Serenity (2005)

Directed by Joss Whedon. Starring Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Sean Maher, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ron Glass, David Krumholtz, Michael Hitchcock, Sarah Paulson. [PG-13]

The rebel crew of Firefly-class spaceship Serenity have taken on two new passengers: intuitive doctor Simon Tam (Maher) and his brainwashed telepathic assassin sister, River (Glau). This puts space cowboy Captain Mal Reynolds (Fillion) and his fugitive crew in the cross-hairs of shadowy Alliance operative Ejiofor (known simply as, well, the Operative), sending them on a planet-hopping journey to uncover River’s origins and expose dark government secrets. Whedon’s short-lived space Western television show “Firefly” cultivated a vocal cult following, inspiring this big screen follow-up, a love letter to the devoted fans (known as “Browncoats”) that won’t leave tenderfoots out in the cold. Its back stories and general mythology are ramshackle, vague, and trope-filled, but even if there’s urgency lacking in the far-fetched (and all-too-convenient) final act, more than enough goodwill has been extended by the screenplay’s wit, the cozy characterizations, the rust-bucket hardware, and breathless action scenes. Whedon’s feature directing debut; he also scripted and created the original show.

78/100