Pardon me for a second, but I gotta say it: Serenity, Fuck Yeah!

(clickity for the full review)

Edinburgh Festivals – Serenity : “Serenity is a science fiction adventure that riffs heavily on the Western and, inevitably, owes a few debts to the original Star Wars trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Alien movies. But rather than making you pine for those films, it makes you thankful that someone has learned the right lessons from them.

This is the type of filmmaking that knows how to keep us entertained from first frame to the last. It’s a fantastically layered film, with a dense structure, but it’s not overloaded with mythological significance, nor does it try to pound us into submission with an inflated sense of its own importance. The plot is tightly constructed, but there’s enough room for the actors to manoeuvre and let us get to know their characters. And the script is smart and funny, which keep the atmosphere light when it needs to be, but ensures that dramatic and emotional moments are pretty toothsome, too.

Serenity is based on the short-lived TV show Firefly that Whedon created in 2002. Running for only 13 episodes, it was cancelled mid-season by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox network, presumably because it wasn’t Buffy the Vampire Slayer in space. Nevertheless, the show’s fervent fanbase kept it alive online and with massive DVD sales. What’s great about this film version is that it doesn’t require you to be a fan to enjoy and understand it. I went in knowing nothing and was hooked almost immediately.”