Saw the movie Serenity late last night, partly to wind down from a very busy week. I’ve not seen the Firefly TV show upon which the movie is based, and so was a bit uncertain what to expect. But it’s sci-fi, and seemed to feature lots of spaceships and explosions–always good things to have in a movie. So we decided to give it a try.
It was extremely good. It’s essentially a space opera with a very entertaining Western motif, complete with cowboy holsters and bank robbers… in spaaaace!
Watching it, I was struck by a question: why aren’t these people making Star Wars movies instead of George Lucas? Serenity captures the feel of the original Star Wars far better than any of the three prequels did. Likeable, everyday heroes who exchange witty banter and struggle to keep their clunky spaceship from falling apart? Check. Tough-talking mercenary characters who act mean and gruff but who, we’re confident, will Do The Right Thing in the end, even if it means they won’t get paid for it? Check. A motley gang of quirky protagonists who bicker amongst themselves and can’t pay their bills, but who will nevertheless find a way to cleverly stick it to The Man in the end and save the galaxy in the process? You guessed it–check.
In short, it’s what made Star Wars so cool. The debt that Serenity owes to Star Wars is substantial… but would that George Lucas had been able to watch and be inspired by this movie before he launched into The Phantom Menace. It’s exactly the sort of pulpy space-action flick that Lucas hasn’t been making recently.
Serenity isn’t perfect, but it’s a fun one. Go see it!

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