Reviews

I know some of you skeptics might immediately think that a 10/10 reviewer should be dismissed as a fanboy, but here's why I think Serenity remains memorable and relevant 14 years after it was made. In simple terms, excellent casting and character development. If you only just read a summary of the plot on paper, it wouldn't sound like anything too unique. But what I found is that there is something likeable and memorable about every personality in this movie. As you watch the brilliance of Summer Glau, Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, and the others act out their roles on screen, you will be hooked. In my mind, I find a benchmark of good storytelling is when you can make me care and start hoping for certain outcomes for the characters, then that kind of visceral emotion is what makes for a compelling, enjoyable film with great replay value. In a genre where enormous big budgets and special effects often make just telling a great human story the second priority, Serenity delivers big in this area, and does so gracefully with a very small, limited budget by comparison.

Some ask, is the movie enjoyable as a standalone cinematic experience without watching firefly? I can honestly say the answer is yes, however you will appreciate it more if you do watch the Firefly TV series. I watched the movie first, then went back and watched the series. As a standalone film, I would rate it more as only 8/10, but I found I appreciated it far more after watching the series. So, as an element in the Firefly universe, I think it rightfully deserves a higher score. As many have lamented, Firefly only ran one season for fourteen episodes, back all the way in 2002. It is even more doubtful that there will ever be a sequel to Serenity now that so much time has passed, as the door was left wide open to develop the story even further. But hey, we can all hope, right?

When I saw the rash of negative reviews for this title, I felt I should throw in my objective 2 cents worth after watching this less than 24 hours ago. With any movie, there really is only one question you need to ask yourself. Did it entertain you? If the answer is yes, then what is all the griping for? Not every film is going to have a gargantuan budget for fancy sets and special effects. I find in-depth character development is always a challenge for the 2 hour feature film format.The plot was a little thin, character development somewhat lacking, and some evidence of lazy writing present (no effort dedicated to how they survived in the desert or at all). But then again, I'd say most modern day Star Wars movies are guilty of all those things I just mentioned on a far worse scale. But did it entertain me? The answer is yes! And I do give ratings based on entertainment value too. This movie had bikes, babes, and a healthy amount of suspense around how it was going to end for the Prince and for the robot woman Ash. You see other reviews on here have people trying to compare this film to Mad Max. I really didn't like Mad Max that much, and would rate Fury Road a solid 4 at best.

After seeing so many negative "trolls" on here about what people don't like about this film, I thought I would just throw one glaring fact out there...it's a movie for kids! And my 2.5 year old loved it! As far as he is concerned, it currently has infinite replay value. He really seems to like movies that have a great sound track...which this one does. The songs are enjoyable covers of easily recognizable pop songs from several decades, with some modified lyrics. The point is, if a film entertains your kid many times over, then the writers did something right. The plot was simple and was about what I expected. If you really hated this movie, stop being such a Bergen and lighten up!