Serenity/Firefly Review

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me

There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

-Theme from Firefly

Written by: Joss Whedon

When I first caught an episode of Firefly, I was a bit confused. Beginning with a decidedly country theme song, what WAS this show anyway? Was it a western? Was it a space drama? Was it a comedy? Actually, the answer is yes to all three. Creator Joss Whedon, also of Buffy fame, has said this show is about the people who the starship Enterprise would leave standing in the dust. These people are cowboys, rebels, and most importantly a family. After only eleven episodes though, it was uncerimoniously cancelled by Fox. However, in 2005 it found a new life thanks to overwhelming fan support and the belief by Whedon that this was a project too good to be set aside. He was right, and thankfully Firefly and it's follow up movie Serenity are finding new life. So this isn't really a review about one. It's a review of both.

Whedon approached the space drama a bit differently than others. He put realistically flawed people into extraordinary situations, and instead of the constant heroics and perfect ideals that other shows have had for their leading characters...he had them stumble to their decision making. Just like real life. The crew commonly would do the right thing, and there's no doubt they were heroes. They just tended to complain a lot more about it. The bickering and infighting were something brothers and sisters would do, but when push came to shove there was no one who could harm the strangely loving family on board. The cast, led by Nathan Fillion, is one of the more interesting groups to date. There's a certain exotic quality to each of them, whether it be Fillion's striking eyes or Moreena Baccarin's luminous beauty, but when they speak and interact you can see a chemistry much like Whedon's other projects. From leading man on down the cast roster, there are quality actors finally given a chance to do quality work.

In the Firefly world, you are not only immersed into the lives of these people. You're immersed into an entire culture. Planets, government, ideas, religion, even language. You're given a window view onto an entire galaxy that's something like home, but with enough differences that you honestly wonder what's around the next turn. One thing to mention here is that in this universe, prostitution is considered a noble and refined art much like the courteasans or the geishas. After that catching me by surprise, something else did too. Whedon had a perfect opportunity for pointless shows of nudity, and he chose not to take it. The most you will ever see is the ship's companion, played by Baccarin, bathing. It's done so tastefully that it's appropriate for nearly all ages. You know what a companion does and is but you see nothing more than a PG rated moment.

Something else that you should know is that Serenity/Firefly is very much an action adventure. What makes it different though is that there's this certain wryness to it that reminds me of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Even in the middle of some of the amazing chase and fight scenes, you can count on at least one moment of laughter. Moments like that make for really fun entertainment. I recommend Firefly the series and Serenity for anyone who likes a good sci-fi adventure, but also likes to laugh. You won't be disappointed.

(Picture and info from Yahoo)


-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
indigojenn@earthlink.net
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