Joss Whedon has, over the years, developed a knack for flourishing in second attempts. \Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"" penned by Whedon, failed miserably at the box office, but five years later was turned into one of the most heavily followed television shows of its time, running for seven solid seasons and surviving despite a network-switch after the fifth.
In his latest second-attempt success story, Whedon has created ""Serenity,"" the big-screen adaptation of his show ""Firefly,"" which ran for one season in 2002 and was seemingly forgotten until now. While the special effects may not be extraordinary, Joss Whedon is such a brilliant storyteller that they somehow still manage to be magnificent, and it is refreshing-almost exciting-what this man can do with a budget slightly bigger than that for a WB TV show about vampires. It seems hard to expect anything more than a no-brainer plot for a futuristic action flick like ""Serenity,"" but it must be taken into account that, like the talent he puts in front of the camera, Whedon is brutally underrated.
""Serenity"" is the name of a spaceship in our universe 500 years into the future. It is a time of post-galactic war in which the ship's captain, Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), is the running leader of the losing side. He leads a crew of eight, including the unbalanced psychic River (Summer Glau) and her brother Simon (Sean Maher) on a fugitive quest against the Alliance, a conglomerate that dictates the universe. The Alliance has a mission to destroy River, who, after being unconsciously trained as an unstoppable warrior, has escaped their power with the help of her brother and may have valuable information about a deadly secret they have been keeping for years.
Fillion is surrounded by a powerful cast of B-listers, including Alan Tudyk and Gina Torres. The movie begins with a spectacular four-minute take which introduces us to them all, and throughout the film the actors are empowered with a commendable script. Joss Whedon is a great spinner of dialogue. He has ways of pushing the narrative beautifully forward through the subtle yet honest intertwining of conversation, soliloquy and silence. The pulse of ""Serenity"" is almost inescapable. Whedon loops suspense with relief in such unpredictable intervals that the tension of this film is gripping, terrifying and furious. ""Serenity"" creates an entirely fictional world, but with its strange, invasive camera work, one feels as if he or she is just as much a part of it as Captain Mal himself.
""Serenity"" is a film of unanswered questions. The story leaves many open ends-there is so much more to know that one almost has to expect (or at least hope for) a sequel. However, this movie still manages to stand alone. There are no questions big enough to negate the advantages of a unique plot, and the characters and script do enough to satisfy an audience by themselves. ""Serenity"" is a surprise all on its own, and it is definitely one of the few science-fiction endeavors to be reckoned with.
