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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Salesrank: 600
Released: December 20, 2005 |
| Our Price: $6.50 |
| Used Price: $2.43 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) comes a new edge-of-your-seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds.
Description of Serenity (Widescreen Edition):
Serenity offers perfect proof that Firefly deserved a better fate than premature TV cancellation. Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi Western hybrid series was ideally suited (in Browncoats, of course) for a big-screen conversion, and this action-packed adventure allows Whedon to fill in the Firefly backstory, especially the history and mystery of the spaceship Serenity's volatile and traumatized stowaway, River Tam (Summer Glau). Her lethal skills as a programmed "weapon" makes her a coveted prize for the power-hungry planetary Alliance, represented here by an Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who'll stop at nothing to retrieve River from Serenity's protective crew. We still get all the quip-filled dialogue and ass-kicking action that we've come to expect from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Whedon goes a talented step further here, blessing his established ensemble cast with a more fully-developed dynamic of endearing relationships. Serenity's cast is led with well-balanced depth and humor by Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds, whose maverick spirit is matched by his devotion to crewmates Wash (Alan Tudyk), Zoe (Gina Torres), fun-loving fighter Jayne (Adam Baldwin), engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), and Mal's former flame Inara (Morena Baccarin), who plays a pivotal role in Whedon's briskly-paced plot. As many critics agreed, Serenity offered all the fun and breezy excitement that was missing from George Lucas's latter-day Star Wars epics, and Whedon leaves an opening for a continuing franchise that never feels cheap or commercially opportunistic. With the mega-corporate mysteries of Blue Sun yet to be explored, it's a safe bet we haven't seen the last of the good ship Serenity. --Jeff Shannon
Serenity (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
Serenity: A Diamond in the Rough 
2009-12-27 - I am a big science fiction fan, but I don't like the majority of science fiction. I am a huge fan of Star Trek - particularly Deep Space 9 and The Next Generation. I watched, Star Trek: Enterprise and Battlestar Galactica (the new one) and was very disappointed with both. I attempted to watch Babylon 5 and Farscape, but was very bored with the characters. That being said, the Firefly series and the movie Serenity are excellent and represents some of the best science fiction of the 21st century.
It is important to note that this movie is based off of the firefly series, and, while an excellent movie on its own right, is best to watch the series first. The movie does have complete plot and seeing firefly is not required to enjoy and understand the movie. However, watching the series first will give a greater appreciation for the characters, verse, setting, and plot subtleties, making the movie more impactful and enjoyable. As of writing this review, it has been 1 week since I finished watching Firefly and Serenity. During this week I have thought back to the show and verse many times and imaged my own adventures.
As it stands both the show and movie are excellent and thoroughly entertaining. I would rate the first season and first movie a 9.1/10 (which will round to a 5 star review at Amazon).
just one more thing.....
2009-12-25 - The thing that makes this movie more mesmerizing and electrifying than the TV series is the incredible performance by Summer Glau. She completely and absolutely
dominated every scene she was in with a presence and intensity that brought you to that reality. It is a shame that the TV series treated the character of River almost as
an aside. I never get tired of watching this, and the more I see it, the more I appreciate how the movie is so much better than the TV series ever dreamed of being.
The high-definition suffers a bit 
2009-12-20 - Not going to give a full review; if you're buying it, you probably already know how great the movie itself is.
I'd just like to point out that the CG effects don't hold up well in HD; they give themselves away instantly as CG: they look too clean and perfect to be real, something far less noticeable in the standard-def version. It's a significant distraction.
Make a Sequel Dammit!!!
2009-12-19 - The best Sci-Fi I have seen. Period. I think Universal has to take a chance on making a sequel to Serenity. The fanbase is continuing to grow and it's quite evident in the DVD and Bluray sales. Universal gave the green light to spend a $40 budget and they pretty much made that money back with movie tickets and DVD sales. I'm pretty sure if they decide to shell out another 40 to 50 million for a sequel, they will not be disappointed. I will be the first one on line for a movie ticket. Bring it back Joss Whedon!!!
I could stand to hear a little more too! (Watch closely and you'll get it.)
2009-12-18 - Joss Whedon's space adventure ticks pretty much all the right boxes: it's sharp, funny, thrilling, and intelligent. He sets out to entertain and does so from start to finish, never allowing himself to take things too seriously, and never patronising his audience.
To be honest, there's nothing new here, but it's done with such esprit and flair that its derivative nature is forgivable: This is homage rather than lack of imagination. If, however, Whedon had managed to come up with a more original story this would have been a 5-star movie.
BTW, look out for references to other blockbusters including Blade Runner, the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, along with many others. Even Kill Bill gets a nod.
