Much ink has been spilt in praise of this film and I can only concur with all of it. This is as exhilarating a sci-fi/action film as any moviegoer could ask for. The movie contains just the right amount of stunning visuals and elegant action sequences to give audiences the eye-candy they crave without subjecting them to sensory overload a la the second Star Wars trilogy. Disappointed fans of that saga know too well that just having a skilled technician at the helm who is capable of visual acrobatics is not enough to hold viewers' attention for the duration of a feature film. In fact, all the bright lights and loud noises can become grating or, even worse, outright boring if the technician isn't also an artist capable of constructing intriguing characters, listenable dialogue and a meaningful plot. Those three elements are what make viewers give a damn about what they're watching on-screen and, thank goodness, Joss Whedon supplies them in droves.
I'll admit that, before watching Serenity, I was not convinced of Mr. Whedon's much-hyped genius. I still think that Buffy was tremendously overrated and the original Firefly series made barely a blip on my radar. My loss. After enjoying Serenity so much, I feel outright envious of those Firefly afficionados who had the chance to view the movie not as an introduction to this delightful universe full of fascinating characters but as the culmination of a storyline they had long loved and suffered for. That said, it is a credit to Mr. Whedon's talent as a scriptwriter that he immerses us initiates so gracefully and efficiently into his cosmos that we never once feel at a disadvantage. What's more, he does it with wit, humor, pathos and most of all the courage to earnestly confront us with difficult ideas and plot-twists that a less confidant filmmaker might either retreat from or cynically empty of meaning. In his first feature, Mr. Whedon has proved himself an auteur with brains, heart and guts, which is what fuels my hope that Serenity will find a wide enough audience that it can transcend the slightly pejorative category of "cult-classic" and take its place as simply a classic.
I'll admit that, before watching Serenity, I was not convinced of Mr. Whedon's much-hyped genius. I still think that Buffy was tremendously overrated and the original Firefly series made barely a blip on my radar. My loss. After enjoying Serenity so much, I feel outright envious of those Firefly afficionados who had the chance to view the movie not as an introduction to this delightful universe full of fascinating characters but as the culmination of a storyline they had long loved and suffered for. That said, it is a credit to Mr. Whedon's talent as a scriptwriter that he immerses us initiates so gracefully and efficiently into his cosmos that we never once feel at a disadvantage. What's more, he does it with wit, humor, pathos and most of all the courage to earnestly confront us with difficult ideas and plot-twists that a less confidant filmmaker might either retreat from or cynically empty of meaning. In his first feature, Mr. Whedon has proved himself an auteur with brains, heart and guts, which is what fuels my hope that Serenity will find a wide enough audience that it can transcend the slightly pejorative category of "cult-classic" and take its place as simply a classic.
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