange/yellow light flashing that reflects off of the right of Mal's face but not at all off Zoe's, even though they're standing right opposite each other.

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:

Referenced in Ultimate Sci-Fi Quiz (2006) (VG)

Definitely a Must-See More than Once

I saw this movie twice in preview screenings in May and June, and I cannot emphasize enough how rewarding it is to see this movie more than once. The first time through is such an amazing ride that it is impossible to soak everything up. Subsequent viewings really give you whole new levels of appreciation. There's SO much going on here, and it's amazingly good.

There's never been a movie quite like this one. It defies easy genre categorization, and has so many beautiful moments, comedic moments, and fantastic action sequences that it has got to appeal to a much wider than just a "scifi" audience. It really manages to deliver an important message while still being enormously entertaining -- a rare feat.

Joss Whedon has crafted one of his tightest, most masterful scripts ever, and his directing is masterful. For example, he surpasses even some of his own legendary "one-ers" of Buffy and Angel in the introductory sequence on the ship.

Plus, the actors are talented, and damn pretty to boot.