"Serenity" Now! (The Movie, That Is)

Song Lyric of the Day:

Have heart my dear / We’re bound to be afraid / Even if it’s just for a few days / Making up for all this mess

Snow Patrol / “Run”

12:19AM.
I’m too tired to write a full post right now, but later on today I will post my review of “Serenity,” the movie based on and a continuation of the brief, late, great series, “Firefly.” Suffice to say, this was hands-down one of the best, most exhilarating movies I’ve seen this year.

I will also post a recap of my lunch with Jonathan and Curry, since Jonnie pointed out I blog about everything. And so I will. Take that, Jonnie.

8:21PM.
“Serenity” begins with a daring rescue engineered by Dr. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) to save his young sister, River (Summer Glau), from the Alliance. River is telepathic and the Alliance will do anything they can to understand and, in all likelihood, use and abuse her gift. The rescue is soon revealed to be a file viewed by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in hot pursuit of the Tam siblings; he will do anything he has to to track them down and bring River back into the Alliance’s clutches.

The opening scene serves to introduce the world of “Firefly” to new viewers; for fans of the TV series on which “Serenity” is based, the opener was a welcome glimpse into how exactly Simon saved River from the Alliance. A year later the Tams are living aboard the Firefly-class ship, Serenity, with Simon earning their keep by serving as the ship’s doctor. Led by the renegade captain, Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), Serenity‘s crew makes their passage through the galaxy as smugglers, robbers, and by doing whatever will keep them afloat–both literally and figuratively–and under the Alliance’s radar.

The movie is a wonderful treat for “Firefly” fans and for sci-fi fans in general. The TV series existed only long enough to introduce unique, diverse characters viewers came to care about and whose adventures were only getting started and becoming more involving. “Serenity” picks up right where the series left off, so it may be a bit confusing for newbies, but it is still a really enjoyable ride.

On what should be a routine robbery job for the crew, Mal, first mate Zoe (Gina Torres), Jayne (Adam Baldwin), and River run into trouble in the form of Reavers, a breed of men who lived on the fringes of the galaxy and mutated into inhuman creatures who rape, torture, eat, and kill their prey, not always in that order. After a harrowing escape, River’s intuitiveness begins to sharpen and she begins to lose her already delicate grasp on reality. Everyone begins to believe she is becoming a danger to those around her. She literally snaps on a visit to a planet where she and Simon are to permanently disembark for the safety of the ship’s crew. Mal and Jayne are witnesses to her break, with Jayne being on the receiving end of River’s physical wrath. The crew reluctantly takes the Tams back on board to try and figure out what trigger set River off; any clues are crucial to help Simon determine a course of treatment and hopefully make her better.

The secret River knows about the Alliance is eventually revealed and the crew sets out to right what they know to be wrong. Sadly, a couple of characters are lost in the battle. The deaths really resonate with viewers of “Firefly;” while one death was somewhat expected the second was a complete, and devastating, surprise. But that’s why we love the worlds Joss Whedon creates, and “Serenity” is no exception. In the Whedonverse, nothing is ever guaranteed–characters don’t always live happily ever after, and the bad guys aren’t always caught or stopped. But there is always humor and plenty of heart to balance the chaos and general craziness encountered; Baldwin and Alan Tudyk (pilot Wash) generate the biggest laughs, making the most of their selfish and neurotic characters (respectively).

The chase and battle scenes are exciting and suspenseful, creating a genuine feeling of dread and worry for the characters’ safety. Whedon wrote and directed the movie, doing an outstanding job on both fronts. The movie left us wanting more, to see what becomes of Serenity‘s crew and to see what (mis)adventures they find next. Nathan Fillion earns more than just a comparison as the next Harrison Ford; he becomes a true leading man, this complicated hero who is flawed and doesn’t always make the right choice but will always do what he believes is right for him and his crew. The supporting cast is also terrific, the camaraderie they developed on the series carrying over to the big screen. If anything, “Serenity” left us wanting to see more, to return to the wonderful, Whedonverse world of “Firefly.” Maybe the movie gods will smile on us again someday.

11:02PM.
As my loyal readers know, I love “Without a Trace.” I think this is one of the more original procedural dramas on TV today. It manages to expertly weave the characters’ personal stories and lives into the cases they handle without overdoing it. (And, of course, it features my #2 fantasy second husband). After a somewhat shaky start this season, the show is once again hitting its stride, with one big exception: Roselyn Sanchez has got to go. Whereas I didn’t mind Sarah Brown being added to the cast of “Cold Case” (although it turns out producers thought otherwise), Roselyn Sanchez adds nothing to WAT. She is a painfully weak link in what is otherwise a strong cast. Why did the showrunners feel that they needed to add a new character? I was perfectly happy with Jack, Danny, Samantha, Viv, and Martin. If they felt like giving Danny a past love interest, why did they have to make the character a team member? Couldn’t she be someone he knows away from the office? The Jack-Samantha-Martin triangle is more than enough of a romantic entanglement for the team to deal with. And I don’t think I’m alone in not liking the new character, at least based on what I’ve read on a couple of TV message boards. That’s one good thing about the age of the internet: showrunners are really starting to pay attention to fan feedback and adjust shows accordingly. I, for one, hope they return WAT to what it was in seasons past. It wasn’t broke, so they stop trying to “fix” it.

11:30PM.
To get off my TV ranting high horse for a minute, I would like to commend our friend, Jonathan, for asking Rich and I to contribute items for an auction to benefit mental health services in our area. Rich created a gorgeous pastel piece based on a photo I took and I contributed a photo I took on our trip to the mountains a few weeks ago. Here’s to a good cause.