Serenity now

Serenity is an amazingly dense piece of storytelling and Joss Whedon is a magician. The latter is the only explanation for the former - it's physically impossible to pack as much story into such a short time-frame otherwise. At the end of the film I had to check my watch to convince myself that only two hours had passed. If it had been three or more I wouldn't have been in the least surprised. Serenity picks up the pace in it's opening moments and then proceeds to accelerate, until it arrives, breathless, at it's conclusion. Along the way I recall fearing that it's momentum was unsustainable and that the film was about to come to an abrupt end, denying us a resolution until a sequel. I was wrong. Serenity delivers. It fulfils much of the promise of the series that spawned it, and doesn't shy away from giving us revelations of substance. Characters grow, and are forever changed before our eyes, secrets are laid bare, questions are answered.

It is, by turns, funny, and frightening, and visceral, and exhilarating, and moving, and enormously ambitious. I was skeptical as to whether a film version of Firefly could possible work. I struggled to recall any series which has successfully transitioned from film to television. But Whedon manages it, as much as anything else by throwing a ludicrous number of balls up in the air and then proceeding to juggle them with consummate ease.

For those of you who haven't seen the series, I still recommend it. The required exposition is elegantly woven into the fabric of the film, cleverly explaining the backstory whilst revealing in detail events hitherto unseen to even committed fans. Perhaps more importantly, Serenity succeeds on an emotional level. I dare anyone to watch this film, having seen the series or not, and fail to engage with these characters. They're not standard action heroes by any means, and their flaws are all too visible, but if you're not on the edge of your seat during the final stand off, willing them all to survive, then you're made of stern stuff indeed.

It's time to dig out and dust off those old reviewer cliches because Serenity is the film they were intended for. "A rollercoaster ride!", says iMark. "Rollicking good fun," says member of Delete The Web. Etcetera, etcetera. Go see it now.